How to Decorate Podcast – Ep. 432: How to Approach Wall Art with Mary Elizabeth Ellenburg

Host: Ballard Designs Team (Caroline, Taryn, Liz)
Guest: Mary Elizabeth Ellenburg
Date: September 23, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, the Ballard Designs team welcomes exclusive Ballard artist Mary Elizabeth Ellenburg to explore how to approach wall art in home decor. Drawing on her decades of painting experience and deep roots in the home furnishings industry, Mary Elizabeth shares her creative journey, design philosophy, and practical advice for bringing meaningful, large-scale art into your home. She discusses the stories behind her iconic chandelier paintings, trends in color usage, her process for commissions, and practical tips for both selecting and displaying wall art.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Backstory & Inspiration: The Chandelier Paintings

• Family History: Mary Elizabeth grew up in Atlanta, surrounded by creativity—a mother who taught Italian, social etiquette, and ballroom dancing, and a father who was a cinematographer and director ([01:10]).

• “Spring Ball”: The original chandelier painting was inspired by her mother's cotillion parties. The colors in the painting reflect the dresses and suits of party guests, encapsulating the festive atmosphere:

  • “It was called the Spring Ball, and…this is sort of a throwback to that era.”
    (Mary Elizabeth Ellenburg, 01:53)
  • “If minus the colors, this will just be an empty room just with a chandelier. But the colors…are just reflecting light from… the colors of the dresses in the rooms from the Colors of the guests…”
    (Mary Elizabeth Ellenburg, 01:53)

• Two Different Vibes: She creates both “daytime” and “nighttime” chandelier paintings, distinguished by their background tones and colors of the reflected “people”.

2. The Role of Storytelling in Art

• Art Evokes Personal Memories: The paintings are imbued with memory and emotion—her work is often rooted in personal or family stories.
  • “For me, I really have a connection to the subject somehow, some way. And that's what I love to do: to paint things that have connections.” (Mary Elizabeth, 14:48)
• Chandelier as Heirloom & Nostalgia: Partly a reaction against the loss of meaningful heirlooms in modern home design.
  • “There was a trend…we pulled these chandeliers out of beautiful homes, and they were replaced with builder special lighting…It was an heirloom.”
    (Mary Elizabeth, 06:16)

3. Mary Elizabeth’s Journey as an Artist

• Creative Family: Both parents and her brother were artists or art-immersed.
• College Beginnings: Started painting in college, learning to stretch canvases herself ([13:08]).
• First Big Painting: Inspired by a friend’s handwritten note—a large flower painting with sentiment and memory at its core ([13:08–15:41]).

4. Approach to Art in Home Spaces

• Scale and Impact: Mary Elizabeth champions large-scale pieces for dramatic impact in a space:

  • “For me, and size, I have a small chandelier over here, but really that's just a tester for me before I create a large size [painting]... all of my art is at least four foot by four foot or a six foot double panel.” (Mary Elizabeth, 08:21)
  • “I design that way in my home. I design light fixtures. The light fixtures in my home are gigantic. Yes. But I love something with scale.” (Mary Elizabeth, 20:32)
  • “I think something powerful and meaningful needs scale.” (Mary Elizabeth, 20:57)

• Mixing Color Palettes: Art doesn’t have to match a room exactly, but should “work together” to create a cohesive feeling ([21:52]).

• Rugs as Art: Rugs are “art on the floor” and can be a foundational element for building a room’s palette ([22:06]).

5. Mary Elizabeth’s Artistic Mediums and Influences

• Acrylics: Always paints in acrylics due to preference (strong oils bother her), and uses large brushstrokes ([20:32]).
• Subjects: Chandeliers, florals, landscapes, animals (custom pieces like deer, golf scenes for men’s offices), focusing on life and movement ([17:19]).
• Abstracts: Finds painting abstracts difficult due to her need for connection to the subject matter, but admires them in the work of others ([15:41]).

6. Color Trends & Industry Insight

• Upcoming Colors: Excited about a return of jewel-tone teals, ochres, browns, and rich colors paired with wood ([26:06–27:14]).
  • “A jewel tone. Like a peacock kind of... Yes, yes, yes. Not the lighter version, but more of that peacock feel. Love that. Love it. A deep rich.” (Mary Elizabeth, 27:13)
• Romance in Products: Mary Elizabeth is passionate about the “romance” and stories behind furnishings and their craftsmanship ([27:43]).

