The power of art – Many public spaces are created with architectural focal points that are built around art pieces. They add visual interest and create drama. Consider art as an integral part of your design. There are plenty of choices where you can find great art. If you like original art you might want to visit a local art show to source items that give your home a bit of an artistic flair.  If you live in an area without galleries or art shows you can turn to the internet to find great art at good prices. Websites like Vango or art.com offer art on a commercial platform for inspiring artists. Generally one-of-a-kind originals are pricier than prints or glichees, which are replications of an original that often are produced in limited editions series. Generally you should look at size for the space and consider larger pieces for greater impact. In this examples we have a museum quality original called “Angel” in the breakfast nook. Not the typical place to display larger artwork. The art piece is composed of two separate sections and takes up a large wall space. It is one of the earlier pieces of the European artist Alfred Peters. The placement is somewhat unexpected and creates some sense of drama in a more or less conventional space.

This large art piece creates some interest in an ordinary breakfast nook

The formal living room is open over two stories. Such a high ceiling is asking for something to give the design composition some height. A vertical format is ideal for this room as it allows to expand up, and to draw the attention to the high ceilings. Here we have placed a unique large abstract by the central Florida Artist Nancy Jay. The piece shows a lot of dynamic movement and vivid red accents that proclaim underlying dominance in the composition. The artist Nancy Jay is well know in the Central Florida region as an prolific artist and educator. Her mostly abstract pieces show an emotional side that is hard to find in her genre. This piece is outstanding and elevate this room from the ordinary to the extraordinary. The furnishings are kept stylish, simple and geometrical. The idea here was to create a room that emulates the appeal of a urban gallery, something that shows sophistication and visual interest. It is the space that visitors see first when they entering the house. We have the opportunity to set the mood and elevate the house to a location that asks to host gatherings and to entertain in. We seek to impress by simplicity, and the artwork plays center stage in this production.

A stunning contemporary painting adds a sophisticated touch to the room

The adjacent dining room possesses equal dramatic lines. The designer had chosen a glass table to show the contemporary side of this room. The chairs are arranged on opposite sides while we forgo the common head chairs at the end of the table. Three glass vases are in line to comment on the chairs setup and to reiterate the orderly form at the table. The artwork appears equally impressive as in the other spaces. Here we have gone with an inexpensive art piece from an online supplier. It works so well because it features the same shades of grey as used in the curtains and the chair fabric or the living room rug and sofa. The sweeping skull of a bull is hiding in the shade while drawing the eye to the dead center of the room. The repetition of the monochrome design helps to increase the visual impact. The fact that we used a rather affordable mass reproduction art piece versus a highly priced original, becomes meaningless from a designers viewpoint. The designer Helene Bonello-Strauss attests that “It is not about the price you pay for a piece, it is all about how your piece conveys your message.” To Helene art can be used to set a mood or to anchor a vignette. She takes art as pawns in her ever changing battlefield, to create order in the chaos of our surroundings. It is a way to find uniqueness in an ocean of conformity, a way to express ones individuality that transforms a space to singularity. “Only if I am able to create something that offers a sense of order and familiarity, while maintaining a tension and visual interest to the composition, I am successful in my approach.” so the designer. “We want to create something people can understand and relate to, while keeping them interested and intrigued.”

Lurking in the shadows – not your usual trophy

If you want to learn more about how you can use art in your interior design, contact us at www.idesigntosell.com for a personal consultation.