My new thematic gallery wall

So recently, I decided to revamp the decor in my kitchen, which already has a vintage look with tiles from the '90s. As I live in a rented house, I can't make many changes to the property's structure, but I always find creative ways to make everything more colorful, more fun, and with my own identity.

This time, I decided to transform a wall in the kitchen by putting up a gallery of decorative plates. But not just any plates! I decided to make a themed wall with only animal plates.
I realized that I already had most of them, but as they were scattered around the decor in other rooms, I hadn’t even noticed that I had enough for a wall focused on this one theme.

The last plate to arrive in this still-small collection was this vintage kitten plate. It came to me recently, and I realized it was time to finally create this gallery.

Before anyone thinks I'm crazy for damaging the old tiles, let me defend myself by saying that none of the tiles were damaged in the installation of the plates. Some are attached with double-sided tape.

Others are hung with nails but in holes that already existed in the tiles and were only covered with wall putty—probably made by former residents. Since I reused old holes, when I leave the house, I’ll just need to reapply the putty.

In some places, I drilled small holes in the tile grout to fit small nails, all with the greatest care in the world to avoid chipping any tiles.
It worked!

I decorated this wall with a little plant, a tile with a butterfly design, and a miniature window made from wood by Brazilian artisans from the state of Minas Gerais. This window is a replica of a window in an old house in the historic city of Mariana.

Just below the wall of plates is a red and pink tea trolley that I restored, with a few jars of spices. The pot lids are all colorful and crocheted, crafted by my own hands. Both projects have already been featured in previous posts here on Hive—you can search for them in my historical blog roll.

I've recently started enjoying decorating my home again. I hadn’t felt like doing it for a while, but taking care of the space around me always makes me want to take better care of myself in all other parts of life. I love seeing that every little piece of my home has a bit of me in it.

This house has become my experimental laboratory, and I'm learning in practice how having maximalist, colorful, and dopaminergic decor contributes to my mental health. I would never be able to exist in a house with neutral or grey colors because this sobriety sold by capitalism as something we should desire is definitely not for me.

I hope you like my new wall and my totally handmade, DIY decoration.
In my next post, I'll bring you another change I've made to the interior design I've done around here.
See ya! 💐