Design in Depth: Artistic Statement

A few weeks ago I complained about bare windows, but there’s actually something that bothers me even more—walls without art. I truly believe that homes without art are a sign that its inhabitants have no personal expression. It sometimes flabbergasts me when an interior designer or architect sends us a house and while it could be beautifully designed and well-decorated if it doesn’t have personality and a some art on the walls you’ll never see it in our pages. I’m not talking about having a few Kandinskys or a Picasso drawing to show off. It doesn’t have to be art that’s recognizable to everyone, just something that means something to you. Some of my favorite art pieces I have are things my family has created or things I’ve found at the flea market. There’s also new ways of collecting art such as that offered by 13Forest Gallery in Arlington, Mass., which allows you to hang it and pay for it in installments.

In our new issue I was completely blown away by the apartment of painter and former gallery owner Judi Rotenberg and her husband Ed Zukar. This is a home where art takes center stage.

Photo by Keller & Keller, design by Heather Wells, Wells and Fox

Sometimes the art takes over as in the living room of a Greenwich home designed by Charlotte Barnes.

Photo by Michael Partenio

Sometimes it’s a vintage photo like this one in the home of designer Claire Maestroni that makes a lasting statement.

Photo by Bjorn Wallander

Other times it’s a tapestry hung as art.

Photo by John Gruen. Design by Kristin Gallipoli

Or an unusual piece that makes a statement.

But it can be as simple as a few beloved objects.

Photo by John Gruen. Design by Karen Quinn

Photos above by Laura Moss. Design by Nancy Taylor.

Any way, it’s actually art or the art of artful arrangement that makes for a more interesting way of living.