Philippa Hughes is an attorney-cum-Art Evangelist who recently launched Pink Line Project, an online guide to the DC arts scene.
An article from Washington Spaces takes us inside Hughes’ apartment/Pink Line headquarters (see above) which holds her considerable art collection. Hughes’ philosophy on art is refreshing; when asked about the resale value of her art she quips, “But what about living here?” The way Hughes has decorated her apartment and displayed her art clearly demonstrates her love of art and her admirably free-spirited approach. More power to her!
Inspiration from Apartment Therapy.
After a few days of hiatus, I am back online! We just moved into a new apartment and are in the process of unpacking and hanging our art. Given that placing art can be as daunting as buying your first piece, I’ve decided to blog the process and provide some tips along the way.
While I generally agree with the adage of starting with the largest pieces, I don’t view this as a hard and fast rule. Our biggest piece, pictured above, landed on the angled wall in our living room which gives the painting the prominence it deserves.
The single most important piece of advice is to experiment. It may take you two, three, four tries to get it right… it’s just part of the process.
Important considerations as you place art in your home:
* Context is key. Is it a statement piece, a serious piece, a personal piece? The type of art and the mood it suggests are very important factors. Personal or quirky pieces often end up in our bedroom, while serious and statement pieces often land in the living room and hallways. A good example is a painting at my parents’ house of dogs sniffing each others’ behinds. It’s a humorous piece and is appropriately-placed in a bathroom, but anywhere else it would just come of as weird!
* Size matters. How big is the piece and how much wall space is available?
* Stand-alone or grouping. Do you have pieces that work well as a group? Groupings are not limited to diptychs or triptychs or works by a single artist. You can group by color, theme, style, size, etc. It’s OK to take some creative liberty on groupings, as long as there is some coherent theme.
