The use of art in the home is a tradition that has been practiced for centuries. Some of the earliest forms of art that were found in homes can be found in ancient Rome; private homes would feature intricate artisan mosaics that would adorn the walls and floors of Roman homes. Since the beginning of time there has been this desire to add beauty into the home, and it is no different today. In fact, there are many more options for people to incorporate art in the home today because of factors such as the internet, which allows people to purchase art and have it sent directly to their homes. For this blog post I will be focusing on how contemporary interiors incorporate fine art as a way of enhancing the interior design of the space as well as the fulfilling the collectors ambitions that are associated with owning fine art.
Living Room, Miami Residence. Architect: Peter Marino, Photography: Manolo Yllera. Architectural Digest, 2019
The photograph above is of the living room in a Miami residence that was designed by the architect, Peter Marino. This space features impressive architectural features, including soaring ceilings and towering windows. The floors in this space appear to be a natural stone, perhaps limestone and the walls also appear to be clad in stone. The light colors of the floors and walls are heavily contrasted with the bright, eye catching art and furniture that inhabit the space. Marino is successful in using the space above the seating area to its full capacity, height wise. Three different paintings (all by the artist Richard Prince) inhabit the vertical space. The paintings are hung in the gallery style, which is a traditional style of hanging art which focuses on filling up a wall with many works of art. This arrangement is visually appealing because the largest painting grounds the space directly above the sofa. By hanging the largest painting of the group at the lowest elevation, the two smaller paintings can lead the eye up the wall, highlighting the generous height of the space. This space also incorporates a metal sculpture by Yonel Lebovici as well as an ancient Asian sculpture on the right hand side. It is evident that the owners of this home have quite the varied collection that is cohesive enough to inhabit a room together.
Living Room in Patrick and Laurence Seguin’s Paris Apartment. Photography: Simon Watson. Featured in Architectural Digest
In the photograph above, we get a shot of a Paris living room with a minimal but strong art collection. I personally do not enjoy the furniture arrangement/choices in this room, but I do admire the art that is on display. This room features a plethora of famous furniture including Perriand stools. The style that this room is conveying is one of eclectic minimalism. The bold, red suede sofa grabs the viewers eyes and contrasts heavily from the beige rug and the brown sofa and chair located opposite of the red sofa. Above the fireplace, there is a silk-screen portrait by Andy Warhol. This piece predominantly features the color blue which contrasts with all of the other elements in the room. I enjoy the way that this piece is truly different from anything else in the room, but the interior designer in me wishes there was more cohesion between the art and the furniture in the room. A recommendation that I would make to the owners of this home would be to reupholster the red sofa in a more neutral color fabric; I personally would upholster this piece in white shearling to tie in the white walls and to let the Warhol screen print be the main focal point of the room.
Entry Foyer in the Residence of Kris Jenner, Hidden Hills, CA. Photography by William Abranowicz for Architectural Digest, 2019.
The overwhelming trend in incorporating art in interior spaces over the past few years has been to feature contemporary art as opposed to classical art. It is important to note that this is just a trend and that ultimately the choice of what art goes into a home is made by its owner. The beauty of having a personal taste in art is that it can influence the ultimate vibe and feeling of your home. The image above is of the entry way in Kris Jenner’s home as featured in Architectural Digest. The first noticeable feature of the interiors/collections of Ms.Jenner is that there was a color story/theme in mind when assembling the space. The colors used in this home are in a muted palette which starts with the warm toned wood flooring and continues through the furnishings and art. The focal point of the space is the large painting by Sergej Jensen that hangs above the natural wood console table. This painting was an ideal choice for the space as it fills up the wall that it inhabits and contrasts the white walls that it hangs on. This painting has a primitive aspect to it, which can be seen through the bleached black style of background that is behind the figures. This primitive aspect is continued to the figures that appear just barely rendered. This painting continues the primitive theme in the space which can be also seen in the furniture that has been picked; the most noticeable being the table, vases and chair. This space is rather successful in combining fine art and interior design.
The three interiors that I have examined all exemplify how modern day art collectors display their works of art in their homes. All three of these interiors show how a collector can combine their art collections with the interiors that they live with. This is a concept that is becoming more important as time goes on because of the focus on interiors being livable and personalized. Gone are the days of collecting art purely because of its value or because of its popularity. With the amount of information that people have access to, the concept of having a collection of unique objects that represent individuality has become increasingly important. Your home should feel like your very own private museum consisting of all artworks that you admire.