Art in the Home

July 12, 2023

That final layer in a home is so important, and can also be the hardest for us when we’re designing for our clients. The reason being it’s this last layer that puts your individual stamp on a home. It’s so personal, it should reflect you and tell everyone who comes into your home a little bit about you. When you look around and you’re surrounded by things you love, some of which may have memories or meanings attached, this is what makes your space so enjoyable and special for you to be in.

“Disco Shoes’ by Brian Culy | photo: Florence Charvin

Out of all the elements, art is by far the most challenging for us because it’s so subjective, but for that reason it’s one of the most special and impactful elements. We can recommend to our clients to keep the colour palette relevant to the rest of the room, and help get the scale right and the frame, but the art itself needs to ‘speak’ to its owner (note: scale is everything! You are going to want to go bigger than you think).

Commisioned artwork by Robyn Fleet | photo: Florence Charvin

For anyone that is interested in starting their art journey we asked local art gallery owners, Richard and Elisa Boyd-Dunlop of Boyd-Dunlop Gallery, for their expert advice on all things art…

What should you look for in a piece of art?

BOYD-DUNLOP: Find that piece of artwork that sings to you. You may feel powerful emotions and a strong attraction to it, something that has the x-factor. Art is subjective so each person will have a uniquely different view or experience with different artworks. Art can be a great way to celebrate key moments in your life or remind you of a person or place of significance. It’s a great way to spend time with others you live with, or friends, or an art group, and of course provide a stimulus to conversation when people visit your home.

Does art always increase in value?

BOYD-DUNLOP: You shouldn't see art as a commodity but as a pleasure. The money invested in art is an investment in your pleasure. Everyday you walk past a piece of artwork it speaks to you on a higher level which can't be quantified in monetary terms.

Of course some artworks do increase in value sometimes in a short space of time, we have watched it happen over the years. If you are wanting to buy art as an investment there is investment grade art, which is characterised by artists who have a strong collector base, recognised names and a track record of achieving high, if not record breaking auction sales.

How do you spot a breakthrough artist or next big thing?

BOYD-DUNLOP: There is no sure way to spot the next art star, however due diligence and time spent gathering information from as many sources as possible will help with this. Take time to visit dealer galleries and form a relationship with the dealers who can guide you. Visit art fairs, art school shows and a range of dealer galleries. Also read art magazines and publications, both hardcopy and digitally, such as Art NZ, Art News, Artnet, Art Collector, and The Art Paper. Following art competitions is great way to spot emerging talent, as artists need to be motivated to crack the big time with a capacity to continue to produce great work.

Are art prints good investments?

BOYD-DUNLOP: Art prints such as screenprints and limited editions can be a good investment when they are from recognized artists and can be very collectable. The print market has proven to be solid in auction as we have seen some artists achieving much higher values than those spent originally purchased for in the galleries. It is good to do your research here to see if any of these editions are making it to auction and what kind of prices they are getting. When buying print editions consideration should be taken on how large the edition is and what the print medium is, also whether the art print is signed or authenticated by the artist. A screenprint is still a handmade artwork requiring layering of pigment whilst a digital prints are reproduced using a printer. Traditionally screenprints were seen to be more valuable however in recent times the digital archival qualities have brought forward digital print values.

‘Mahia’ limited edition fine art print by Freeman White

What do edition numbers mean (eg 1/30 or A/P, OE)?

BOYD-DUNLOP: Edition numbers - for example, 1 of 30 mean there are only 30 of that image printed and the 1 denoted that this is the first of the 30.

Usually screenprints, and sometimes digital prints, have an artist proof. These are marked as A/P, this is usually the first print from which the artist ascertains that they are happy with the artwork. Sometimes there is more than one A/P print available and also these can have irregularities if changes have been made before the final print run is made. Sometimes the A/Ps are considered more valuable than the edition as they are seen as more rare.

OE stands for open edition, in these cases there is no set number or print editions however often these prints can still be limited as the artist constraints may mean only so many ever get printed.

Limited edition prints by surrealist Jeremy McCormick available exclusively through Boyd-Dunlop Gallery

If a painting is reproduced in print form does it decrease its value?

BOYD-DUNLOP: If a painting has been reproduced in print this does not necessarily decrease the value of the artwork, usually the print functions to make the artwork more known to the public therefore increasing the value of the artwork. An artist owns the rights to an image he or she is painted, not the owner of the image unless they have bought copyright of the image. It has become more common to reproduce painted images in the print Edition now that digital quality has become archival. This also helps the artist with an additional income stream and in support of the artists we believe this is a good idea.

