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by Tony Cenicola for the New York Times

Educational posters grace a golden wall, with Scherer’s collection of  mid-Century ceramics—many by Gunnar Nylund. Notice how their colors and shapes are reflected in the pulley diagram.

by Tony Cenicola for the New York Times

Pages from a guide book identifying the birds of New York state paper the walls, surrounding a birdcage sculpture by the Brazilian artist Vik Muniz.

by Tony Cenicola for the New York Times

I’ve been trying to take a peak into the homes of artists to see how they decorate their interiors and, of course, hang art on the walls. Hunt Slonem, a painter based in New York City and Louisiana, has such a flair with clutter (I’m not being derisive here—that’s what he calls it). And I’m very inspired by his talent for its placement. Just look at all of those paintings, and candlesticks and brocade panels in his dining room. There are many more paintings on that one wall than you would find in many homes, and it works really well.

Photograph by The Selby, courtesy of New York Magazine

He calls this room the Lincoln Room—several of the portraits are of Abe, and Slonem painted them. The chair also came from the hotel where Lincoln was taken after he was shot. Again, the canvases creep across the wall—there isn’t just one solitary piece over the sofa. And look at the collection of green glassware on the sidetable, which matches the gorgeous wall paint so beautifully. The vibrant orange curtains set off any danger of matchy matchy.

courtesy of huntslonum.com

And the Rabbit Room! Apparently Mr. Slonem loves to paint rabbits as much as they like to, well, you know. The placement of many rabbit paintings certainly suggests that trait. He paints them quite beautifully.

Photograph by The Shelby, courtesy of New York magazine	courtesy of art-interview.com
courtesy of huntslonem.com

You can see in this gorgeous, riotous painting of orchids how the colors of the surroundings Hunt Slonem has created for himself inspires his artwork. What’s on your wall that inspires you?

I’ve already made a confession once in this blog. It was January and I admitted I was addicted to chocolate. Now I have another confession: I love chairs. I can’t get them out of my head. I especially like certain famous chairs, for example, Eames chairs,

Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair

Bertoia chairs,

Bertoia Side Chairs

and Saarinen chairs. If I could live in a house filled with original artwork and iconic chairs, I’d be satisfied.

Saarinen Chairs

More than any other piece of furniture, the chair has been designed and redesigned by the world’s most creative minds. Architects, artists and designers all want to sink their teeth into a chair project and tackle the essence of chair-ness. Who knew that, when the ancient Egyptians invented the chair, the idea of this utilitarian object would be taken to such an inventive level?

(I don’t have this book, but I should have it. I must have it!)

Let’s take a moment to indulge in chairs and celebrate what the spirit of artistic pursuit has done for the sedentary over the years. Here are a few of my favorite chairs,

Panton C1 Chair

Frank Gehry Wiggle Side Chair vitra.com

vintage steno chair twentygauge.com

a few chairs that have caught my attention recently,

Drops Chair - camillahounsellhalvorsen.com

Bloom Coco Plexistyle

Fernando-and-Humberto-Campana-Sushi-III-Chair bonluxat.com

and a few paintings of chairs.

Van Gogh's Chair

Raimonds Staprans

David Pettibone "Yellow Chair" zatista.com

What is your favorite chair?

The thought of living in a small space sounds both enticing and daunting to me, but so goes life in NYC. In Brooklyn, Zach Motl makes the most of a small space. His 178 sq. ft. apartment is masterfully designed. Three great things about it: areas are clearly defined, it’s organized, and it showcases Zach’s great sense of style. If not for this attention to aesthetics, a space this small could easily feel more like a closet than a place to call home.

A recent New York Times article about Motl’s apartment says, “One-room living works well if you clearly define areas” and one of the ways Zach does this is with artwork. A large framed map anchors the couch,

and the walls of his wet bar display a collection of framed art and art objects.

Here the artwork draws attention to each area and functions as punctuation, allowing the eye to pause and notice that this is where a specific activity takes place.

“He knows how to hit the sweet spot that turns a bunch of objects, like stacks of magazines, into a collection,” the New York Times wrote, “and how to array those objects so they look sculptural.”

Zach’s “artfully arranged stuff” epitomizes this space, where everything from lighting to chalkboard-doors to Wellingtons become art.

Zach’s sophisticated apartment proves that living gracefully in a small space can happen with an artful eye. Get organized, punctuate areas with art, and with your own distinct flair you will surely create a very cozy sense of home.

Photos: Robert Wright for The New York Times

Question: If you were stranded on a desert island and could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, or read one book, what would it be? But wait, there’s more: If you could eat one food for the rest of your life, what would you eat?

Oh the torture! I can never answer those questions. At the banquet of life I’m a buffet person. I’m not much for routine; I like trying new restaurants rather than going to the same old standby every weekend. So, it may not come as a surprise to hear that in my opinion, picking one style of art to collect is not always easy, or necessary. But we are in muddy waters here as picking a style is subjective and is a very personal preference.

If you haven’t already done this, take note of your stylistic tendencies by briefly looking inward at your life, stylistically speaking. Is your house an eclectic mix of furniture or do you have the avid collector’s gene? Is variety your spice of life or do you have a long time hobby that naturally shapes your sense of style? Perhaps you are really into architecture, travel, history, or fine crafts? Whatever your natural taste is, that is the direction to pursue. Most importantly, whether you want to buy all black & white photography,

only sculpture,

or a mix of woodcuts, textiles, and ceramics,

there is really only one nugget of advice I would offer: be discriminating, collect thoughtfully, and build a dynamic collection.

Here’s a cautionary tale from my own experience. I recently had a client with a large, brand new house and many empty walls. Quickly, she fell in love with one artist and we commissioned a painting from him. Before that painting was complete, she wanted to start another commission and then another! At this point, I had to ask if she was truly going to be happy when she looked up from her checkbook and saw that the only 5 paintings she owned were by the same artist. I encouraged her to break free from her tunnel vision long enough to build a strong blend of artwork as a base for her collection and continue commissions by favorite artists down the road, if still desired. I didn’t want her to be married to this style without living with it first.

Ultimately, you’ll want your individual pieces to work in concert together and create synergy. Make your collection a delight for the eyes, a feast for the senses! Not in a haphazard way, but with the intention of creating layers of intrigue and transitions in content, shape or color. Ask yourself: What combined action or interaction is present among the pieces in my collection? Is there a resulting energy that is greater than the sum of the parts or does the combination of these works create an enhanced effect? When considering a new purchase, will the addition of this artwork add a compelling new layer of interest to this group of artwork?

Below are images of an art collection which happens to illustrate the best of both worlds: picking one style in some rooms and mixing styles in others. I find this to be a thoroughly dynamic and inspirational collection.

Worst case scenarios: 1) you’ve gone overboard on a particular style leaving you with a one-dimensional collection, or 2) you have total chaos! Not to worry, it’s all fixable via a discriminating and thoughtful exercise of adding or subtracting artwork. As my favorite style guru Tim Gunn would say, “Make it work!”

Photos: From zatista.com Tracy Mewmaw photograph, Hugo Cruz sculpture, David Page woodcut, Ellen Brook watercolor on silk, and Martin Tessler for The New York Times/Douglas Coupland Residence, Vancouver, B.C.