It is so tempting to purchase a new piece of art, get it back to your home and wonder where it will fit in. During my design career I have purchased hundreds of pieces of art! Typically, if the client likes a particular style, the art follows through with their likes. My favorite method is selecting art first! The more open the areas of the home are the more necessary it is for the pieces to complement each other. As you get further into collecting, you consider what location the new piece will occupy and if others will need to be rearranged. Within an area, there should be a main focal point – the outside view, fireplace or a piece of art. While staying at the Peabody in Memphis, our room had a mirror with a scene painted on it in neutral tones. What a discovery! A space needs only one landscape, one floral, etc.

Here is yet another medium to add to the mix. While on my vacation, the client I was working with decided to part with the older bedroom furniture and complete the newer contemporary look. A large mirror was above the pop up TV chest. I suggested we use it in the living room. My miraculous painter added the tree and voila! We had completed the area!

One more option with variety over redundancy!

It has been uncommon in my 30+ years of interior design to use any resource more than once, but the record goes to John Gleason’s sculptures! These twisted, simple designs are so versatile that they always come to mind as adding to the space with great versatility that works with so many different types of art and design styles! This is the fourth installation I’ve done with John’s art. This time an office with curved walls where we used three sculptures. Artists often do custom designs to fit the space perfectly. Visit John at the Quantum Art Gallery on Main Street in old town Scottsdale!

Art and sculpture are the most personal additions to your interior! From postcards that you frame from your own trips to your emotional purchase at an art fair (an artist that may become famous) or a Sotheby’s purchase with investment potential. Art comprises the most interesting visuals in your home. Variety is the key. When visitors enter your home, everything they see should have a feeling of compatibility. As you gather art over the years, re-mixing your pieces gives a refreshed look. Each piece needs to compliment the others. The combination may include a landscape but with contemporary squares that repeat similar colors, a complete departure with an architectural remnant or sculptures mixed in on shelves or showcased on a pedestal. Family photos are great for hallways or master bedrooms. Unique pieces can be dispersed to secondary rooms, hallways and baths. The mix creates an expression of your personality and interests!

Many times over the past 20 years I have needed a simple sculptural feel for fluidity. Scottsdale artist,John Gleason, at Quan’tum Art always creates the perfect size and shape! He is hard at work in his gallery in old town Scottsdale. Stop by for a new look or a custom piece for a hard-to-fill bare spot!

John’s website
Studio address: 7077 E Main St, # 16, Scottsdale, AZ