ORLANDO — A
lifetime's accumulation of furnishings, pictures and
photographs greeted Troy Beasley and his design team
when they arrived to redecorate a luxury condominium in
Winter Park, Fla., recently.
Many of the posters, paintings and
photos reflected the homeowners' ties to the theater and
ballet. Other pictures and artifacts were collected
during their worldwide travels. All had been randomly
displayed throughout the condo.
"We really wanted to showcase the
art in the redesign. That meant a lot of reframing and
repositioning," said Beasley, co-owner, with his
wife, Stephanie Henley, of Beasley & Henley Interior
Design. Also working on the project was design assistant
Jacqueline Nardin.
To create more cohesive displays, the
team grouped like-themed works into collections. In the
sunny breakfast room, a half-dozen sketches and
paintings of theater costumes are grouped on a single
wall. In a hallway outside the master bedroom, framed
photos create a visual family tree. In an angled passage
leading to the guest suite, vivid theater posters in
bold black frames line the walls. And photos and
paintings from their travels are collected in the den.
The designers also used artwork to
inspire color schemes, create a mood (serene in the
master bedroom, cheerful in the kitchen), and reflect
the personalities of the homeowners.
For the spacious entry hall, Beasley
selected a huge, Renaissance-style painting of a figure
swathed in a red cloak and turban. On closer inspection,
the figure turns out to be a tabby cat.
"The painting really reflects the
personalities of the homeowners," explained
Beasley. "They are quite formal, but also have a
great sense of humor. They adore cats. And the turban is
very theatrical."
By simply rearranging the artwork, the
look of the condo was transformed and refreshed, said
Beasley.
"The husband didn't even
recognize some of the works in their new
locations," said Beasley. "He kept asking, 'Is
that ours?' "
———
TIPS TO INTEGRATE ART
— To effectively integrate artwork
into a home's decor, interior designer Troy Beasley
offers these tips:
— Edit ruthlessly. Display only
favorite or meaningful pieces.
— Reframe works to give them a fresh
look. Try displaying several related images in a single
frame.
— When framing, think contrast. Try
simple frames for busy pictures, elaborate frames for
simple images. Put contemporary frames on traditional
pictures, and vice-versa. Use similar frames to unify a
collection. Or choose a variety of frames to suggest
photos were collected over time.
— Use artwork to create a mood,
inspire a color scheme, as a focal point in a room or to
define a theme: travel, family or a favorite activity
such as boating.
— Add interest to a collection by
mixing styles or mediums — combine realistic and
abstract portraits, for example, or landscapes in oils,
watercolors and mixed media.
— Position pictures in unusual
places — in a cabinet behind a display of crystal, on
top of a cupboard, among books on a bookcase.
— Hang colorful pictures in
neutral-toned rooms, neutral pictures in bright, busy
rooms.
— Position artwork at eye level, not
higher.
— Think big. Large rooms need large
paintings — or a large collection of smaller pictures.
In a small room, a single, oversized picture adds great
drama.