Credit: architecturaldigest.com
This Wellington, Florida-based family rarely used their living room, but given it was the first space guests glimpsed from the foyer, they decided it was high time to maximize it for entertaining. They tapped Cloth & Kind to make it happen. The wide, long space was ripe for conversational seating, grounded by a wall-to-wall bespoke art, object, and book display on one end that “sprinkles in family photos and sentimental ephemera,” says Tami Ramsay, partner and principal interior designer at the Athens, Georgia–based studio. “We wanted to create a menagerie of pieces that added to the color story, the texture, and depth of the space,” says Ramsay, of the built-in showstopper, “and also allowed for that to change and evolve over time.” It’s linked to the other side of the room, distinguished by an original fireplace updated with a marble surround, by way of a custom double-sided serpentine sofa and a natural fiber rug. The firm makes a good case for art-filled interiors as theatrical rooms for entertainment.
In a Denver abode’s spacious gathering space—which encompasses dining room, library, living room, and sitting area—designer Nadia Watts relies on her client’s vast art collection to create a cohesive dialogue between the adjoining interiors. “These special pieces have moved with them over the years to multiple homes and the placement of the art was planned during the drawing phase,” says the local designer. For instance, the exact dimensions of the wall behind the dining table were determined to accommodate the Bob Knox painting that hangs there. Beyond it, an inherited painting is framed by books to create “a wonderful library presence,” adds Watts. “The scale of the art, the color, and the textures of the furnishings create a compelling environment in which you want to sit and stay for a while.”
Architectural cutouts separate the formal living room from the family room in producer Prentice Penny’s Los Angeles home. Designer Carmen René Smith uses art to magnify the interplay of the two sunny spaces. In the family room, Ghanaian artist Theophilus Tetteh’s Ready But Waiting print above the gumball machines is a study in color, according to the principal designer of Oakland-based Aquilo Interiors: “The striking pop of blue over the eyes draws immediate attention, adding intrigue. The touch of red on the fingers with the yellow and blue serves as a subtle nod to the classic midcentury color combo,” Then, peeking through from the living room is Alivepaint’s three-piece, graffiti-style work that offers “a layer of eclectic drama,” says Smith, “creating a lively contrast with the monochromatic patterned wallpaper that sits behind it.”
