To develop a personal aesthetic—the value system that defines our sense of beauty, grace, and comfort—we must learn to look with a critical eye at everything that surrounds us. When we study the architecture of our living environment, the array of furnishings we select and the art we acquire, we should be able to recognize how these pieces work together to balance the many elements of design: color, texture, form, and proportion. Developing this ability is what we call "learning to see".

An important aspect of creating a personal aesthetic involves cultivating a point of view with regard to material possessions, a point of view based on the goals of your space. Learning to see requires that you look at many objects and absorb what each one has to offer without losing sight of your own circumstances and needs. You can accomplish this by developing a dialogue with an object. No, we don’t mean speaking out loud to it, but rather becoming curious about it. Where is it from? How old is it? Was it crafted by hand or by machine? What unusual techniques were used to produce it? Did its creator sign it? Finding the answer to these questions will enrich your understanding and deepen your appreciation of the object you’re looking at. This process increases your knowledge, strengthens your personal aesthetic, and prepares your eye to seek beauty in all that is sees.

The art you acquire and objects that you collect each have a story. When brought together in your home, they tell a unique story about you. It’s your goal to become a good storyteller.

When you introduce art into your home, you’re adding a layer onto a foundation established through the furnishings, lighting, and accessories that you’ve inherited or purchased over time. These possessions were doubtless acquired as much for their function as for taste and style. Creating an artful home is about selecting and placing art that complements your foundation of core furnishings while celebrating beauty and spirit and reflecting something intimate about you and your family.

Looking at art feels very different from looking at other kinds of furnishings. An artist’s work can take you by surprise. It can inspire pleasure, confusion, or an immediate sense of affinity. You may like what you’re looking at, or you may not. Either way, your eye is stimulated, and the piece calls to you for response and reaction.

The wonderful thing about art is that it need not be constrained by anything more than your personal aesthetic: "Wow! I like that! Now, where in my home can I place that for all my friends and family to see?" Suddenly you’re engaged. You’re thinking about how to share the story. That’s the fun and the beauty of learning to see.

Bone Puff by Josh Urso

Yesterday, I was interviewed by a reporter on the subject of color. The article is going to be about living with different colors, and what effect color has on mood. While I am a big champion of living with color, and could not help but carry on about orange and yellow, I find I am also incredibly attracted to WHITE. Having once painted a living room seven different colors of white, I have become attuned to the way white can emphasize form, line and nuance.

The interview sparked me to consider what I might include in my life if restricted to the color white, and what I found was that TEXTURE is key. Anything but basic, the purity of white allows artists to approach the simplest of forms – or the most complex. White can act as a unifying element among highly textured pieces living together in one room.

In honor of the release this week of The Beatles video game, I decided to create a “White Album” with examples of how artists in a multiple of mediums explore this most complete of all colors.

Josh Urso’s Bone-Puff Pendant Lamp, challenges my senses. Made of fabric, yet holding its spherical form, this white lamp begs to be examined as it casts pure dotted shadows from the many mesh perforations. In this case, white makes the piece stand out in a room, yet allows the fabric, texture and interplay of hard and soft to be the interest.

Lynn Meade hand-carves porcelain. In her Round Tempest Vase, the white clay surface serves springs to life, completely enveloped in voluptuous curves of the carving. While white porcelain can sometimes be pure, even sterile looking, Meade’s attention to detail makes this white vase tactile and rich.

In John Maggioto’s Decanter, a completely different passion for texture interplay with white is exhibited. Through an innovative process, this piece marries the texture of marble and paper, using white as the accent of light within the moody darkness of photography.

Last year, we interviewed several designers as part of the 6th edition of The Guild Sourcebook of Residential Art. Here is one of those interviews.

“I really have a passion for what I do,” interior designer Kendall Marcelle admits, “and I have a lot of fun doing it.” That enthusiasm and commitment to excellence shine through in the attention she lavishes on each artful detail of the spaces she creates.

Her firm, Kendall Marchelle Design Associates, founded in Florida in the early 1990s, focuses on high-end residential projects. Marcelle’s versatility allows her to design in either traditional of contemporary idioms, but regardless of the style, she always encourages her clients to explore original art. “I love to use art,” she admits. “It adds a lot of personality.”

To homeowners who are wary of collecting, Marcelle counsels, “Don’t be afraid of it. Try it! Start in a small way, with a local artist, or even at a local craft show.” An avid collector herself, she notes that “art is a lot more attainable than people think. I’ve found original art in everything from flea markets to very expensive galleries.”

Choosing the right art pieces for a private home is an opportunity for collaboration. “There’s a lot of emotion in art,” Marcelle notes, “and that’s why unless I’ve worked with a client a lot and really know their tastes, I don’t like to necessarily go out and just buy. I usually like them to be involved.”

“We concentrate so much on furniture, which important for confort and style, but in the end it is the art, fine rugs, accessories, and sculpture that really speak to you,” she notes. “The sofa and chairs become background.” Drawing on wisdom steeped in experience, Marcelle concludes, “Buy art for the art of living with it.”

Beau Chene by Michele Hardy

Framing
There are many considerations in framing textiles as well. While glass protects against humidity, dust, insects, and touching, it is important to allow an air space around the work and to use conservation glass and acid-free mats and backings to avoid harming the fibers. Many fiber works – especially large pieces – are best displayed unframed.

Installation
Many of the works created by artists featured on Artful Home will come ready to hang, and any artist whose work you purchase should have suggestions for hanging his or her artwork safely. One good way to hand fiber involves handstitching a four-inch-wide twill tape (used in upholstering) onto the back of tapestries. A strip of Velcro is then attached to the tape and another adhered to a board (shellacked so no acids can leach out) that is covered in muslin. Screw eyes are used to secure the board to the wall, at the optimum height.

Cleaning
While fabric protectors such as Blue Magic Tectron may solve many of the problems associated with soiling, fading, and humidity, periodic cleaning will still be needed. Some pieces can be carefully vacuumed, with a mesh screening places of the work to minimize fibers being either disturbed of extricated from the piece. Dry cleaning, though, by anyone other than a well-versed conservator, can be danerous business; textile conservators around the country specialize in cleaning fragile artworks.

When appropriately cared for, contemporary fiber art will endre long after its creation. Good care from the beginning will guarantee that the best of our textile treasures will be passed on within the family for future generations to enjoy.