What is the ideal amount of art needed in a home and are there rules about spacing artworks?

BOYD-DUNLOP: Art is an important part of the home as it sets the mood and personality of the owners. There are no real rules around spacing in your home although it is good to give each piece its own space, and also have the centre of the painting at eye level so as to relax while viewing the painting. As your collection grows this could be harder to achieve but is also part of the fun of an art collection.

Make sure you put thought into the placement of artworks, for example, if you have photographic prints make sure they're not in direct sunlight. Oil paintings are more durable and can withstand more sunlight than artist prints. If you have a minimalistic home one or two large pieces could be all the personality you need for your house.

How do you start an art collection?

BOYD-DUNLOP: If you are looking at starting an art collection you can begin as small as you want. Art collecting is a fun activity almost like a sport. It can be done alone, or with a partner, or a group of like minded friends or colleagues. You and your partner can share research, visit the galleries and see what you like. This is the most important thing - there's no point in having something on your wall that you do not like.

Visit student shows, group exhibitions, local exhibitions and see what galleries are doing online, and ask around to read magazines. There are no rules about collecting. Some collectors approach their collections differently wanting to get certain artists in their collection. You do not need a large budget to start an art collection. Start off small and once you learn more you can then start to make more daring purchases. Keep your collection diverse, keep your collecting fun, like any other collection it should be enjoyable.

How do you start an art group?

BOYD-DUNLOP: Starting an art group is something to do with people that enjoy getting together and discussing art, talking about their purchases, and also should be an enjoyable venture. Keep it simple and set out ground rules early on as you don't want to get caught up in any controversy over works that might start to increase in value. Set up a budget and also do your research, don't just jump into the first thing you see. You may decide that you each get a turn to purchase, or that one member brings a selection of three choices to the group and then a vote is taken. Works can be rotated amongst the members' homes. This is a great way to pool knowledge and resources across more people. However the more minds involved in the purchase the harder it can be to decide.

Do you have payment options at Boyd-Dunlop Gallery?

BOYD-DUNLOP: Absolutely, we have quite a few clients who like to use My Art to purchase. It is a really easy and nice way for people to finance art purchases interest free. Quite a few people like to use it to allocate their monthly art budget, and the great thing is you get the artwork right away.

We also offer layby and payment plans in the gallery regularly, however people have to wait until it is all paid off before they take the art home.

Richard Boyd-Dunlop with Pat Hanly panels

Thanks so much to Richard and Elisa, that information is so helpful. If you’d like to visit their Boyd-Dunlop Gallery you can find it at 4 Hastings Street, Napier. You can make an appointment for a personal viewing or simply pop in, they’re open seven days.

Sarah Paulson’s home - Architectural Digest

If you’re still learning what sort of art really appeals to you, and want to get super inspired, one of my favourite ways is checking out Architectural Digest’s “Open Door" on YouTube. You get to step inside celebrities’ homes and get a personal tour. Celebrities are creative people and these homes are always unique and packed with personality - some will appeal to you, some won’t, but what I love is that each home is a great representation of the owner/s. Their artwork is often very personal and very cool. Some of my personal faves are Lenny Kravitz, Sienna Miller, Sarah Paulson, and Troye Sivan. Go well on your art journey.

Troye Sivan's home by Flack Studio — Troye Sivan’s home by Flack Studio

Starting fresh in 2023

January 17, 2023

We recently appeared in the first issue of Bay Buzz for 2023 which was all about ‘refresh and renew’. It’s packed with great advice from many experts on how to refresh and renew your mind, body, career, business and home, as well as the planet. We highly recommend picking up a copy to read all about it.

The new year is a brilliant time for new beginnings and a new, fresh look for your home. We love transforming our clients’ homes and seeing the positive effect it has on them, their family and their lifestyle. We wanted to share with you some of the tips and advice we gave Bay Buzz (plus a few extra) to make changes in your home that don’t require a big, expensive renovation but can make the world of difference.

LAYOUT & FLOW : :

We always recommend starting your design process with a really good edit. Take everything out of the room except for the large furniture pieces and look at it with fresh eyes. Are you happy with the arrangement, does it have good flow? If not, try moving furniture around. If possible move furniture away from the walls. It always surprises us how many people push all their furniture to the edge of the room and have their coffee table floating in the middle out of reach and disconnected, or the seating is too far apart to function socially. If your room is large enough, try pulling your furniture in to create cosy, social settings. It might take a few moves before you get it right, and this process may also highlight areas that are lacking or need changing. For example, you may need a bigger coffee table, or to add side tables... That’s ok, this is all part of the process to get the best looking and best functioning room for you.

