If you love the century-old, black and white photograph of Great-Grandma in the oval frame but worry about how it will go with the oversize Tuscan landscape painting in the rectangular frame, worry no more.
The unwritten rules of hanging artwork no longer apply, experts say.
For some, the rule book was thrown out years ago. For others, according to Elaine Williamson of Dallas-based Elaine Williamson Designs, one of the decorating tips for fall is to ditch the quick fix.
“Art doesn’t have to be expensive,” she said in a news release, “but it should have meaning. Buy what you love. Mix mediums and styles.”
Chattanooga-area interior designers and framing experts agree.
“We see people come in and [try to] match frames with the same look,” said Kathy Reed, owner of Bill Shores Frames & Gallery. “We try to discourage them.”
A change in frames actually can add visual interest, she said.
Tony Mines, owner of Art Creations, agreed.
“I’ve always liked an eclectic look,” he said. “If you buy what you like, if it touches your heart, it doesn’t have to be balanced out.”
Today, home owners want photos and paintings hung high on two-story entrance walls and others hung low between the floor and chair rail, Mines said.
It’s important to hang it “where it means something to you,” he said. “I’m sure you can be tacky with it, but you also can do it with good taste.”
Sue Markley, owner of Gallery 1401, said collecting art and selecting the proper place to locate it is based on individual taste. It often defines the owner’s personality and home, she said.
But “mixing things is fabulous,” she said. “I love it. I encourage it. I think it sets [a home] apart from a decorator show house.”
Nevertheless, while the size, frame, medium and style of artwork might vary on walls, experts said there are points to consider in putting things together.
Interior designer Tim Bryant said in his home, in an area with a 10-foot ceiling, he has paired an original painting of sailboats with a landscape by a different artist. What pulls together the dissimilar styles, he said, are the fall colors in both pieces of art.
“Color matters,” he said. “It needs to be more
consistent. It needs to have some kind of cohesiveness.”
Markley said she also uses a color palate in determining what to put on her walls and makes certain there are no lone wolves in anything she puts up.
“What I found in placing art around,” she said, “is if you have all one kind and try to introduce” one piece of another kind, “that’s a problem. Instead, she said, when putting up mismatched art, make sure there are several of each kind.
“Can I walk into a home and put children’s drawings together with [traditional] paintings and a Renoir?” Markley said. “I can do that. Would it feel better and appeal better to the eye if they were placed in a position where they blend in the surroundings? Yes.”
Similarly, said Bryant, you should not try to hang a strong black-and-white piece of artwork next to smaller mundane works.
“They would disappear,” he said.
Although Williamson suggests forgoing glass to add depth and character to pieces of art, Mines and Reed say there is something even better: museum glass.
Museum glass, according to the Bill Shores Framing and Gallery owner, is similar to eyeglasses glass and has a slight blue tint.
“The tint fools the eye,” she said. “Since there appears to be no glass, the more you experience the work. If you love the piece of art and want to enjoy it, I recommend [purchasing] museum glass and less frame.”
Mines said he recommends clear glass over the once popular nonglare glass – “it distorts detail and flattens color” – but says museum glass, also known as archival glass, is the best choice.
Archival glass, he said, kills 94 percent of reflection and blocks 99 percent of ultraviolet rays.
“It really does give that protection,” Mines said, “without impeding the art. It’s a little pricey, but it’s come down three times. Customers love it. I haven’t had one say they don’t like the way it looks.”
The most important rule of thumb in choosing artwork, experts say, is to collect what you love.
“If they are collectors,” said Markley, “they are purchasing things that mean something to them. When you put something on the wall, besides being a point of interest to you, you should have a feeling that it all fits. It doesn’t have to match anything. Mix it all up and have fun with it.”
Contact Clint Cooper at ccooper@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6497.