GRAND GALLERY
That huge blank loft-height wall needs art, too.
Hi Jeffrey,
My partner and I recently purchased a three-storey town house. The main floor is our entrance (with a well-sized coat/storage closet) from the street with access from the garage. The second floor has a beautiful kitchen and great room as well as a powder room. The third floor has two bedrooms, each with their own ensuite bath, and an office/TV room. The great room is two storeys high and open to the third floor, whereas the kitchen area has 10-foot ceilings. From the great room looking up above the kitchen is a wall that’s approximately nine feet high. When we moved in two months ago we painted the entire house Decorator’s White from Benjamin Moore. My question to you is, what can we do with this massive white wall above the kitchen that soars to the third floor? My partner says we should hang artwork but I say art hung that high will look ridiculous. What say you? We read your column regularly and I know Catherine will listen to you.
Thank you, Allison Hi Allison, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I actually think hanging artwork on this high plane is precisely what you should do.
The photo I am providing to demonstrate the point is from Miami interior design firm dKOr Interiors (dkorinteriors.com). To break up the massive white wall and make the space more visually interesting, the designer chose a modern triptych, Blue
Movement by Antillion. For you to achieve this goal, remember scale and proportion. It’s hard to find a single piece of art to properly fill a wall this size so it’s common to use either a diptych or triptych.
The canvases shown above each measure 48x48 inches and hang so that the bottom of each lines up with the floor level beside (to the right in the picture). Just remember whatever you hang must not look minuscule or it will get lost on the wall.
Often oversize paintings tend to be modern in theme, so if this goes against your decorating style you may wish to hang a large tapestry, quilt or rug.
Maybe you have a collection of decorative masks from your travels that would fill the wall? recently I’ve noticed beautiful woven baskets at various stores, which, hung properly, could look like a curated collection from around the world. your decorator’s White walls really are the perfect paint colour to showcase art of any kind.
If your quantity of art is limited, you may wish to contain your random hangings to a 6x6-foot area (for example) so it doesn’t look too sprawled out. And remember that your art has to be large enough to be identifiable from the living room. you don’t want your guests requesting binoculars to get a close-up of a photo of you, your partner and your pooches. Make each piece you hang look gallery worthy, even if it’s bargain art from a yard sale.
I hope the issue of whether to hang art this high won’t continue to be a bone of contention between you and catherine. Now that you have a strong case to support getting out the ladder, may you both agree on what will actually hang high in your great room. And remember to email me if a neighbouring townhouse goes on the market.
Jeffrey