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Design Dilemma: Some Precise Rules for Hanging Art

It’s not uncommon to see people who have a lot of art who don’t know how to hang it. Yes, the art is beautiful, but the way in which it is hung detracts from both the art and its surroundings. So for those at a loss of how to get the most visual impact from their art,  we are offering a few simple rules  to obtain a striking, curated look in your home. Follow them, and you’ll be met with oohs and ahhs everytime guests come to visit.

1) Aim to have a painting occupy two-thirds to three-quarters of a wall. Large walls occupied by postage-stamp sized pieces result in art that loses its potential impact. If you favor abstract and contemporary art, large is especially alluring. Below, a large painting is tremendously powerful in a dining room.

2) Keep your art centered at eye level. Keeping the art at this height makes it easier for the viewer to appreciate the painting. Take into account whether you will be sitting or standing when you view a piece. The painting below hangs a little lower because it’s in a dining room. In a different type of room, it might hang higher.

3) The bottom edge of a piece should hang no higher than six to 12 inches. The idea is that the painting helps define the space. If it floats too high above furniture it will feel disconnected. If it sits lower, it will help tie together a furniture grouping. For example:

Just think how odd these rooms would look if the paintings were hung any higher:

4) Create a gallery wall tied together by colors, theme or materials. Below we see two examples. In the first, taupe, beige and sepia tones come together to create a wall that feels very integrated. This owner has relied on less-expensive prints to fill out an art collection.

And in the gallery wall below, the collector has grouped a number of portraits of women for a quirky, curated feel.

5) Make art the inspiration for the entire room. In the room below, the deep browns and reds were used as a starting point to inform the rest of the room, to great success.

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An Intriguing House in Peru

OK. From the outside, this house in Peru is a little blunt.

But a curious sail appears poised above it.

The sail creates a shaded roof deck that is open all around.

In the distance, strangely similar mysterious boxy white houses form the neighbourhood, with similar protection from the intense afternoon sun.

Designed by Gómez de la Torre & Guerrero Arquitectos, the center of the house is open to the sky.

The stairs lead up to a rooftop pool, and down to a central courtyard, revealing a Spanish ancestry to the house in Canete, Peru.

An interesting glass walkway is supported on struts, and keeps rain off the entrance to the rooms below leading off the courtyard.

Glass also encases the stairway to the roof.

Overhead, a retractable roof brings in sun and air in good weather.

Shades of M.C. Escher, its central staircases are intriguing. Read the rest of this entry »

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A Floating Minimalist Bamboo Teahouse

A floating tea house and bamboo courtyard is designed by the Chinese architect Sun Wei, a partner with HWCD (Harmony World Consulting & Design).

The very unusual structure is located in the garden Shiqiao in Yangzhou, a city northwest of Shanghai.

For the most part, the outlines are just barely sketched in bamboo, offering a division of space that is almost merely theoretical.

The courtyard space is divided by ‘walls’ made using very loose screens of bamboo.

These sparsely delineated spaces created are intended to offer a meditative environment for the enjoyment of tea making.

Tall rows of bamboo sticks create outdoor corridors arranged asymmetrically.

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Divine Architecture High Above Bali’s Coast

Not for nothing is Bali known as the Island of the Gods.

In the elegant pavilions on this pristine cliffside spot, the troubles of mere mortals would seem far away.

The Hotel Banyan Tree Ungasan is sited on a plateau, built on the edge of a cliff at a height of 70 meters above the Indian Ocean.

It would be hard not to feel a little bit god-like in such a spot.

Drawing on the traditions of Indonesian architecture, a serene sanctuary is created.

The luxurious architecture is a graceful symbiosis of old and new, of classic and modern.

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Design Dilemma: Around the World

Do you ever feel like just picking up and traveling the world? A lot of us have. But most of us also have concrete reasons for suppressing the desire to globe trot, including spouses, kids, jobs, and of course, the dog. But just because we may not be able to travel as much as we would like doesn’t mean our homes can’t reflect our wanderlust. We’ve dedicated this post to looking at homes with a distinctive global style that embraces the world.

First up, a refrigerator that looks like a Chinese wedding cabinet! Who wouldn’t love to feel like they were in Asia, every time they raid the fridge for a midnight snack.

The bedroom below steals a few design ideas from the simplicity of a Moroccan bedroom.

Here’s another take on the Moroccan theme, this time in a living room:

And another home that’s gone Moroccan:

The space below has adopted an African theme:

And another African look:

Here’s a bedroom with an Asian flare:

This home features a carved wood door from India:

Looking to get inject a little global style into your home?

• Enjoy pattern, pattern, pattern from the land of your choice. You’ll notice many of the rooms above incorporate patterns from Asia, Africa and beyond.
• Select a few key architectural features as a focal point and invest in a key piece from your favorite locale. Almost all of the rooms above have at least one or two items that act as a key piece in the room. In the first photo, the lighting fixture sets an ethnic tone. In the kitchen, photo, of course the Chinese wedding cabinet fridge takes center stage. The living rooms have utilized patterned throws to set a global feel while the African-inspired living room has let an African sculpture collection maintain the focus.
• Embrace color. You’ll find in many homes around the world, color is utterly important. It is saturated, deep and unapologetic. Don’t fear bright pinks, reds, yellows and blues that are not commonly a part of Western homes.
• Embrace art. Whether it’s sculpture, paintings or textiles, fill your home with one-of-a-kind art from your favorite locale. The carved Indian door above makes a bold statement right away, and is a piece that will be treasured for a lifetime.
• Don’t try to do too much at once. Incorporate  singular elements into your home’s design, rather than attempting to pull off an entire look at once — this will allow you to completely customize it, and give your home a welcoming and well-traveled feel.