Do You like empty Bedroom Walls?

Some people love minimalistic interior and others the contrary. The first one is often cold the second more often over-stuffed and cluttered. Both are not very helpful for a peaceful sleep I believe. Personally I don't like large rooms as a bedroom - I am more the cave type of person. My bedroom must be cosy, the bed should stand in the corner of the room with the wall directly behind my back. For protection - you know! You never know who could enter your cave to disturb your sleep and attack you. You need a safe place. This must be the remnants of evolutionary past?

What type of person are you? Would you be able to sleep in a wide open space with nothing behind and nothing in front of you and sometimes not even underneath? Let's say in one of those hyper-modern beds which are floating on a magnetic field? I could not sleep for the whole night for fear of drifting somewhere I cannot control.

Back to this example. As it stands this room is quite unappealing to me, too many squares and straight lines and the colour scheme is quite boring too. I would replace the armchair by something more colourful or at least upholster it with a different fabric.Then I would have something friendly and cheering to look at before I leave for the land of dreams instead of a dead brown thing that looks like a pile of dog poop.

And of course: the artwork is missing in this room. My suggestion would be to hang a large landscape on the wall that adds a bit more colour but fits harmoniously into the overall colour scheme such as this one:

The motif has been painted on pongé silk and depicts one of those breathtaking landscapes you can find on the Hawaiian Islands:

"Haleakala"

(from the Magic Landscapes Series)
silk, 21" x 40"
©Petra Voegtle

I have added Here are some details of the painting

The last picture shows a special detail. This couple of hikers is so small that it has been painted with a magnifying glass:

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Dark Blue and Cream in the Bedroom

Very nice colours - I thought when I saw this photo for the first time. A room that is completely harmonius, serene and not too dark despite the dark blue wall. But the light accents and carpet add enough brilliance.

I have an alternative for the art on the wall though. I would hang a different piece in order to add a bit more drama and movement without destroying the concept:

The artwork above the bed is the crop of a silk painting, a fine art print on heavy cotton canvas. The original silk painting shows a semi-abstract winter landscape:

 "Frozen"

(from the Magic Landscapes series)
40" x 20", silk
©Petra Voegtle

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Why leaving the Walls so blank?

When I came across this photo of a bedroom I thought why did they leave the walls so blank?
Although I love white interiors here is just too much white so that it causes dazzling to the eye. Also the contrasts are too harsh in my opinion although the windows probably reveal a lot of green outside which soothes in fact the contrast. But with closed curtains this room looks very stylish but cold.

To break this feeling up I would place a large painting on the wall. The perfect complement for this room would be this silk painting consisting of 5 panels. The landscape here opens the view to a large distance and makes this room even larger. But at the same time the eye has something to lean and rest on without becoming irritated...

This room is probably part of a resort rather than a private villa and therefore it might not be very practical to have an expensive silk painting on the wall. But there is an alternative. I found another view of the very same room and this shows a large wall where a photo wallpaper could do miracles. The original wall looks like this:

A huge wall where an enlarged fine art print version on canvas or even on paper only would have the most wonderful effect:

The original silk painting was inspired by the magical landscapes in Southern China. To see that breathtaking landscape with your own eyes will never let you forget about it. Photos are not sufficient to catch the special light, the atmosphere of this beauty. You can look at some of the photos I have taken here but I wished I could go back with the camera and the easel and do what so many artists have done before me. So many motifs I would like to share...

 "Monuments of Guilin"

(from the Magic Landscapes series) 
Polyptych, 40" x 65", silk
©Petra Voegtle

The painting consists of 5 panels which are painted on silk. It even could be continued to a 360° view. Imagine a room with an endless landscape! It takes you into a 3d-view when you are in front of it and opens the space even more into nearly endless distance...

If you would like to see more details of this painting please check this link. If you would like to see more examples of rooms with this painting please see here.

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Please NO!

