Design a Residence Where You and Your Collection Can Flourish

By David Graver For art collectors, both fledgling and established, living spaces are as important as the galleries, artist studios, and fairs where they acquire work. Homes aren’t just a place to display works of art; they’re also used to shield treasured pieces from harmful conditions like UV rays, extreme temperatures, and precipitation. Outdoor art, too, requires protection from potential damage that salty air, wind, and other factors can cause. A number of architects and interior designers are masters at transforming their clients’ homes into havens for art with purpose-built additions that also highlight the residences’ unique attributes. Elliman asked leaders in the field to share their strategies. View the Winter 2024 issue. “It all begins with the client’s eye. It begins with what they enjoy having around them and then creating the perfect space to set off not just the pieces but their enjoyment of the pieces,” says Suchi Reddy, founder of the New York City–based studio Reddymade Architecture and Design. Reddy, an architect and artist, looks at the entire home before considering the nuances of positioning specific works of art. “I work like a painter. We start placing the work—a little bit of color here, texture over there, something sculptural there. Then we design the space around it. If someone has an established art collection, we start there. And then we look at how to make everything else the supporting symphony for these beautiful works. For some clients who are beginning to develop their own collection, it becomes more of a collaborative experience.” “We see art as an extension of architecture. They are in dialogue with one another all the time,” says Charles Renfro, of acclaimed interdisciplinary design studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the firm behind pioneering structures like New York City’s The Shed arts center and The High Line aboveground park. ROOM TO GROW When spaces are designed for art, they can be more dynamic, Renfro says. “Oftentimes we design for specific works in specific spaces in specific rooms, but the better idea is to make walls and spaces that could be changed over time,” he explains. “If we think about ways to address a large portion of the owner’s art collection, then it will make the space more transformable and [allow for] changing over time. It lets them collect new work and rotate it into the space.” Rottet Studio’s interior design showcases both the art collection and the architectural details of this New York home. (CENTER WALL ART: CLEVE GRAY; SCULPTURE ON MANTEL: DEGAS, COURTESY ROTTET STUDIO) Architect Lauren Rottet, the president and founding principal of international architecture and design firm Rottet Studio, factors art into the floor plan. “The strategic placement of walls is essential, especially if the homeowner has an art collection,” she says. “I first consider the views and siting of the home and how you want to control and reveal those views through the use of solid planes. Then, [consider] how the home will appear day versus night and, finally, how art will look juxtaposed against the views day and night. If there are no real exterior views, it becomes more about natural light and creating your own internal views through interesting architectural moves andor art.” Rottet encourages clients to consider their personal relationship to pieces of art. “Then I think about the flow through the home—where a guest is led first and how the homeowner and family enter daily,” she says. “Often the more personal art is smaller and works well on walls near the back entry or leading to the more private areas of the home. The larger, more prominent art is typically what one wants their guests to see, so I make sure the larger walls are free of outlets, light switches, et cetera, so they do not impede where the art is placed.” Rottet adds that “corridors are wonderful places to hang smaller works collected over time—either salon style or in a line.” They’re particularly ideal for light- sensitive pieces, like photographs or works on paper. “Pair vertical art with horizontal, very small with very large, well lit with some more moody and more dimly lit,” she suggests. “If all works are of similar size, they tend to blend together.” SCULPTURE: JEREMY THOMAS; PHOTO: ROBIN HILL, COURTESY REDDYMADE Using a subtle palette, Assure Interiors creates an inviting backdrop for the art in this Bal Harbour, Florida, residence. (PHOTO COURTESY ASSURE INTERIORS) Assure Interiors worked with their client to find the ideal place for each of her favorite pieces in her new space. (COURTESY ASSURE INTERIORS) Reddymade blended traditional and contemporary elements in the library of this Florida home. (PHOTO BY ROBIN HILL, COURTESY REDDYMADE; ARTWORK BY MARTIN KIPPENBERGER, COURTESY JEFFREY BEERS INTERNATIONAL) Jeffrey Beers’ travel-inspired design imbues this Central Park West home with personality. (ART BY VERSAILLES BY ROBERT POLIDORIEDWYNN HOUK GALLERY) LIGHT FANTASTIC Rottet, Renfro, and Reddy all stress the power of light. “Shading, shadowing, overhangs, ways to prevent direct light from hitting art is essential, but also glass filtration systems have greatly improved,” Renfro says. “They filter out up to 99 percent of UV light. This is what typically deteriorates most artworks.” Rottet adds that “nonglare glass or acrylic is important for works that have to be covered—otherwise the reflection takes away from the art.” If a space lacks natural light, interior design consultant Carola Pimentel, the founder of Miami-based Assure Interiors, uses ceiling-mounted accent lights after carefully considering their angle. And “choose materials, textures, and colors that complement, enhance, and frame art collections,” she advises. “We favor white oak, walnut, natural stone, porcelain tiles, and terrazzo because they create a neutral and warm backdrop.” “As a rule of thumb, we use neutral and timeless tones throughout the interior architecture that enable the art to pop and provide that moment of color and personality,” explains interior architect Jeffrey Beers, founder of Jeffrey Beers International, the renowned studio behind art-filled homes around the world. For outdoor pieces, “the overall layout and planning should emphasize a flow between indoor and outdoor space,” Beers says. “I love using outdoor lighting to create a dramatic effect at night, uplighting sculptures or lighting the background to create a silhouette. “Another theatrical trick is to place recessed lighting under the art. In the evening, the sculptures will look as if they are floating by themselves.” Ultimately, living well with art is about balancing the art and the living . As Connecticut architect Scot Samuelson puts it, “For those whose art brings them joy, its display is less about showcasing and more of an integration into living spaces.”