Although we’re often too strained with the slings and arrows of modern life to pay appropriate attention, our homes are dynamic interfaces between art, design and domesticity.
From ceiling roses to cupboard handles, many of the decorative and utilitarian features of our dwelling places have intrinsic aesthetic value, and this is enhanced as we add more personalised touches over the years.
If you yearn for your home to be beautiful as well as functional, here are some suggestions on embracing the art of everyday.
Designer doors
Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh is celebrated worldwide for sublime designs like Hillbrook House, where his unique flourishes are evident in every nook and cranny.
If you admire his European symbolist style,
buying a JELD-WEN Mackintosh internal door is an easy way to integrate it in your home interior.
Finished in American white oak, you can paint or stain it to your taste, and different shades bring new dimensions to its stylized floral glass panels.
Pristine prints
There are so many classic art prints on the market now that their impact is slightly diluted. However, choosing a print by someone like Klimt rather than Monet might allow you a little more artistic license when it comes to home décor.
The King & McGaw website has a superb collection of Klimt prints, including opulent offerings like The Kiss, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, Goldfish and The Music.
Any one of the above would work wonderfully well placed in an old style dining room or comfortable study.
Surreal sofas
The V&A paid a pretty penny to acquire Salvador Dali’s iconic Mae West lips sofa in 2018, but you can purchase your own version without taking out a second mortgage.
Snapping up a miniature bocca sofa from Vitra will still set you back a couple of hundred pounds, but it’s a small price to pay for having such a close approximation of a surrealist masterpiece in your home.
If cool and quirky is your signature style, this settee is tailor-made for you.
Sublime Sculptures
The Met is home to many masterpieces from Rodin, Degas, Lopez and many others, but the closest most of us will get to these superb sculptures is admiring them from a respectable distance during a visit.
However, if you visit store.metmuseum.org, you can purchase perfect scale reproductions of premium pieces like The Three Graces, The Thinker and The Sprinter.
As conversation pieces that are a pleasure to have around your home, they’re hard to beat.
Marvellous mats
First impressions last when visitors arrive at your home, and believe it or not, a humble door mat can help set the scene perfectly.
Purchasing an entrance mat from Kleen-Tex not only prevents guests’ mucky feet compromising your hallowed hallways, but you can also customize your item with an inspirational quote.
For instance, since we’ve been chatting about Klimt, the following from him may be appropriate – ‘truth is like fire; to tell the truth means to glow and burn’.
So ends our article, but please share your own advice on everyday art in the comments section.