The aesthetic triad explains how our brains experience art and beauty by describing the interaction of three brain systems. Sensorimotor, emotion-valuation, and meaning making. This third element is crucial, since it involves the ways that art makes us feel seen. In order for art to be deeply moving to us, it needs to engage our senses in a way that moves us emotionally, while also fitting into a context we are accustomed to.
Neuroaesthetics has taught us that being in a beautiful space means nothing if we don’t feel we belong there. This was proven during the 2019 exhibit A Space For Being. Fine art is often viewed as luxury, which isn’t inherently bad, but in a residential setting that usually translates to something no home wants to be: unapproachable. This is where I see a massive opportunity to bridge the gap of ‘meaning making’ by utilizing unexpected art placement.
To be clear, this is a nuanced task that when done wrong can turn out…distracting, or worse, just plain…weird. But when done right, it can act as a breath of fresh air you didn’t know you needed. Once art leaves the studio it’s no longer just about the piece itself, but also about the conversations it has with the environment it will inhabit moving forward. Art can influence the mood of a room, but surrounding decor can also change the way art is perceived. These designs demonstrate the power of unexpected placement when it comes to art selection. Below I demonstrate what makes interior designers the fairy godmothers of unexpected art placement: they see potential where you may not.
Starting off strong, Carmen Rene Smith of Aquilo Interiors, positions herself as a master of quirk curation with a showstopping, high contrast painting and dimensional objects on a floating ledge in this kitchen. The cascading plant brings an earthy grounding that draws the eye down to the sculptural storage of equally artistic fruit array.
Mel Bean Interiors placed a painting that feels like an unpolished peek inside the beautiful mind of this artist. It casually rests on the ledge- evoking a casual start to the day when placed above a coffee bar. Whether you interpret the piece to be an abstract nature scene, or raw expression, the color story and surrounding milieu certainly make for a luxurious and unhurried start to the day.
Williams Papadopoulos Design stopped me dead in my scroll with this one. Everything about this is saying “feminine strength will be amplified here”. Especially when you consider that from this vantage point it’s reflected in the mirror. To many women the bathroom is a scared space for the rituals of vulnerability and kindness we pay ourselves, so I love that this piece celebrates that in such a commanding way.
Micah Abbananto and Swati Goorha are both saying the same thing in very different spaces: real life is high art, meant to be enjoyed as often as possible, not just on special occasions. Again, the casual leaning of fine art in an unexpected location communicates the effortless luxury of ‘chic’.
Art selection is a horse of a different color, but as we’ve seen today, the placement has the power to make it feel less like the intimidating “it girl”, and more like the charismatic friend to everyone.