CONTEMPORARY ART IN TRADITIONAL INTERIORS

I I work as an Art Consultant, helping my clients put entire art collections together. A lot of my projects are either traditional or eclectic styles, and my clients are often concerned with how a contemporary piece of art will fit in their traditional interiors. Regarding art, this my philosophy: “If you love it buy it! I will find a way to integrate it into your home”. The most important thing in these cases is to create a harmonious dialogue between the old and the new. First you address scale, you want to make sure that the existing furniture serves as an “anchor” for the new piece, you don’t want your new painting or sculpture to overwhelm its surroundings. The next thing to keep in mind is the palette of the new piece; try to find some color association, unless you want the new piece to completely stand out (which is a fair objective, I must say). Finally, if the new piece of art isn’t abstract, make sure the subject is suitable to the room, you might not want to wake up to the view of a still life of vegetables every morning. I used all these guidelines when putting together the interior space you see in this picture.

Eclectic Interiors

It seems like lately everybody wants to hear my definition of “eclectic” interiors...Half of the clients who hire me want me to design such interiors for them; as for the other half, we tend to start with a definite stylistic direction and we end up with very eclectic spaces anyway. An eclectic interior is one that derives its generating ideas, style and taste from a diverse range of sources. I have studied too many styles, visited too many cities, walked too many museums, seen too many movies not to be eclectic. How could we possibly be any different in such a “globalized” world? I have this bank of images and experiences in my mind, a well from which I am constantly tapping for inspiration. There is so much that is so beautiful about every style. So… What is the key to a well-designed eclectic room? My short answer is: a harmonious dialogue between all the parts; it seems simple at first but in fact it requires extensive editing and evaluation. Comparatively speaking, staying within the boundaries of a specific style is much easier.

Consider the dining room I designed on this picture, the columns came from a late 18th century English estate, their rich texture surface frames the room and gives it importance. The rosewood dining table is a French Deco reproduction, its clean lines and rich graining give it the anchoring weight required in the center of the room; the stylized Regency chairs in a dark mahogany display their graceful frame against  the bone colored walls giving the room movement and interest. Table and chairs sit on a wool and silk rug that I designed using the undulating lines that characterized Art Nouveau. The contemporary chrome chandelier with Murano glass pendants was my boldest move in this room (just think how overwhelming a wrought iron chandelier would look in its place!) it is its lightness that allows all the other pieces to reveal themselves. As I mentioned before, a lot of thought goes behind every detail in order to achieve the perfect mix of styles. Eclectic interiors are by far the most complex and challenging ones.

CHALLENGING ROOMS

This is a frequent, sometimes inevitable, occurrence in secondary bedrooms: The headboard wall is flanked by a door to a closet and a door to the bathroom. After you place the bed you realize that there is no room for a standard nightstand, let alone two! Worry no more…small tiered tables can accomplish most of the functions of a nightstand. On the top tier you need to make sure that the lamps you select are in scale with the tables and provide enough light for reading; on the other tiers you can use boxes for things you don’t want exposed or need to keep organized (such as prescriptions, stationery, pens, etc.) or you can use them to pile the latest novels you are reading, display florals or accessories. Unfortunately you don’t find many of these tables in the market; I had to custom design the ones you see on this picture.