Artwork inspires condo design

Make most of artwork

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ORLANDO — A lifetime's accumulation of furnishings, pictures and photographs greeted Troy Beasley and his design team when they arrived to redecorate a luxury condominium in Winter Park, Fla., recently.

Many of the posters, paintings and photos reflected the homeowners' ties to the theater and ballet. Other pictures and artifacts were collected during their worldwide travels. All had been randomly displayed throughout the condo.

"We really wanted to showcase the art in the redesign. That meant a lot of reframing and repositioning," said Beasley, co-owner, with his wife, Stephanie Henley of a design firm. To create more cohesive displays, the team grouped like-themed works into collections. In the sunny breakfast room, a half-dozen sketches and paintings of theater costumes are grouped on a single wall. In a hallway outside the master bedroom, framed photos create a visual family tree. In an angled passage leading to the guest suite, vivid theater posters in bold black frames line the walls. And photos and paintings from their travels are collected in the den.

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The designers also used artwork to inspire color schemes, create a mood (serene in the master bedroom, cheerful in the kitchen), and reflect the personalities of the homeowners.

For the spacious entry hall, Beasley selected a huge, Renaissance-style painting of a figure swathed in a red cloak and turban. On closer inspection, the figure turns out to be a tabby cat.

"The painting really reflects the personalities of the homeowners," explained Beasley. "They are quite formal, but also have a great sense of humor. They adore cats. And the turban is very theatrical."

By simply rearranging the artwork, the look of the condo was transformed and refreshed, said Beasley.

Tips to integrate art

To effectively integrate artwork into a home's decor, interior designer Troy Beasley offers these tips:

• Edit ruthlessly. Display only favorite or meaningful pieces.

• Reframe works to give them a fresh look. Try displaying several related images in a single frame.

• When framing, think contrast. Try simple frames for busy pictures, elaborate frames for simple images. Put contemporary frames on traditional pictures, and vice-versa.

• Use artwork to create a mood, inspire a color scheme, as a focal point in a room or to define a theme: travel, family or a favorite activity such as boating.

• Add interest to a collection by mixing styles or mediums.

• Position pictures in unusual places.

• Hang colorful pictures in neutral-toned rooms, neutral pictures in bright, busy rooms.

• Position artwork at eye level, not higher.

• Think big. Large rooms need large paintings — or a large collection of smaller pictures. In a small room, a single, oversized picture adds great drama.