August 26th, 2010 · 1 Comment
My friend Laura Cattano has the best, most ingenious yet simple ideas. She focuses on quality and the basics and boy does it pay off! If you aren’t familiar with this professional organizer/ Martha Stewart-in-training just take a peak at her Apartment Therapy House Tours here and here.
Photo: Apartment Therapy
Laura is on a pretty limited budget and makes it quite clear that when it comes to spending money her (beautiful) wardrobe comes before art. Hey, we all have our priorities! So Laura got crafty and created a few simple pieces of art for her bathroom. Just how much did it cost her??? Oh, a mere $8. Don’t believe me? Well, here’s how she pulled it off…
The small abstract piece is by Jaq Chartier and was clipped out of an art book (no judgment!). The larger black and white striped piece (Miss Cattano loves her black and white!) is actually just a piece of fabric! The frames didn’t cost her anything since she already owned them.
As Laura would undoubtedly agree, original art is ideal but just isn’t an option for her at this time. But her bathroom is proof that even if your budget is basically nil you can still live with interesting art- you may just have to get a bit creative!
A round-up of good art in the home from across the design blogosphere.
Freunde von Freunden via emmas designblogg
.
Lonny via little glowing lights
.
Jim Houser via Fecal Face
.
Fantastic Frank via emmas designblogg
.
Emily Henderson via The City Sage
.
sfgirlbybay via design is mine
Source: Home & Decor via desire to inspire
This question comes up a lot when I’m working with clients. Is it OK to look for art for a particular empty space in your home? Or should you only seek out art that you love regardless of not having a spot for it?
Hardcore art aficionados definitely poo-poo the former strategy. They see the acquisition of art as a thing apart (and above) from trivial matters such as wall space and layouts. But the opinions of the art elite need not apply to the rest of us! I’d argue that both strategies are legitimate; both work for different people in different situations. And to illustrate the point I’ll share a recent purchase with you all.
If you saw our house tour on Apartment Therapy, you probably saw a large, white painting above the couch in our living room. My confession: I bought the painting specifically for that space! Kind of scandalous? Not really.
As you can see in the photo above (via Apartment Therapy), our living room has one very long, exposed brick wall. It brings lots of visual interest and texture to the space but it’s also very dark and kind of busy. We had hung a collection of artwork above the couch but it felt a bit messy, not clean and stream-lined like I had hoped. I ended up moving the artwork to the opposite wall (see below) which has turned out great! As a result the wall space above the couch sat empty like a big hole screaming out for some interesting art.
Artwork (clockwise from right): Charles Tersolo, Shane Neufeld, EMA, Jennifer Davis, Cate Woolner.
Then I thought about the beautiful work of artist Jaclyn Mednicov, which I wrote about back in May, and how well one of her pieces would go above our couch. Her work was the right size, had the right vibe (calming, ethereal) and would be a departure thematically from our other artwork. Lucky for me, one of my favorite paintings, Stacked Up, was still available and now looks great in our living room!
I’m sharing this story to prove the point that searching for art for a specific space (i.e. behind your couch) does not necessarily spell trouble. As long as you put in the effort to find something you love and remember to be patient, you’re going about it the right way.
See Kate & Cameron’s art collection here.
Pssst… Want to take a peak at our Brooklyn apartment? Curious to see the art that I live with? You’re in luck! I’m beyond stoked to have our apartment featured on Apartment Therapy, so come take a look!
I began collecting affordable art five years ago and it’s grown to be the defining element of our home. It’s what gives our space the most personality and it’s what friends comment on when they come over. Since I finished school and started collecting five years ago, I’ve lived in two cities, moved seven times, and acquired and sold plenty of furniture. The one constant (albeit growing) element is the art that we surround ourselves with.
Questions? Here’s a detailed tour of our art collection.
.
Related Posts: Basics: Where to Look For Art? – Collector Interview: Little Glowing Lights – The Big Debate: Prints vs. Originals
Architect Sofie Simone (via automatism) has a gorgeous, airy apartment in Copenhagen filled with fabulous, bold art. Watch out, this is definitely giving me a case of apartment envy! Sofie cites seasonal art school shows as a great source for less expensive art.
Bolig Magasinet (via Google Translator): “The apartment had just been renovated as architect student Sophie Simone Aandahl took over the 130 square meters in the Vesterbro West end district of Copenhagen. From day one she loved the area and the apartment’s Parisian feel.”
Left wall: Mette Helena Rasmussen; above couch: Balder Olrik, Jan Mogensen, Mette Helena Rasmussen, Anne Fløche, Sophie, and others.
..
Table: Arne Jacobsen, lamp: Ron Arad, painting: Katrina Zacho.
.
Paintings: George Flemming Gustawa (top), Didder Geisler (bottom).
.
I love the pale pine floors and the abundance of light in the apartment! My favorite features are those traditional French windows and doors like the one leading out to the terrace. They even have panes above the doors that stretch to the ceiling. Incredible! Oh, yeah… and the art’s pretty awesome too.