I really don't understand this. In a country where you can find so much remarkable art and wonderful handcrafted objects you would use ugly advertising posters on a wall in order to prove being chic and trendy? Please no!

When I found this interior design photo of a dining room in Thailand I was exceptionally disappointed because the possibilities to find suitable wall decoration there are galore. So why these ugly posters?

To be honest I don't like these chairs and the table either but at least they go well together with the room itself and the window setting.

If I had a say in this I would immediately exchange the wall art for these:

The wall art on the opposite side is in fact a fine art print of a crop of a silk painting. The original silk painting belongs to the Magic Landscapes series and is shown below:

"The Valley"
(from the Magic Landscapes Series)
silk, 21" x 40"
©Petra Voegtle

 

The other art piece is a wood block print and acrylic painting on heavy paper:

 "Sari 2"

(from the Prints series)

15" x 20", acrylic on paper

©Petra Voegtle

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Too much Contrast

Although I like clear lines and a minimalistic decoration in a room depending where it is and what the surroundings are, I find this one to contain too much contrast. In tropical landscapes you have plenty of light and the abundance of vegetation often needs a counterpart of simplicity. In this case though the contrast is too harsh in my opinion and the placement of the two additional colour spots increases the contrast even

This could easily be softened by different artwork above the bed such as this wall hanging and the silkcarving on the opposite wall.

The wall hanging above the bed is an art quilt made entirely of silk and handquilted with silk. The small wall hanging on the opposite wall is a silk carving, also made of silk and hand stitched with silk. Both have been painted with silk dyes and metallic pigments.

"Apsaras"
52" x 69", silk art quilt
©Petra Voegtle

You can read more about this art quilt here. There are also more detail photos to see.

 

"Apsara"
( from the Angkor's Faces series)
silk carving, 14" x 14"
©Petra Voegtle

The above silk carving has been mounted on stretcher bars and is ready to be hung with or without additional frame.

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The perfect Painting on this Wall

When I saw this picture for the first time it occurred to me immediately that I had the perfect painting for this wall. The wall firmly screamed for even more orange colours...

 (original image source: homesolute.com)

The above image is probably only from a showroom but if this vignette were part of your livingroom or a hotel lobby (even more then) I would place this 3-panel silk painting right on this wall. Isn't it made exactly for this place - what do you think?

The painting consists of 3 silk panels which could be hung separately even as each one is a complete image in itself. The semi-surrealistic motif has been inspired by the awsome canyons you can find on the North American continent.

  "Canyon"
(from the Magic Landscapes series) 
40" x 63", Triptych, silk
©Petra Voegtle

I have added some details of this painting to show you the colour hues and textures in close view:

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An Indoor Pool with the Refulgence of Heaven

When I saw this photo I was absolutely fascinated by the luminance and the colour of this indoor pool. As if heaven had come down to earth. At the same time I thought if someone is using this pool for relaxing with his family or friends why would you want to look at walls which are extremely bare and cold?  The problem could be solved easily...

(original image source: homesolute.com)

Now don't tell me that adding this painting to the wall would not transform the whole interior into an even more breathtaking roomscape:

The original painting has been painted on silk, belongs to the Magic Landscapes Series and depicts a motif from the Hawaiian Islands. The image shows the view from the Northern side of the Haleakala region where the lava fields were running towards the sea. Details of this paintings you can see under this link.

Btw - instead of hanging the original I would hang a fine art reproduction print on heavy canvas in this case because of the humidity.

"Rainbow over Wailua"
(from the Magic Landscapes Series)
silk, 21" x 40"
©Petra Voegtle

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A wonderful Match

Oh my - the time marches fast - especially around this part of the year where I prefer to spend more time outdoors on my balcony etc. than sitting in front of the computer or at the easel. So I have to apologize that I haven't posted for a while.

