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How To Showcase A Large Piece of Art in Your Home

Below, a three-step process to getting it right

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An interior view at ManhattanView of MiMa, by New York-based designer Jamie Drake

Emily Gilbert
An interior view at ManhattanView of MiMa, by New York-based designer Jamie Drake
Emily Gilbert

Each week Mansion Global tackles an interior design topic with an elite group of designers from around the world who work on luxury properties. This week we look at how to showcase large art in your home.

Large-scale artwork is the kind of conversation starter that can make guests stop in their tracks.

"Every room needs a focal point, and a large piece of art really does that best of all. It provokes thought as well as discussion," said New York-based designer Jamie Drake, principal of Drake/Anderson Design.

It can also elevate a home’s style and character to a more refined level, says Los Angeles-based designer Lindsay Chambers.

Hanging and displaying it, however, can be an art in itself.

More:Luxury Developers Get Serious About Art

Select the Style

"There are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to selecting a piece of art; it’s more about finding what speaks to you. It also depends on how much of a statement you want to make with the art. Do you want the piece to define the room or merely complement it? You’ll also want to consider the color of the artwork. Choosing something with coordinating hues that tie into the room lends to an overall uniformity.

"You might also match the art to the style of the room itself—for instance, a classical realist landscape in a very traditional space will blend in well. Modern art, unless it’s a very bold or wild piece, provides cohesiveness in a contemporary space. Or, you might take the opposite approach and feature a sharp juxtaposition of a contemporary piece in an otherwise traditional room to give the space life, character, and an element of surprise."

Los Angeles-based designer Lindsay Chambers

Set the Scale

"Think about the wall and the surrounding environment in which you’ll place your piece. The art you choose should be the right proportion to the area in which it lives. Ask yourself questions such as, should it be vertical or horizontal? What’s the optimal size? For example, you don’t want to select something that feels squeezed in or dwarfs the surrounding wall. And conversely, it should be big enough to balance a wall space on its own, or be grouped with other artwork so the wall doesn’t seem too bare.

"As a general guideline, make sure to leave at least a foot from the ceiling or crown molding and 18 inches above the floor. Centering the piece on the wall is best in most cases, unless your wall stretches for miles.

"For example, for the new penthouse model at Manhattan View at MiMA in New York City, I selected an ink painting by NYC-based artist Thomas Hammer and knew immediately it was just right for the room. I wanted a vertical piece, as it would accentuate height and make the room seem taller. The vertical format also echoes the skyline just outside. The spiraling abstraction feels like the constant, round and round energy of New York City, and propels one's eye out to the view as well."

— Jamie Drake principal of Drake/ Anderson Design in Manhattan

More:When Art is Conceptual, Displaying it at Home Can Be Tricky

Consider the Space

A natural wood sculpture installed at 1 Hotel & Homes South Beach, Miami, by Debora Aguiar

Courtesy of Debora Aguiar

"A statement piece of art should be carefully selected to match and add mood, sophistication, welfare, and comfort to the surrounding space. For example, For 1 Hotel & Homes South Beach, Miami, I installed a massive natural wood sculpture created from a tsunami tree in the lobby of the building. In order to make it the focal point, surrounding materials for the walls, ceilings, and floors, were selected in natural materials—marble, washed wood—and accented with mirrors and indirect lighting so that a cohesive atmosphere could be felt all around.

"The idea is to pick neutral materials or neutral colors so as not to compete with the art. The mirrored wall gave the illusion of depth and space. If the piece had been hanging, one way to highlight it is to use direct light to draw attention to its shape and form."

— São Paulo-based designer Debora Aguiar

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