Laura Jackson on… Finding and treasuring artworks, plus tips on framing and displaying pieces on a gallery wall
Our monthly columnist shares her collecting journey, from artistic finds to her tips for displaying them
Gallery walls for the home are nothing new (a quick look at the hashtag on Instagram will bring up 1.5 million posts) but it’s the curating that’s the interesting bit. The act of making it personal. And it doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavour.
Two of my most treasured pieces of art have been picked up on my travels. One is a silhouette of a woman bought from a flea market in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen 10 years ago with my best friend Lauren. The second is a painting of a boy, which my husband and I got at auction. Neither are celebrated masterpieces, but are priceless to me.
If you are starting out on your art exploration, I recommend looking for something you would be happy to build a collection around. The first piece of the puzzle. I recently invested in a painting by Australian chef, restaurateur and artist Magnus Reid for my basement. I’m yet to find anything that works well alongside it, but the beauty of a gallery wall is it can, and should, evolve as you do.
It’s worth remembering, too, that not everything needs to be a piece of art in the traditional sense. Vintage drawings, tapestries, photographs and maps all work well – the more unique to you, the better. I’ve always liked the idea of collecting fallen flowers I’ve found on holiday and pressing them. If there were enough hours in the day, I’d do that.
THE BEAUTY OF A GALLERY WALL IS IT CAN, AND SHOULD,
EVOLVE AS YOU DO. THE MORE UNIQUE THE BETTER
When you begin collecting, think about the colour palette. Do you want to focus on a similar tone to help anchor all of your pieces? This can be helpful, but there’s also something attractive about clashing prints. Then decide whether you want to hang your artwork in clusters or be a bit sparser about it. You might want to choose a louder or larger piece in the centre and work from there. If you’ll be using a few bigger pieces, make sure they’re not too close in the interests of balance.
Mixing frame styles can work well, too, so look into circular, square and wiggle shapes as well as rectangular. There’s a world of options out there. FRMD is great for colours and gives free advice if you upload a snap of your picture, while Facility has fantastic curved options, and Brider & Bull offers a modern, bespoke approach.
I recommend having a little rehearsal before any nails are introduced to walls. If you’ve got the space, lay your items out to help you visualise the arrangement. You can use masking tape on the floor if you want to be exact about it.
One of my favourite examples of art in the home belongs to Katarina Matsson, the print director at ELLE Decoration Sweden, whose feed I admire on Instagram (@ettrumtill). Clearly a lot of time has been put into how she displays it, but it doesn’t feel too contrived. It’s everything a good gallery wall should be.
Personally, I am still very much on my curating journey. There is no rush when it comes to finding art that speaks to you, and your collection never has to be ‘complete’. The best approach is to let it grow with you, your family and the rest of your home. See Stockists page for details of all the stores mentioned