Americana Wall Hanging

From LoveToKnow Interior Design

Americana wall hanging is an expansive idiom that refers to decorative artifacts encompassing the culture of the United States of America. Cultural imagery that comes into mind when using the term Americana is very broad and includes most if not all elements of American history.

What Is Americana

Examples of Americana culture include but are not limited to:

Folklore
Muscle cars
AMC
Route 66
Baseball
Apple pie
Wagon trains
Jazz
Elvis Presley
Rockabilly
Norman Rockwell
The diner
Folk art
Bugs Bunny
Mickey Mouse

The All Americana Wall Hanging

Our strongest associations with the word Americana is the rustic characteristics of the old west, cowboys and Indians, dirt, metal, stone and wood. Typically this style decor coincides best with a country style interior and what better way to celebrate the American lifestyle than with an antique American flag, a handmade quilt, or a vintage tin sign.

American Flag	Banjo	Hat
Metal Art	Quilt	Vintage Sign

Create an Americana Style Decor

Americana decor is an informal style that weighs heavily on good old fashioned craftsmanship, simple shapes, and functionality, value of material and subtle colorings and patterns. The Americana country style home also draws enormous inspiration from nature such as woolen blankets, birch fire logs, and stormy winter grey skies, sheer muslin, cool linens and golden summer sunbeams. Use the following examples to inspire you.

An earthy color palette
- Terracotta reds
- Golden summer yellow
- Potato sack brown
- Weather worn white
- Pale water blue
- Dark stem green

Rustic materials
- Hammered copper
- Steel patinas
- Aged bronze
- Rusted metal
- Distressed wood
- Weather worn stone
- Paint flakes

Simple fabric
- Old linen
- Woolen tweed
- Muslin
- Patchwork
- Mix and matched patterns
- Subtle color ways

Americana Furniture

Reproductions of the great styles of early American furniture are available by licensed furniture manufactures. Using simple furniture pieces that weigh heavily on craftsmanship is an American tradition. When traditional style furniture pieces are paired with other rustic elements it makes for an interesting and eclectic decor. Manufactures licensed to reproduce such furnishings include:

Kittinger Furniture
Kindel Furniture
Baker Furniture
Saybolt-Cleland Furniture

Celebrate America on Your Walls

There are many different ways to display American heritage in your home using Americana wall hangings. Here a few suggestions:

Americana Folk Art

Americana folk art is portrayed as naive in style and does not follow the traditional rules of proportion and perspective. Folk artists are typically from rural or pre-industrial societies and relate to craftsmen more than fine artists. Here are a few well-known American folk artists:

Grandma Moses
Edward Hicks
Maud Lewis

Americana Crafts

Traditional crafts have an informality of style that makes them immediately accessible and immensely appropriate for Americana interiors. They require a minimum of fuss and expense yet add priceless character. Here are a few examples of Americana crafts:

Quilts
Curtains
Metal wall art
- Stars
- American flags
Hanging candle holders

American Flag Wall Hanging Craft

Show the guests in your home your patriotism by creating a collage of antique American flags beautifully displayed on your walls. A wonderful collection of six antique flags, that can be cross stitched either together or as separate pieces, is available at Michaels craft store. The project has a skill level rating of easy and the Michaels website provides a free pattern download, list of materials and step by step instructions. The cost of the project will depend on the materials you choose to use and purchase. Crafting times vary depending on your cross stitching experience, however, if you are a beginner this is a great project to start with. The flags included in this set are: