Popdog by Mitch Levin and Susie Levin

If I was asked to describe the work environment of my dreams, I would immediately conjure up a light-filled space filled with vibrant people, stimulating art, and dogs. (Yes, dogs, as I have found that dog-friendly workplaces help to break the tension and keep people grounded.) Imagine my joy at walking into the reality of that workplace, the offices of the Level Playing Field Institute
in San Francisco.

LPFI is a non-profit organization dedicated to fairness: to removing barriers to fairness in higher education to the economically disadvantaged. They help talented students be better prepared for success in higher education and the workplace through scholarship, mentoring, internship and peer counseling programs. What they are doing is so encouraging and life affirming.

Knoop I by Josh Urso

Upon walking in to the offices, one is immediately greeted by one or more dogs, dogs who come to the office everyday and who clearly run the place. These rambunctious characters have many art dogs surrounding them, including “Pop Dog” by Mitch and Susie Levin, which graces the large conference room wall.

Wherever you turn within LPFI’s offices, there is art, all of it extremely tactile. At the entry gathering spot, rather than a traditional corporate coffee table, the founders have placed a Josh Urso “Knoop Table“, letting you know immediately that this is no cookie-cutter sterile office experience.

Autumn Rust Canopy by Tim Harding

Tim Harding’s voluptuous pieces silk pieces adorn one office wall, providing color, texture and the suggestion of the importance of creativity in the workplace.

With a name like Artful Home, we tend to talk a lot about art for the home for obvious reasons, but visiting the LPFI offices made me wonder why more companies don’t see the value of bringing original art into the workplace. Most of us spend more of our waking time in our offices than in our homes, and the benefits to the soul of being surrounded by art most certainly have productivity benefits to the workplace.

Hourglass by Brian Reid

Though your bedroom may be mere footsteps from the joyful clatter of family life and the insistent to-dos of the home office, you can turn it into a place of escape that feels a million miles away. As you begin to design the retreat of your dreams, trust your senses and give free rein to your imagination. Here more than anywhere, perfection should be the least of your concerns.

Instead, make comfort and simplicity the keynotes of the one room where you can fully relax. Accommodate your need for warmth, soothing light, and refuge from the day’s demands as effortlessly as possible. Think soft bedding and richly textured floor covering, lamps you can reach from beneath the covers, and a welcoming chair to nestle in. With these fundamentals in place, you can begin adding accents that reflect and celebrate your truest self.

Heaps of laundry are bound to fray your nerves. On the other hand, that pile of books by your bed may delight you. If so, highlight the books with a fabulous lamp, and corral the stray clothes in a beautiful basket. Use wardrobes, chests, and boxes to provide safe harbor for the other unsightly detritus of daily life. These pieces give a room structure, and can be wonderfully expressive in their own right.

Once your clutter is under control, ruthlessly remove gratuitous ornament. Treat the souvenirs of your inner life to a little extra breathing room, and display only those things you can count on to make you smile. These might be favorite photos of loved ones, flowers from your garden, or objects gathered on your travels.

Having established calm and order, you make room to dream—and here original artwork can truly shine. Simple furnishings clad in muted colors and thoughtful accent lighting paired with a painting provide drama. Paintings and prints

Imagine ending each day bathed in the soft light of a handmade lamp. Dreaming in a bed that supports your spirit—as well as your weary back. Waking to artwork that speaks to your heart. Imagine how wonderful it would feel to begin each day in a room that sustains your soul.

Paintings by Chin Yuen

Decorating a small space requires a keen eye so that every element shines. Even beauty on a palatial scale hinges on the small harmonies hiding inside the big picture. In interior design parlance, the word "vingette" describes a small scene or composition within a larger design. These small, focused arrangements deftly establish a mood, explore a theme or tell a story.

The key for many small spaces is ruthless editing. Picture a console table covered end to end with knick-knacks. Surely you’d still notice its beautifully shaped base. But would the complexity of the wood grain command the same attention? Against a boldly patterned wall, would the subtle layering and shading in the artwork be as compelling?

Furnishings and objects always reveal their beauty within an environment, like gems in a setting. They work in concert with the colors chosen for walls, trim, and ceiling; the surrounding materials and textures; the shape of the space; and the prevailing light. A whole host of visual considerations accompanies a handful of objects.

As you craft a meaningful vingette in your own home, taking photographs throughout the process will help you evaluate your space with clear eyes. This is particularly helpful when you have lived in a home long enough to lose sight of its features and quirks.

You may be surprised to find that the unadorned windows you like so well are making the room look extremely stark. Perhaps your velvet sofa looks more mousy than luxurious because there isn’t enough contrast between it and the color of the wall.

If you feel something is lacking or out of balance in your budding vingette, keep a photo to guide you until you find the elusive detail that will tie it together. When you are satisfied at last, you may be delighted to discover that your photo would look right at home in the pages of a design book or magazine. Of course, no matter how wonderful the photo, the greatest reward for your efforts will be living in and enjoying your own artful home.

Autumn’s Throne by Rachel Miller

Everybody has quirks, from hidden depths of feeling to unexpected outbursts of wit. As we move through the world, our personalities reveal themselves in gestures large and small. The places we live, on the other hand, are not always so distinctive. Some rooms are boxy and featureless, defined strictly by rectangles and right angles. Other rooms are filled with furnishings and accessories that perfectly reflect the decorating crazes of the moment, but confide very little about the inhabitant’s true passions.

When you bring artwork into your home, your own personality bubbles up to the surface. Just one imaginative, well-crafted piece can make an indelible mark on the space. consider "Autumn’s Throne" forged by sister-and-brother blacksmiths by Rachel and Tim Miller. No more seat, it’s a magical landscape caught in the moment before fall turns to winter. The artists have used the ancient, still thriving tradition of metalsmithing to pay tribute to beauty and change in the natural world. Only five of these limited-edition chairs exist, which makes each one all the more special.

Is this chair practical? Probably not, if you need a matched set of four, six, or eight for your dining room.

Is this chair an extravagance? Some might think so. It certainly would be wasted if cast in the minor role of attention-grabbing conversation piece or pretty scenery. Like any complicated, multilayered character, this memorable chair can carry a lot more weight and meaning than that.

Is this chair valuable? Yes, incalculably, if it embodies ideas you hold dear, provides enduring satisfaction, and reveals a tiny but about what makes your heart beat faster. William Morris, the nineteenth-century father of the Arts and Crafts movement, famously advised "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." The true worth of "Autumn’s Throne", or any piece created by an artist, lies in its power to make a statement—not simply as a decorative focal point, but, more eloquently, as a passionate declaration of belief.