Artvante Garde

Artvante Garde

What do I like to do on a rainy day?  Well, first things first.  Coffee.

And not some manly, black liquid staring back at me

from the lip of a plain, ceramic mug.

I'm talking something foamy and sweet with some wonderful design on top.

And in a to-go cup, too, with a fancy sleeve.  I'm taking mine on the road.

Where, you ask?  Well, the nearest art gallery, silly.

Of course, they might not allow me to have my coffee while I browse,

but I will most likely have enjoyed the heck out of it before I get there anyway.

Art galleries are one of my favorite places to go for inspiration.

I love all kinds of art and all kinds of art galleries.  I just can't get enough.

Over the years, working with clients in styling up their homes

has often brought up questions like,
"I'm stumped. What should I do over my sofa?" and "Is there a right way to hang my art?"

It seems that art placement is an intimidating and overwhelming task to many people.

So, from art gallery to your living room, here are some thoughts...

Mayberryfineart.com & houzz.com

When people think of hanging their art, they often think of how pieces are 

displayed in a gallery.  Gallery Style art installation allows pieces 

to breathe and to be enjoyed in and of themselves, 

without being crowded or distracted by other pieces.

If you have the wall space and the lighting for Gallery Style, it's wonderful...

and more power to you, because most of us have to think on a different, 

more "every day" scale.

remodelista.com & houzz.com

It's pretty common, also, to think of art placement in a traditional way.  

Like the single piece displayed over the mantle or in the dining room.  

That's a lovely default, and again, a great way to give that one piece a place to shine. 

But sometimes, the piece isn't quite big enough or doesn't feel right in the room.  

Well, good news.  

Happily, centered and single is not the only way to display that art you love so much...

settingforfour.com and houzz.com

Salon Style.  A term I learned years ago from an artist I admire very much, 

opened up the possibilities of interior art installation for me.  

It's a broad term and maybe a bit technical, so I prefer to think of it 

and to describe it to my clients in terms of having the freedom 

to think in "collections" or "arrangements" with their art.

Above is a lovely collection.  Obviously the commonality is in the blues.  

Very restful.  Very collected.  It makes me feel like I'm getting 

a sense of the people who live here.  I like that.

courtesy of Abigail Ahern & houzz.com

The collection above spans almost the entire living room wall.

Every one is different: framed, unframed, photographed, painted, sketched.

The thing that ties them together is portraiture.  I love this.  

Again, I get a sense of the artistic people who must occupy this space.

bhg.com & houzz.com

Salon Style can be done with a serene, thematic approach, 

evoking a peaceful, ordered feeling...

Artadvisecollect.com & featured in ElleDecor magazine & houzz.com

or you can pull out the stops and go wonderfully crazy.  

Either way, and whether you go a little more formal with a 

Gallery Style installation or a relaxed Salon Style collection, be sure 

to let your art tell the story of you, your interests, your passions, your life.  

Allow it to be an inspiration, and an interesting jumping off place for

conversation, relationship and the deeper things in life.

...and don't forget the coffee.  You know how I take mine.

- Amy

Orange + Purple: Color Study

The obsession started with this photo:

image

Which I sort of fell in love with....immediately.  Orange and purple.  Such an unexpected color combination - outside of Halloween decor that is.  I love everything about this room.  From the lavender grasscloth wall paper, the black quatrefoil mirror, gold coffee table, vibrant sofa, patterned purple throw pillows and side chairs, and natural wood end tables. Add in the graphic black and white rug and black lampshades and it's over for me.  

Yeah, I fell. Hard.  

See for yourself.

You can go super fierce with it:

  

(eyes, style, door)

Or get all trendy and ColorBlock it!

(style, invite, bag, tights)

Orange + Purple can be subtle...

Or BOLD

and BRIGHT

You could wear it....

...to play in

...to work out in...

or to just be hands down fabulous in!

So if it's desirable enough for the Tory Burch flagship store in NYC...

and breathtaking enough for nature to forever paint with...

Well, then it's certainly good enough for me.

I'm hooked!

-Kate

(all photos can be found here)

Tablescapes

I'm inspired by a recent Facebook post by lovely and talented Retropolitan store manager, Katie Figlio (AKA Fig).  She whipped up a fabulous centerpiece for a customer using a vintage wooden milk crate and handfuls of oversized, latex flowers.  Gorgeous and lovingly custom made!  

So, armed with that inspiration and some snapshots of my own house (yep, I'm getting up close and personal here!), I'm kicking off a few thoughts about tablescapes... 

I have one, simple rule..."tell a story."  Merchandisers use the term "color story," referring to the set of colors used to create a vignette or store display.  Same idea.  But in a home setting, I want tablescapes to draw people in and give them a little story to contemplate.

The scape above is in my entryway.  The lamp and gold urn are prized, vintage finds.  The small photograph was a gift from some good friends, the larger one is of my "little lambs."  The red, crystal champagne flutes were an anniversary gift.  The old, red books in the urn are from my husband's childhood (the front one is The Wizard of Oz - written in the town where my husband went to school - just a little Heimermann family trivia for you!).  I added in a book on Impressionistic art, as it's a love of ours, and a linen tea towel with the initial "A" on it (a gift on my birthday.)  So, everything has meaning in the life of the people that live here, namely my family and me!

This little scape sits on my living room ottoman.  The carved, wooden tray came from a little boutique in Sonoma, CA (I couldn't come home without it!).  The books are French Impressionists and more of those classics from my husband's childhood.  The candles are my son's favorite scent and color, and the glass garland is just plain fun.

Still more of the things we love in our foyer...Impressionistic art books, a vintage bronze bust, a family heirloom bible in German (super old!), a really unique candlestand I got at my very first antique sale, and some little red, glass eggs (they captured my husband's fancy in a lovely boutique in Denver, CO.  Don't know why, but I love that he loved them!).  

I'm tossing this arrangement from my daughter's recently re-styled room (she did it all herself!) into the mix, just to highlight using things you love in the "scapes" in your place. What would you say is the passion in this little girl's life?  Gymnastics.  No question there, right?  My thought is that it should be the same throughout your house, and mine.

 So...what do the arrangements in your place say about you?  Do they tell a little piece of your story?  If so, I say you've achieved a thoughtful, inviting approach to home decor...
and Fig would be so proud!


- Amy