Any interior designer knows that art can make or break the design of a room. It can serve as the inspiration for the design of a space or it can be the perfect accent piece to tie all the elements together. There are so many ways to incorporate art into a room that can elevate the design of the space. We tapped our design experts to get their top design strategies when it comes to art.
Go Bold
Daniel Kinkade of Daniel Kinkade Fine Art is our resident art expert. He’s no stranger to working hand in hand with interior designers when it comes to selecting artwork for a space. His advice? Go bold with artwork. No need to play it safe as life is too short and art should be fun! It can be whimsical without being loud or inappropriate. Even a neutral palette can be considered bold when the composition of or shape of the art is unexpected. Have fun with it and love it.
View a sampling of the artists represented by Daniel Kinkade Fine Art here.
Try an Eclectic Gallery Wall
When it comes to gallery walls or even just multi-art cluster hangs, Artists Frame Service suggests you consider being as eclectic as possible with your frame choices – especially if you love that “maximalist” look. An added bonus is that these collections can be easier to add to over time, as you don’t need to match a particular style of frame or art. The art (and framing of course) often looks more interesting when juxtaposed next to something that is its opposite.
And if you have any particular treasured or valuable art pieces in your collection, museum glass is always worth it in the framing process! Art lovers want nothing between them and the art. Regardless of whether you’re trying to design the frame for the art or the space, clarity of your glass is key.
Shop frames at Artists Frame Service here.
On the Other Hand, Try a Monochromatic Gallery Wall
We love the eclectic look and the ease of which you can add to it, but Casa Bella also makes a good case for a gallery wall using art with a common theme. This black and white grouping features multiple themes unified by the color palette and similar, but not exactly the same, frames, which still allows you some flexibility when adding to it.
This collection and more are from Celadon Art, available through Casa Bella.
Flexible Lighting Design and Control
Light contributes critically to the experience of an art piece by illuminating detail based on the reflection of pigments and textures in paintings. To create a bespoke art lighting experience, Liaison Technology Group recommends a fixture with a flexible color temperature and a powerful system to fine-tune the light for each individual piece of art. Art galleries worldwide use Ketra, which offers a CCT range of 1,400k to 10,000k color temperature along the black body curve, enabling designers to curate light for every nuance and detail in the piece. Ketra also unlocks a creative playground where designers can replicate lighting conditions that encompass the time of day and color temperature present when the artwork was originally painted. With Ketra’s vibrancy feature, we can create a photoshop effect by infusing more color in the white light mixture, creating a restorative and glowing effect on art. Lutron’s flexible control systems and seamless integration capabilities allow us to fully utilize Ketra as a brilliant tool in the world of art lighting.
Learn more about Liaison Technology Group and the services they offer here.
Don’t Take it So Seriously
When it comes to artwork, don’t be afraid to do things that are unexpected. Most of the time we see artwork on white walls, but Elizabeth Mollen of Stone Textile Studio believes the right artwork on a colorful wall can add a fun twist. And while you’re at it, maximalism is in! It’s all about layering–hanging art over wallpaper done the right way can be fun and a cool detail. Just make sure colors relate to each other and scales vary.
Art doesn’t always have to be serious. Elizabeth loves doing kids rooms because it’s an area where you can get very creative and playful. Instead of using pictures of animals– consider something more unexpected that the child won’t grow out of in 3 years. In one of the images below, Elizabeth found a nostalgic print– a tape of Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. It’s unexpected and adds a punch of color and fun to the space.
See more from Stone Textile Studio here.
Play with Color and Scale
When designing a room in your home, Sarah Jacquelyn Interiors suggests that you start with the art to find your color palette for the room. Pulling colors from the art allows you to find a harmonious thread to tie the room together. Layering like colors, varying forms, and mixed textures will create a dynamic space that feels effortless.
Art is also a simple way to add drama and scale to a space. A large diptych can fill an empty wall beautifully, by adding color and texture to an other wise blank wall. Think about the scale of all the elements in the room. When there are lots of small details in the chairs and rug, large scale art can be the perfect balance to create unity in space.
See more from Sarah Jacquelyn Interiors here.
Make it Personal
Art, in any form, inspires emotion. When it comes to incorporating art into an interior, DUXIANA’s number one piece of advice is to be mindful of how the piece makes you feel. Whether it’s uplifting, thought-provoking, soothing, joyful—the object or composition will inevitably influence its surroundings. Introduce art that remains complementary to your space and emits the right type of feeling. This strategy ensures your intentions are preserved and creates a personal atmosphere for you, and your guests.
For Stockholm Design Week 2020, DUX and MENU joined forces to create The Sculptor’s Residence, an artistic haven in the heart of Stockholm. This apartment exhibition included tactile sculptures by British object-maker Nicholas Shurey and functional ceramic objects by Sofia Tufvasson.
Make Your Art Intentional
When CI Design + Build designs a space, they make artwork intentional and not an afterthought by incorporating it initially as part of the design process. This way placement can be planned along with specific lighting to highlight it, and accent fabric or furniture items can be selected in coordinating colors.
By including artwork in the initial design, you can plan for structural aspects of the design that need to be incorporated. Such as recessed niches in the wall to make art flush with the wall, or in the case of digital art like Apollo, incorporating appropriate – and hidden – electrical.
Learn more about Apollo digital art here.
Let the Art Shine
As an avid art lover and supporter of artists around the world, Amy Kartheiser of Amy Kartheiser Design is no stranger to the ins and outs of designing a space with art at the forefront (Not only that, but Amy also hosts a monthly Instagram series, Meet the Maker, where she interviews artists and their work and their processes). When it comes to designing a space with art pieces or an art collection in mind, Amy’s top tip is to let the art shine – in more ways than one.
Art is naturally the star of any show, so Amy loves to build a room around it. Let the piece tell its story, then go from there — choose complementary colors, furnishing, and accessories that don’t detract.
But you also need to shine a light on the art. Proper lighting is crucial to showcase artwork, especially to showcase it as its artist intended. Consider adding accent lighting or adjustable track lighting to highlight specific pieces. Even a strategically placed sconce or two can make an art piece stand as its own moment.
