Talking with your clients about art.

I know from speaking with interior designers how difficult it can be to bring up art with your clients. As designers, you know that getting stunning, unique art into the client’s home is a must to complete the look and make it personalized and meaningful. But relaying the importance of including art to your clients can be hugely challenging. I’m writing this blog post to equip you with everything you need to successfully talk art with your clients.

Introducing Art Early

Getting clients to see that art is not a luxury, but is an essential component of completing a space and accurately reflecting the best of your clients is critical. This works best when art is talked about early on, and as an integral component of the overall design. It should have its own budget area and be a commitment the clients makes early on.

Interior designers balance a lot, and the role of an art consultant often remains a hidden gem. Consultants can provide a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the very personal and often daunting task of finding art. An art consultant is a curator but also a collaborative partner and can be a huge support to your work as a designer.

By involving an art consultant from the project's inception, interior designers can tap into a reservoir of creativity and expertise. This also ensures a seamless integration of the art with your vision, and allows the consultant to work alongside you as you develop the design.

Collaborative Vision Building

Finding the perfect art piece takes time and bringing an expert in to begin the process early in the design allows for the co-creation of a vision that authentically reflects the client’s desires and most unique and wonderful aspects. Art consultants are adept at bridging abstract feeling states and vibes into tangible collections of art. Imagine a design process where the art creates opportunity for deeper meaning-making and enhances the story elements of your designs are telling.

Partnering with an art consultant early on is not an added expense but an investment in exploring the full potential of the design, and ultimately the home. It ensures that the art doesn't simply aesthetically complement the space but becomes an intrinsic part of its identity. Art elevates the overall aesthetic, and carries the emotional impact.

By advocating for the necessity of art from the beginning, interior designers pave the way for the truly stunning, jaw-dropping transformation everyone hopes their designs achieve.

Compelling Reasons Why Homes Need Art

Timeless Investment

In the fast-paced world of trends and fleeting fashions, art, somehow, stands as a timeless investment. Unlike so many temporary elements of our culture that may lose relevance with each season, art has the remarkable ability to endure, often appreciating in value over time. I know most interior designers try to get at the essence of what a client wants, and avoids trends. Aligning your work with an art-centered approach is a solid way to navigate this tension within the industry, and help your clients see the importance of individuating. By mirroring elements of an art collection, your designs will push past the relentless trends and get to the heart of style and aesthetics.

Art has longevity and enduring appeal, and while it may seem like an unnecessary upfront investment to a lot of folks, we know that art pieces are going to last a lifetime, and that when art is selected intentionally and with great discernment, it outlives the couch by decades.

Of course we have to infuse contemporary elements into a design, but deliberately including art adds a layer of timelessness that ensures the space remains relevant and captivating for years to come.

Art Anchors the Emotional Tone of a Room

As designers you are working with aesthetics, but you’re also under contract to make a space functional, to consider how it will actually be lived in. Art introduces a layer of visual interest and offers opportunity for meaning-making and connection. It enhances the space you are designing by creating captivating focal points, and possesses the unique ability to foster curiosity, and inspire creativity.

Art serves to generate dialogue with dinner guests, vulnerable connection with loved ones, hope and inspiration on bad days, drive and conviction in the doldrum. These are our lived in experiences, and curated art is the reflection, the container and the invitation.

Tying Design Elements Together

Clients seeking homes that stand out from the ordinary can benefit immensely from the inclusion of art as a dynamic visual element. It has the power to bridge disparate components, connecting colors, textures, and styles into a cohesive narrative, elevating the entire design scheme.

The curated presence of art introduces layers of complexity, depth, and character, making the design not just a visual experience but a multi-sensory and meaningful journey.

I would love to support you with artwork in your designs. Please schedule a call with me if you’d like to learn more about partnering with an art consultant. You can do that here.