art
A play of scale makes this vignette successful. We are accustomed to seeing a larger mirror over an entry table with, perhaps, some nearby artwork. Tracery Interiors upended our expectations with a sizable abstract painting hung above a demure but punchy console, polished off with a tiny tabletop mirror. The composition isn't cluttered, but it is surely multi-layered and exciting.
This dining room provides a wonderful example of how periods overlap beautifully. Chinese chippendale chairs; a traditional oval table; a natural woven rug; an oversized but airy chandelier; intricate wainscotting and moldings; and abstract paintings on the far wall tell us there is nothing predictable about the client or the designer.
There is so much to love about this room: the mixing of metallic finishes, a simple table paired with Klismos-inspired chairs, a traditional sideboard topped with gorgeous green lamps, and the sparkly chandelier overhead. But my eye keeps sneaking back to the abstract painting, which gives the room a contemporary flair.
I wouldn't want to see a sawtooth shark proboscis coming my direction while scuba diving, but on pedestals and side by side on this chest, they look great!
Nature is the most prolific artist, in my opinion. Find a beautiful natural object, place it on an appropriate pedestal and give it some space. Instant sculpture!
If you're a traveler, you may have some great finds from around the world. Try displaying one under a spotlight and on a pedestal for dramatic effect.
Wall decals are fun and inexpensive forms of wall art. I could write a whole ideabook just on those. I've seen thumb print decals as large as 3 1/2 feet wide and 6 feet tall. Fun!
This pair of puppets look like they may be valuable collector's items. Their display on this custom stand shows them off as sculpture.
For this client in a live-work loft, we had a living area with 23-foot high ceilings. There wasn't money in the budget for a super large-scale work of art, so I found fabric that was orange with white wavy lines and suspended it on a rod from the ceiling. The panel itself is 14 feet tall.
If you wondered what I meant by not taking decor and art so seriously all of the time, this is my best example. This portrait I shot of my husband making one of his legendary funny faces hangs in a place of honor in our entryway. I wish I had video footage of the looks on people's faces when they first step into our home. Jaws drop and there's dead silence for a beat before they burst out laughing. It amuses the living daylights out of us and sets the tone for a fun visit.
At first glance, there seems to be nothing out of the ordinary about this lovely traditional entryway. Look closer. That is not the pet dog in the hall. It is a full-size sheep sculpture grazing on the hardwood. LOVE IT.
This little leather hippopotamus is adorable in the living room and he doubles as a footstool.
Instead of pedestals on the floor, or a table holding all of these sculptures, this collection is mounted on pedestals that project from the wall at varying heights. It's a very interesting way to display them and to fill the wall even though none of the sculptures are very big.
I usually tell people not to hang their art too high. It's one of the most common mistakes people make when hanging art. But here, with a second floor loft open to the lower room, the extra-high placement of the art allows it to be appreciated from both levels.
This grid of tiny prints with large white matting is made more interesting by the unexpected inclusion of two pictures with black backgrounds.
This painting is an unusual diptych slashed diagonally to separate the pieces.
The wall art here is a little out of the norm because it is painted right on the wall. I also like that they placed it all to one side instead of centering it above the bed.
Normally I don't like to see anything sitting in a windowsill. It usually just makes a place look cluttered. But the deep windowsill of this arched window is a perfect spot for this collection of tiny sculpted wings. Seems to me like a bunch of angels in a church window.
Hang artwork at the right height. Galleries and museums hang artwork so that the midline (center) of each piece is 57 inches to 60 inches from the floor. (The average human eye level is 57 inches.) And you should do the same. In a room like this, where the ceilings soar, there might be a tendency to hang the art higher. But remember: It needs to relate to human scale, not the structure’s scale. If you’re not sure, take a picture. It’s remarkable how much a photo can reveal. Print it out or use Photoshop or an app to draw on the photo. This can give you a sense of whether a larger or smaller piece of art is needed or a tall plant might be best to fill a vacant spot.
Q