The other day I was working in the office when Sherry breezed in and swiped some paper from the printer. I barely noticed until I walked into the kitchen a few minutes later and saw this—along with Sherry grinning and batting her eyelashes.
It turned out she’d been eyeing these large succulent photographs from West Elm for a while, and they had gone on sale. They’re pricier than our usual art purchases, but they’re big—almost 30 inches square—and each comes with a large glass frame. When she saw a 20% markdown, she took it as a sign that two should come live with us. I ended up liking them too, so we decided to bring both home. We’ve been trying to collect more large-scale pieces over time, balancing affordable DIY projects with a few professionally framed prints.
A week later, that big empty wall in our kitchen was no longer empty.
Here’s a less reflective view from the other side showing the two new additions.
That’s the short version. The full story starts with what the wall looked like before: an old, non-working intercom unit mounted in the way.
As odd as I’d grown fond of that faux wood-grain box with its dials, it was time to remove it. It came off easily after loosening a few screws.
We had hoped for a tiny hole with a few wires, but instead we found this sizable cavity full of connectors and wiring. For a few seconds I half-expected it to be something disastrous, but it wasn’t. With the power turned off, I was able to unplug the two power leads (blue and white) and disconnect the rest of the bundle of connectors that likely run to other intercoms in the house—none of which actually work.
Since this wall will eventually be removed when we open the kitchen to the living room, we decided on a temporary, practical approach instead of calling an electrician right away. The intercom shares a breaker with the wet bar light, which we rarely use, so we capped and taped the power wires, shut off the breaker, and left it at that for now. Eventually I’ll pick up a flat metal plate to mount over the opening for a neater temporary cover.
There was also an unused phone jack nearby. After reading up on the safest ways to disconnect one, the common guidance was that phone wires typically aren’t dangerous unless the line is active or ringing, and they can often be cut and tucked away. I was cautious, but I managed to disconnect the four pairs of wires from the jack without a shock. To be safe, I capped matching colored wires with wire nuts—just like the previously capped jack in the living room—and pushed them back into the box.
After capping the wires and testing the phone to be sure everything still worked, I stepped back to look at the two open holes. They’re not pretty, but because this wall is destined for demolition, we chose not to patch the drywall yet. Instead, we installed a blank cover on the phone jack and painted it to match the wall. The larger radio opening is now discreetly tucked behind the green succulent print—kind of like hiding an old medicine-cabinet hole behind a mirror. That metal plate I mentioned should help the opening look more intentional until we make permanent changes.
I admit a bit of DIYer guilt for leaving the drywall alone, but it felt pointless to pay for an electrician or carefully patch the wall when we’ll be taking it down later. For now, I’m content with the temporary fixes and the new view.
We decided to center the artwork over the table and chandelier rather than aligning it strictly with the wall; we tried both and the centered-on-table placement looked much better with the lighting and furniture.
Any guesses about which print Clara likes best?
She prefers the purple one on the left.
We like how the prints add color without being overly busy, which is helpful since we’re planning window treatments that might introduce more pattern later. Because the wall won’t be permanent, these pieces will be easy to relocate—over a buffet in the dining room, above a desk in the office, or elsewhere as our plans evolve.
Sherry’s soft spot for succulents is clearly growing—we’ve collected quite a few now. This photo doesn’t even show the terrarium she recently made.
That last image makes me want to tackle the counters and the trash compactor right away, but we’re saving those projects until after we finish a few things in the nursery. And the floors are still on our long-term list. For now, though, I’m happy to hide the imperfect spots behind a frame and enjoy the refreshed kitchen view.