SHOP FROM YOUR HOME : :

Once you’re happy with your furniture layout move onto the decor. Put all of your accessories together in another space, perhaps on the dining table or kitchen bench, and ‘shop’ from your collection. Look at each piece and consider whether you would buy that if you saw it in a shop today. Only put back those pieces you love, and don’t feel you have to put them back in the same place. You may want to move some pieces to another spot or to other rooms in the house. We regularly move pieces around our homes to refresh each space.

Create groupings with your items. We like to put odd numbers of items together - 3, 5, sometimes 7 or 9. But three seems to be the magic number to keep your eye moving for a more interesting visual experience. Another way to create interest is to have a mix of shape, size and texture. Experiment and play around, there is a real skill to styling and you’ll get better the more you do it.

Books are a favourite tool of ours. We use them as plinths to ground and elevate smaller objects. They also add an element of design and reflect your interests. Look for books about things you love, but also keep in mind the colour of the book and the graphic nature of the spine and cover and how that will work in your room. Sometimes the colour of the hardback book beneath the jacket can be quite different giving you two options in the one book.

FILL THE GAPS : :

If there are any gaps after the process of shopping from your home, you now have specific pieces you can look for, so you can shop with purpose. We love that final layer in a home, it’s the one that adds your personality. Keep scale in mind. Large-scale pieces like a large lamp, balanced with a large vase add drama and interest and create a less cluttered look than a lot of tiny pieces would. We try not to have any decor pieces smaller than an orange, which is a good rule to remember. Often larger pieces make a space feel more luxurious and expensive. Give it a try.

PAINT : :

Without a doubt painting your room is the least expensive way to create impact. Look at existing pieces in your room like furniture, art, curtains and flooring and choose a colour that will be harmonious. We’ll often pull the paint colour out from one used in a piece of art or the rug.

We’re not fans of the feature wall, it’s the quickest way to make your room look dated. Instead we encourage you to go for it and paint your entire room. Don’t forget the trims and ceiling, we’ll often paint them a fresh white, but on occasion we’ll paint the trims, and even the ceiling, the same colour as the walls. If done right it looks incredible and is especially effective in media rooms and powder rooms to create a cocooning feel.

ELEVATE YOUR WALLS : :

We love to use wall paneling to elevate a room and add architectural detail in an otherwise plain room. There are lots of different styles to choose from - v-groove, box moulding, board & batten, wainscoting. The style of your home will dictate which style of panelling you choose. If you’re handy with the tools you could apply the panelling yourself, otherwise talk to your local builder or handyman.

We used a chunky box moulding in Dael’s media room (above) in her 1940’s home; and a finer, more subtle panelling for our clients’ character villa (below).

UPDATE YOUR HANDLES : :

It’s amazing what a difference an updated handle can make in your kitchen, wardrobe, dresser etc. Knobs are easy to replace as there is only one hole, but if you have a D handle measure the distance between the two centre holes and look for new handles with the same centre handle distance. This will save you having to fill holes if the new handles are a different size.

Overhead cupboards in the kitchen can sometimes look more contemporary if you take the handles off completely, fill, sand and paint them and add a push-to-open mechanism on the inside.

INVEST IN NEW LIGHTING : :

Replacing old pendants and lamp shades can change the look of a room quite dramatically. If possible add dimmers to your lights so you can create different ambience for different situations. Make sure to hang your pendants at the right height. This will be dependant on factors such as the scale of your light and the height of your ceilings. Kitchen pendants will often be hung 70-80cm above the bench, and over a dining table we’ll start with 75cm higher then your table top. Each space will be slightly different, we use our eye to get it just right, but these are good measurements to start from.

INVEST IN A RUG : :

The right rug can totally transform a room, but the key is to get the right size. Don’t get a tiny rug that your coffee table fits on but nothing else. This is the quickest way to make your room look too small and cheap. The golden rule is that the front feet of all of your chairs and sofas sit on the rug. If all of the legs fit on, even better, this will make your room look really spacious.

Under your dining table the rug needs to be large enough to pull the chairs back without them falling off the rug. Yes the larger the rug, the larger the price tag, but it’s something we would recommend getting right. If a hand knotted wool rug is outside of your budget, start with a large jute rug.

