Spice up a traditional interior with contemporary art

 The lusters and metallics in the abstract painting above work with the satiny upholstery in this dining room.

 The Ares "Willows" mixed media painting on paper above is a beauty. The clients opted to use museum glass which makes it look like there is no glass there at all!

 This pretty powder room features "Between the Lines," a limited edition on paper by Fairchild. Once again although the art is under glass, there is no glare because the clients chose to use museum glass. It is expensive but museum glass will help to protect your art investment because it is UV protective.

 Lovely oil painting by Liz Jardine graces the two-story wall above this fireplace.

 This is a great way to make a big, blank two-story-tall wall look great from the first floor, staircase, and the balcony. Here we used a large piece on top and two smaller pieces from the same series by the same artist to create a suite that also reads as a triptych.

This is a creative and exciting mix of styles. The mantelpiece is very traditional, but the clients did the unexpected by choosing to put an exciting contemporary abstract in that spot instead of a traditional piece with gold frame. It looks great!

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Here are some recent pictures of art pieces we've helped people select for their home. The painting above is by Ares and is from his Willows series. We have sold about four from this series of his work. We think they are so popular because they are so transitional--work with any interior-- and are peaceful. The artist uses a highly skilled and developed combination of watercolor and oriental ink painting techniques in oil that result in these breezy and effortless-looking landscapes.

The oil painting above is by Munoz. His landscapes are perennial best sellers.

 The oil painting above is by Tienhaara. We love how the homeowners chose this modern landscape for their more traditional room. They didn't make it into the shot, but the beautiful raspberry color in the carpets is echoed in the painting.

We like the way the classical ornament in the painting works with the white doors, moldings, and paneling in this hallway.

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 We had a great time helping this family find art for their new home. They had a great vision for the basement/recreation level; they wanted to display art related to music, and dance.

Above: Two paintings of ballroom dancers by Gerald.

Below: Closeup of the painting on the left above.

We found frames that looked great with the finish of their built-in seating.

Two pictures above: Two jazz-themed paintings by Valqui.

Elsewhere in the home, we found them some graceful figurative pieces.

Above & below: A lovely Mucha-inspired oil painting by Mendoza.

Below: A classic-style portrait by Mendoza.

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Above: Lush landscape framed to suit both the art and the furniture.

Above: Heavily textured landscape that holds its own with the roughly textured fireplace stone.

Above: Vineyard scene with a great depth of field. The frame works well with the chest's hardware and the ironwork candlestick accessory.

Above: This charming piece by Luzanquis is framed to complement the art, textiles, wall treatments, surrounding woodwork and the furniture.

Above: Large, vertical painting by Diana Mendoza is just the right size for this wall.

Above: Woodland scene by Bacci is flanked by sconces. The frame has a slight verdigris surface to work with the sconces' patina.

Above: Painting of wine bottles, glasses, grapes, and sky by Luzanquis.

Above: Example of a Luzanquis still life with silver service.

Above: "City at Dusk" by Eugenio.

Above: "Fireweed II" by Addyman with pewter finish frame.

Another Masterpiece…

…courtesy of Masterpiece Framing. Wow. The frame has just been completed on this gracious wine painting by Luzanquis. It looks stunning.

Here is a close-up shot of the quadruple stack frame that does such a great job of enhancing the painting:

The piece was framed using only the best, Larson-Juhl frames. Masterpiece Framing is an exclusive dealer of Larson-Juhl frames.

Private Residence: Contemporary Urban Loft

Above: Abstract paintings by Anton Weiss.

This kind of vertical installation of two or more pieces is known as a "stack." This home features very high ceilings with second-storey views, so two stacks of similar abstracts by the same artist were installed to great effect.

ArtFinders were very excited to have the opportunity to help this homeowner select art and framing for this home. This is the swankest urban loft we have ever seen and includes multiple levels of a once-commercial property. We love the way the designer has selected neutral colors throughout the rest of the home and used the art to add exciting color.

These abstract oil paintings are by Andre Padilla. Padilla's abstract baroque style has the dramatic feel needed to add some color and energy to the expanse of wall with 18' ceilings. Bold Larson Juhl frames help to group the paintings in with the console.

Below: A custom 8' wide limited edition giclee of "Surging Skyline" by Matt Puchalski in pride of place. The artist was present to supervise and assist with the installation of this piece.

Below: This is a contemporary landscape by Tienhaara. Have you noticed what a great job the homeowner and designer have done in selecting pieces of art that are different, but have a similar boldness of style and color palette? That thread of similarity has given all the pieces in the expanse of the loft a sense of continuity and design.

Below: An original mixed media abstract on canvas by Jim England.

Below: An abstract oil painting on canvas by Collins.

There is more to see (like sculpture!), but we will revisit this loft in a future post.

Portfolio: Private Residence

"English Garden" by Pena

"Mediterranean Bayside Garden" by Andre Jouan

"Vineyard" by Covian

Room view of "Hillside Village" by Harvey

"Hillside Village" by Harvey

Portfolio: Private Residence

This is a series of photographs featuring art work that ArtFinders suggested, framed and placed for a private residence. This first painting by Luzanquis was perfect for over the Arts and Crafts buffet in their dining room.

This next painting is a crisp and colorful Mediterranean scene by the artist Hajto. The painting is so inviting and your eye travels up those steps to the cafe or strolls along the waterfront.

These two gems are detailed paintings of charming European village windows by Dvornik. In addition to being beautiful works of art, they look so wonderful in this room. Sometimes the right art work completes a room like the missing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. That was certainly the case with these.

These are another set of two small but majestic autumn landscapes by Munoz. We were pleased that the homeowners chose to stack intriguing sets of two in these tall vertical spaces as seen above and below instead of going with the expected long vertical painting in each spot.
Above the set of two landscapes is another larger landscape by Munoz hung across from the staircase above the second storey entryway. The homeowners will enjoy a lovely continuity of view afforded by having three landscapes by the same artist in the entryway. The atmosphere created by these majestic, warm landscapes is a great way to welcome visitors and set a comfortable mood for the rest of the home.

What a comfortable and beautiful home!

Custom Mirrors

If you cannot find just the right mirror to match your furniture, consider a custom mirror. ArtFinders has designed hundreds of mirrors over the years to complement furniture. After consulting with you about the style of your home,  furniture, size needed and intended placement, we provide several options and price points from which to choose.

Once your mirror has been completed we also expertly install it.

DESIGN TIP: If you are thinking about adding a mirror to a wall--make sure that it will be reflecting an attractive view. You don't want to be reflecting the view into say, a cluttered home office or up into the blank walls of a cathedral ceiling. Consider a piece of art for these areas instead.

The frames used for custom mirrors need to be stronger than the frames used for artwork. Mirrors are very heavy--so a flimsy molding will not support the glass.

The very heavy mirror above was made using a stack of three moldings. It was designed to complement the chest beneath it with an eye toward solid construction. Finally, it was expertly installed using anchors.

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This print on paper by Roy Fairchild-Woodard was floated on a fabric matt that brings the color from the drapes (left) above the mantel. The glare normally expected from the harsh spotlights above is reduced through the use of a glare-reduction glass.

Portfolio: Custom Frame Designs

Above: Three-part stacked frame design.

Middle picture: Another three-part stacked frame with the central molding pulling color out from the painting to enhance the art/frame as a whole design.

Bottom: This Fairchild floral has a five-part frame with three mouldings and two layers of fillets. All of these frames were expertly crafted with archival materials by Masterpiece Framing.