"My" Top Ten Design Elements # 8

# 8 in my series of "Top Ten Design Elements" is the " Art" in the space. I just told a client this morning that , " Art is personal, and if she likes it and the scale is right, it works!" She sent me a photo of a picture she saw that she thought might work in the room we are currently working on. However, the scale was not right . . . Take a look at this photo. The scale of the painting is a bit small for the sofa, but the molding of the stairs makes this tricky. The solution was to pick art with strong, bold colors ! The colors in this piece adds to it's scale. That's why it works.

The art in this photos follows along with the feel of the space. Notice that the chair is also a "piece of art". The two work together beautifully.

Art can be fun and create the " Something to talk about", for the room. Children's drawing are great for this, plus it adds such a sense of pride for the child to see his or her drawing framed and on the wall.

Remember that anything can be used as art . We too often limit ourselves to mirrors and pictures . . . think outside the box from time to time.

Watercolors are light and work best with something light beneath them. This is a perfect combo. So take a look at the art around your castle. Do you see room for improvement ? Starting a art collection is a fun thing for couples to do together. Art never goes out of style ! More than anything else it tells others what you are interested in. Art speaks loudly with out any words !