I hope you found some advice that you can apply to your own home. We’d love to hear about it if you did - feel free to DM us on Instagram. And if you’d like our help with your interior design journey, whether that’s a new build, or renovation, or just sourcing new furniture, get in touch anytime.

Cameron | Before + Afters

August 19, 2022

We recently finished '‘phase 2” of a renovation for some favourite clients of ours. The family of seven live in a beautiful old villa that they’re gradually breathing new life into, honouring her original architecture but creating better space, flow and aesthetics. We began this journey several years ago in the kitchen/dining area, which you can see here. This latest renovation involved transforming a mostly unused family room, a dark hallway, and the addition of a small downstairs bathroom.

You can see from this section of the plan (above) by our friends at Architecture HDT - old plan on the left, new on the right - how we’ve closed the entrance to the family (rumpus) room and added French doors, borrowed some space from an adjoining office to create the bathroom, removed an old structure outside the family room, and replaced the small window along this wall with the original office window.

Living room renovation Napier — photo: Florence Charvin

The brief for the family room was to make a space where the whole family could come (or the kids and their friends) to hang out, watch movies, and to make it a more inviting room to be in.

Previously the room featured heavy wood panelling, and quite a large raised stage at the back of the room which cut the room in half, limiting the furniture placement. The TV was tucked into the corner of the room on an angled built-in cabinet with a large unused fireplace taking pride of place. The small leadlight window sits awkwardly on top of the panelling.

This large leadlight window in the adjoining office needed to come out to make room for the new bathroom, so it made perfect sense to use it in the family room to replace the smaller one and let it more light.

We knew we wanted to remove the heavy panelling, but the style of the home really suited wall panelling, so we drew up a plan for the builder to follow with new panelling that had a lighter touch. Brendan Grant (the builder) did a brilliant job with our panelling design, and the entire renovation of this lovely old girl.

Taking the stage right back to just two small steps gave us so much more floor space, so we had a large corner sofa custom made along with a large round ottoman that could tuck under the new oak coffee table. The ottoman can double as seating when needed, and the new orientation of the seating allowed the family to take in the beautiful view out to the pool and beyond. A large rug zones the seating area, a warm white softens and lightens the room, and new curtains in a gorgeous fabric are hung as high as possible for a sophisticated finish.

The wall which previously was the focal point of the room has had quite a transformation. The panelling, built-in units, fireplace and hearth were removed. One of the main things we were asked to do in this room was create a space for a baby grand piano that is a family heirloom but hadn’t previously been able to fit anywhere. We boxed out the right side of the wall, covering the fireplace and creating a built-in shelving unit, also creating a nook for the piano.

The open shelves gave our clients the opportunity to display some favourite pieces, adding personality and interest. The cupboards below store all those things you may not want on display.

Bookshelf styling Napier — photo: Florence Charvin

The office was cut in half so that a bathroom could be added downstairs. Previously family and friends had to go all the way upstairs to find the first bathroom. The downstairs addition has been life-changing, and great for when the kids want to jump through the shower after a swim.

We chose to clad the walls in HardieGroove™ to add that texture, but also, because it’s suitable for bathrooms, it meant we didn’t need to tile these walls. We added plenty of hooks for all the kids’ towels.

Bathroom renovation Napier — photo: Florence Charvin

Inside the shower we used a marble chevron tile that echoed the herringbone flooring in other areas of the house. The tapware is all brushed platinum which is a slightly more sophisticated finish compared to chrome.

The last part of this renovation involved transforming the hallway that leads from the kitchen and dining area down to the family room and new bathroom. It’s the centre of the home with stairs leading up to the second floor, but it had a dark feel, once again with a lot of heavy wood panelling.

We knew that by painting the panelling it would instantly lighten and brighten the space, but we understood that this was a big thing to ask our clients. So we created 3D imagery to show them what we wanted to do and this gave them the courage to take the plunge. You can see we kept some of the wood in its natural state, but painted all of the walls.

Hallway renovation Napier — photo: Florence Charvin

In the render we had lighter panelling with two shades darker on the walls above, but we ended up flipping that and are really pleased with the end results. New carpet was put throughout to add a cosiness and warmth, it also dulls the noise of kids running up and down the stairs.

Once again we’d like to thank our clients for allowing us to share their home with you all, and for the trust they put in us and our designs. We have loved watching their incredible home transform and seeing how much more functional, as well as beautiful, it has become for them.