Art Clusters....better than just one single piece of art? You be the judge...

While meeting with a new client last week, we discussed some ideas for the re-design of her family room and the idea for a feature art wall.  This particular client, and her daughter, love to create their own artwork and showcase it throughout their home.  On one wall, the client had hung a beautiful painting, of her daughter, that she, herself, created.  We knew this was a piece we had to keep in our new design.  There were many other paintings and photographs, scattered throughout the house, that we knew we wanted to use.  As I began thinking more about this feature art wall , the idea of art clusters came to me!  Why not create a feature art wall with multiple pieces instead of just one large piece?? The painting alone looked fine, but why not try to incorporate more of this clients artwork on to her new feature wall? Why not make it more interesting? More eclectic? Why not add more color and texture?  Why not make this wall the focal point of the entire space?

There are many ways to organize art clusters.  The easiest way to begin is by creating an overall grid (total length and width) in which to work.  Here are some different ways to hang art work in clusters. Don't forget, you can mix and match the content of the artwork or you can keep it the same, either way, this is going to make your artwork look much more interesting and give you a focal point in your space!

Evenly sized and spaced

A mix of horizontal and vertical

Different shapes, sizes and content

Different shapes and sizes. Similar content

*Photos from House Beautiful , Chicago Home and Garden, Traditional Home and Domino*

Zebra print....who doesn't love it?!?

I have been contemplating the idea of starting a blog for some time now, but I was not sure what I wanted to blog about and more importantly, who will read or care about what I have to say? After careful consideration, I knew I had to write about something that I felt passionately about, something that I would be interested in reading myself and something that I had knowledge of.  That's when I knew that I had to write about Interior Design. I want this blog to inspire people, give them a reason to love art and design and enhance my knowledge of design as I continue on my journey to becoming a successful, inspiring, well rounded and humble designer.  I want to share with you what inspires me everyday and also share some design tips and tricks. 

Before I get into the fun part of this blog, I want to give some background on who I am. My name is Kimberly Huff.  I graduated from Columbia College in 2009 with my degree in Interior Architecture.  I had big plans of entering into the world of hospitality design and designing 5 star hotels, but that dream fell flat when I struggled to find an internship. I quickly realized that if there were no internships, the chance of landing my dream job was a bit far fetched.  As any recent graduate knows, now is not a great time for graduating college and entering the "real world."  After months and months of internet searching, thousands of phone calls and emails and many long nights of wondering if I was ever going to graduate from college, I landed a fabulous internship with a well known, Chicago Interior Designer, Lauren Lozano Ziol.  The month that I began my internship, she was featured in Chicago Home and Garden Magazine; her photo was on the cover!! Needless to say, I was a bit nervous and intimidated, not only because she was a real interior designer, but because she was a residential interior designer.  I had studied commercial design in college and was afraid that I would not do well in this realm of design.  I caught on very quickly and began to enjoy this aspect of design; it didn't hurt that I had an amazing mentor!! As luck would have it, she hired me as her design assistant after I graduated and I have been working for her ever since. 

Lauren Lozano Ziol, Cover of Chicago Home and Garden Magazine

                                     
Time to get to the good stuff! I want to start off my very first blog by talking about one of my favorite things...animal print...more specifically...zebra print!!  As my friends and family will tell you, I am all about the animal print!! I can not pin point when my obsession began, but I try to incorporate it into every aspect of my life, especially in design (faux, of course!!)  I know not everyone is about animal print, but I want to show you how it can be used in design without being tacky, safari-like or overwhelming!  Accent pillows are a great way to use animal print.  They are small enough to where you will not feel overwhelmed by it, but stylish enough to add something to the space.  Another way to incorporate animal print is through upholstery, specifically, on a chair.  However, I would not recommend upholstering a sofa in animal print...even I think that is a bit too much! Animal prints can also look great as an area rug or, in some cases, an actual leather hide.  This can make a room look traditional or modern, depends on the look you are trying to achieve.  It can easily be incorporated into any design. Let me know what your take is on animal print...do you love it or hate it??

Here are some ways that animal print can be used successfully!  Enjoy!!

  

Dining Room Seating

Upholstered Benches

   

Upholstered Chairs

Wall Paper

Accent Pillows

Area Rug

(Photos from House Beautiful, Chicago Home and Garden, Ethan Allen, and Traditional Home)