"The Last Thing You Hung"

We loved getting Grant Gibson's blog post this morning thanking House Beautiful for including him in their June 2011 issue. The feature is called "Send Us a Picture: The Last Thing You Hung." The headline says, "Designers know that one of the quickest changes of all is to hammer a nail into a wall and hang a painting, a photo, a gleaming mirror." Grant then highlights a piece of wall decor by a San Franciso artisan that has the power to change a room entirely.

(image courtesy of Grant K. Gibson, "the blog")

At the risk of overstating the obvious, we feel exactly the same way! While it can be intimidating to hang a statement piece of artwork on a wall, creating a focal point for the room, that piece of art has the power to set the overall tone. Don't be afraid to start with a painting that moves you, and let it be the inspiration for the space it hangs in. Alternatively, it can be a very exciting thing to hang a piece of art in an effort to restore life to a room. Allow art to be a conversation starter, and let your personality show through your selections. We are often asked the best way to go about making a purchase of fine art, and we always say, go with your gut. After all, you are the one who will be living with it.

Another example of this we spotted recently was in the latest issue of Lonny. The images of Todd Romano's new LA store, along with his own home, show how his personality, and his fearlessness when it comes to letting art do the talking in a room. Don't let convention stop you from placing a contemporary, abstract piece in a formal dining room. Look how fun that piece is that Grant hung to the right of the "branchlers," on what appears to be grasscloth walls...Not only is that a room we would love to spend time in, but we also want to meet the inhabitants!

(above two images courtesy of Lonny Magazine)