7. Commissions & Custom Work

• Commission Process:
  • Starts with understanding the client’s space, fabric, and color preferences.
  • Often creates a smaller “sample” painting before producing a final large-scale piece.
  • “It's definitely a collaboration.”
    (Mary Elizabeth, 35:18)
• Personalization: She pulls colors from dresses, skies, or photos for deeply personalized projects (weddings, events).
• Art as a Timeless Memory: Paintings can subtly evoke special moments (weddings, traditions) without being overtly a “wedding photo,” offering more longevity ([36:42–37:47]).

8. Practical Tips for Choosing, Hanging, and Displaying Art

• Choosing Size: Don't be afraid to go big; impactful art can “be the wall.”
• Hanging Height: Depends on ceiling height, scale of art, and room purpose:
  • “It depends how tall your ceilings are…For me personally, large scale is going to take up the majority of the wall…It is the wall.” (Mary Elizabeth, 43:54; 45:01)
  • Avoid hanging work too low; keep in mind how wall color and ceiling height affect perception ([43:40–45:00]).
• Mixing with Other Elements: Pair smaller artwork with objects like plates or family heirlooms to fill space and add interest ([45:05]).
• Anchor Each Room: Build rooms around meaningful items—art, heirlooms, or personal treasures add connection ([45:56]).

9. Ballard Partnership & Buying Art

• Quality Reproduction: Ballard’s art prints match the texture and quality of the originals, available in customizable sizes ([39:04]).
• Coming Soon: New horizontal, vertical, square, double-panel, landscape, and floral pieces launching for Ballard ([40:33–42:18]).
• Where to Find:
  • Mary Elizabeth’s work at ellenbergchair.com, Ballard Designs’ website and stores ([47:03]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Chandelier Series:

  • “For me, this would be something in daytime…it's definitely going to be in the spring because they're wearing pinks, they're wearing the lighter colors, they're wearing dresses. There's lots of yellow in it.” (Mary Elizabeth, 03:19)

• On Trends & Heirlooms:

  • “If you bought an older home, it would usually say in the closing documents, the chandelier is not included. That's…going to the, you know, the granddaughter…because this was an heirloom.” (Mary Elizabeth, 06:16)

• On Commissioning Art:

  • “It's really a process that, hey, I like this fabric…my aesthetic is either traditional or…it’s going to be a little bit more modern…From there, we build…It’s definitely a collaboration.” (Mary Elizabeth, 35:18)

• On Large-Scale Art:

  • “It is the wall.” (Mary Elizabeth, 45:01)

• On Timeless Memories in Art:

  • “How do I give note to [a big memory] and love on it without it being so actual, you know, like, it's a little…has more timelessness to it than a photo…” (Caroline, 37:43)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:33 | Mary Elizabeth Ellenburg introduction; Ballard collaboration | | 01:53 | Story behind “Spring Ball” chandelier painting | | 06:16 | Why she started painting chandeliers; loss of heirlooms in homes | | 09:44 | Mary Elizabeth’s family background and creative roots | | 13:08 | College years: learning canvases, the story behind her first painting| | 17:19 | Subjects of her art: florals, landscapes, animals | | 21:52 | Coordinating art with room color palettes | | 26:06 | Color trends: teal, ochre, browns | | 27:43-29:22| “Romance of products,” storytelling in furnishings | | 32:28 | Modern vs. classic in chandelier paintings | | 33:26 | Process for small/commissioned works; idea of “sample” paintings | | 35:01 | Commission process, personalization | | 36:42 | Art as an alternative to overt wedding photographs | | 39:04 | Ballard’s prints: customizable sizing, high quality standards | | 43:40 | Tips for hanging art: height, scale, wall color | | 45:56 | Anchoring each room with something meaningful | | 47:03 | Where to find Mary Elizabeth’s work |

Closing

Mary Elizabeth Ellenburg’s approach to wall art centers on scale, storytelling, and personal connection—encouraging homeowners to choose pieces with meaning, to go bold in size, and to infuse rooms with elements that evoke memory and emotion. Her partnership with Ballard Designs brings sophisticated, soulful art to a wider audience, making customizable, high-quality prints available for diverse spaces. Her advice: choose what resonates with you, embrace dramatic art, and let every piece tell a story.

Where to See & Buy

• Mary Elizabeth’s Work: ellenbergchair.com
• Ballard Designs: In-store, online, and catalog