Art Styling ... with a Cherry on Top!

Let’s say you just bought a new piece of artwork. Maybe it looks a little like the one up there. And you’re ready to hang it in your space, whether it be your home or office, or whatever space you had in mind when you made the purchase.

Cool.

We're showing this piece, “Cherry Jubilee”, hung over a pair of chairs. (It could have been a sofa, but we’re featuring this chair duo.) The wall is painted a wonderful shade of red violet, which is a good backdrop for this piece. (We’re not assuming you like the red violet, but just go with us for now, okay?) Hanging it centered over the furniture is the typical, expected way to hang a large piece such as this.

Centered…

Hmmm, it sort of feels lonely, don’t you think? Like, the title is “Cherry Jubilee” but we're not getting a jubilant vibe, are you?

So what now?

What If!

So let’s have some fun with it! “What if” is a favorite phrase around here at Sanguine Fine Art. It spurs you to think outside the box, and that’s the beginning of making this space all about you.

We like to work with an Art Styling approach, which is arranging art pieces in ways that create a natural and pleasing rapport with other objects as well as the space around them. This creates harmony, and we all need that sense of escaping the craziness out there, right? If you can walk into your home and feel that “aaahhhhh” moment, you’ve achieved it. You can release that tension from today’s expectations. That’s what we want for you!

Set the Mood

Since various sizes of artwork help to create interest, not to mention the vertical and horizontal orientations of the primary pieces, we’re going to add a few pieces to “Cherry Jubilee”. As you can see, there does seem to be a relative amount of color harmony. But there’s more than that here. There’s mood. All of the pieces have a harmonic feeling in that they tend to have a ‘darker’ atmosphere, which creates a restful mood.

Now, Let's Put You in There

We’re providing another example by replacing the small pieces we have with your own photos arranged similarly. The result is a harmonic personalized space. Nice!

What If My Walls Aren't Red-Violet?

Glad you asked. For a lighter mood, we’re showing another area where we’ve combined a larger piece of art, “Harbor Lights” (which has a lot of energy and movement), with a portrait, “Mirror, Mirror”, a smaller and quiet but happy piece. Along with these pieces we’ve added a fun flat bowl, probably collected from an overseas trip.

Now you have color ties that are creating a lighter mood as well as bringing in an item from your collections. In addition, we now have a variety of geometrics, creating a more playful arrangement. A note to remember is that we recommend following the "Rule of Three", which really just means working with an odd number of objects. (Aesthetically, our brains seem to find being "odd" more attractive. Hmmm 🤔.)

A Single Slice of Bold

Sometimes all you need to put a smile on your face is a single slice of bold. In truth, “less is more” applies to styling art as much as anything else. The matted and framed piece, “Renewal”, is bold yet understated and is able to stand alone in this space, with the calm white and surrounding light. Because the mat is large and provides a similar white spaciousness surrounding the simple colors of this abstract, you can afford to make a spirited statement with it that says “I love my space!”

Art & the Walkabout

Remember that experimenting with your favorite collections - not just photos - such as old keys, macramé hangings, an assortment of tassels, old maps from trips, even your children’s artwork creatively framed, and anything else you have from your collections and memories can all add to designing your personalized retreat.

We highly recommend collecting fine art you love. Then, take a walkabout around your house and find those “what if’s” that will, once arranged with your art, energize your creative spirit.

Give yourself permission to have some fun with this. In the end, you’ll create a space with you written all over it!