Checking through my treasury of collected images I found this one of a room vignette where I love 2 things: the colours and the iron work of the 2 tables. It is such a simple setting but it looks so cozy and harmonious. I would love to sit there, read a nice book and listen to some classical music.

(original image source: www.homesolute.com)

Then I thought a painting was missing on the wall to make this harmony really complete. Nautilus is painted on silk and the colours would complement the colours of the wall beautifully.

The silk painting belongs to the Magic Creatures series and is one of my favourite paintings in general. The use of mother-of-pearl pigments together with the silk paints makes this painting really sparkling in light.

"Nautilus"
(from the Magic Creatures Series)
silk, 40" x 13"
©Petra Voegtle

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A Living Room with a Landscape

The colours of this living room are lovely. The light through the French window is wonderful and turns the room into a serene and calm scenery. The classical carpet is just the right counterpart for the dark wooden floor. The plant in the corner adds a very nice lively component. And although I like the art piece on the wall which matches the colours of this room beautifully I find it could need a bit more movement, a bit more focus, something that draws your attention. Otherwise this room looks a tiny bit too bourgeois...

The following painting (I would hang instead) came into my mind when I saw this room. It adds a whiff of mysticism and adventure to this room, opening the view into something distant.

The painting I have hung here virtually as an alternative to the original art piece is a silk painting from the Magic Landscapes series and is called The Valley - inspired by the breathtakingly green valleys of the Hawaiian Islands.

"The Valley"
(from the Magic Landscapes Series)
silk, 21" x 40"
©Petra Voegtle

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Volcano Landscape in a Moroccan inspired Living Room

Moroccan flair - what could be more inspiring than the colours, patterns and textures of Moroccan interior. I simply love the deep colours which bathe in an opulence that is always reminiscent of fairy tales and dreams of 1001 nights.

The colours especially touch the senses, purples, dark blues and then the shimmer of brass and silverware seem to emanate something vibrating that seduces you to forget about everything else...

 with courtesy of http://www.livingetc.com

While the vignette of this wonderful living room does not tell me how large the room actually is I feel I would add a painting on the wall, that repeats all those voluptuous colours:

The landscape is painted on silk which certainly would complement the brocades of the pillows.

"Haleakala"
(from the Magic Landscapes Series)
silk, 21" x 40"
©Petra Voegtle

This silk painting has been inspired by the breathtaking landscapes on the Hawaiian Islands, especially the Haleakala National Park. You can read more about it here if you like and what's so special about this painting.

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Hanging Art in an unorthodox Way continued...

Well I promised to show some more examples how you could change the original idea of hanging a certain painting. Normally you could not do this with a realistic or representational painting but in this case it works beautifully again. The colour composition looks as if this was made for this room from the beginning:

(after)

The original image (see below) of this wonderfully airy bedroom looks a bit blank so my virtual and visual addition would be this silk painting if it were my room.

(before)

Check out how the painting normally would be hung here.

Here are more ideas of hanging art in an unorthodox manner:

(after)

The wall art in the original image of the room is repeating too many of the room's colours:

 (before)

Don't misunderstand me - I like the original art but it does not really spark great interest because the colour compositions "disappear" in the room itself. My suggestion would have been something that glows a bit more, that adds some additional colour such as the crystal paintings from my minerals series:

"Aquamarine" and "Tourmaline I"
(from the "Minerals" series)
40" x 13", acrylic on cotton

©Petra Voegtle

And here is another one of my paintings that could be hung horizontally instead of vertically with the result of looking completely different than hung in the original manner:

(after)

Again - I like the original painting on the wall in this bedroom but it is very dominant so that any additional art would be overkill. As I would like to hang something above the bed - and one of the paintings from the fossils series would be perfect for that - I would have to replace the original painting with another one, less prominent. What do you think about this alternative?

(before)

I really love to play around with these images and create new ideas:

"Triassic Prints I + II"
(from the "Fossils" series)
40" x 13", acrylic on cotton

©Petra Voegtle

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