Staging a House

Recently I had the opportunity to assist in staging a house coming on the market. The property: single family home in Oakland just remodeled by Dogtown Development. The work they did on the home was incredible. It is so cozy - I would move there in a heartbeat! In addition to redoing the house and yard, they flipped the garage into a working studio/guest room. Cool!

I assisted staging the living room and the foyer. I pulled the art for the house as well. Staging is fun but challenging. You need to work with what is available in the developers warehouse.

I purchased a few items but was on a tight budget. Developers want to spend as little as possible on staging but still make the house look spectacular.

And the outcome... You need to appeal to the realtors, developer and buyers - it's not as much about edgy design or your personal taste.

Here are some of the before and after shots:

The house before the landscaping with Kathy Kuhner my partner and mentor for the day!

These last two photos are of the work studio & guest room. I love the ceiling.

Amazing what good staging can do for a place!!!

Eroding elegance in shades of green...

There's something about green and decaying elegance that just makes me want to weep...

keira knightley in Atonement looked so stunning in that
emerald silk dress.
Erica Tanov dress, I love this though not green
Anne Bancroft in 'Great Expectations' this entire film was beautiful shades of green. It was visually delicious!
Wedding photo with green
Anthropologie has so many inspiring, beautiful items in green right now; tops, dresses, perfumes. Go! Buy! (I already have)

Fletcher Benton "S" steel with patina

Building An Affordable Art Collection

Everyone can build an art collection! You can purchase art at any price point from $20.00 to $100,000,000 (eck!). It's a very rewarding activity that spans the course of your life. I have been working on my collection for a decade now. I cherish each piece I own from my first acquisition to my most recent.

I wanted to offer some savvy advise, tips, and resources to those that want to begin acquiring original works of art at affordable prices. When beginning your collection it's a good idea to have a theme or focus on the types of works you acquire. For example, works by artists in your region, only works on paper, figurative drawings, urban landscape paintings, pop art, etc.. But most importantly it's best to buy what you like. Here are some great places to begin browsing for affordable art:

One of the best places to shop for inexpensive art online is Jen Beckman's 20 x 200. I received a gift certificate from my wedding for a $50 print and I got a piece I love! You can buy small prints for $20 - $50.

I love this piece by Youngna Park (balloons) Christian Chaize (beach):

A good tip is to frame them with a wide matte so it takes up more space on your wall. Here's a photo of one I framed and put in my office:

I love Galleries in Oakland and Brooklyn. A couple of my favorites in Oakland are: johansson projects and Swarm .

Also, the Affordable Art Fair in NY, NY and Los Angeles is worth checking out.

A great way to acquire affordable pieces is directly from an artist and from young, emerging artists. Art schools such as CCA, SFAI, and SVA have open studios for their MFA programs at the end of the semester. It's a great way to see what young, emerging artists are doing and also a great way to pick a piece or two.

Different types of art are priced differently than others. Editioned prints are the most affordable option. Photography is often editioned as well but is pricier than prints. Drawings are more expensive than prints or photographs but often less than paintings. Sculptures, assemblages, paintings, original mixed media works are often the most expensive. And of course the larger the piece the pricier it tends to be.

Good luck collecting. My favorite piece is always my most recent acquisition. In this case, it's a Fletcher Benton letter "S" {steel with patina} from his alphabet series (image above).

Live Like This

Artist Meghan Boody Tribeca Loft. "Alice in Wonderland meets Being John Malkovick"

This is my recent inspiration.

Dinner Party

We had guests over the other night and I bought these beautiful tulip tree branches for a center piece. I love the placemats from dwell that mirror the flower arrangement. We made salted cod for dinner which was really easy to make and a simple, healthy, delicious dish.

How does art contribute to everyday life?

Photograph by Lalla Essaydi

Art makes contributions to everyday life by inspiring people to think about the world differently. Art provides unique outlets for self-expression and conveying a point of view that stimulates cognitive thinking for the viewer. It presents a platform to evoke a dialogue on different topics including social patterns, politics, our environment, self-identity, and often reveals truths that have been otherwise concealed. Additionally, I’ve always thought that there was an interesting connection between fine art and the commercial world; art offers innovative ideas that influence designs and visuals in fashion, advertising, and product design. I find that through these self-discoveries about art and explanations of arts role in society I’ve been able to understand different forms of art and art has developed a more powerful meaning for me through these conclusions.

Painting by Yigal Ozeri

Oh Dolly....