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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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

~~~

No Swirling in the Bedroom please!

What the heck did the interior decorator think when he placed those "panels" on the wall in that mode? It turns the whole room into a swirling movement. This is hardly applicable for any room where you have seating furniture and definitely not applicable for a bedroom. Imagine you enter this room and your glance goes directly towards the wall - you cannot overlook those panels - it will immediately effect your brain and your feeling will be that on a ship when it starts rolling. Not a good feeling when you are going to bed...

Btw - these panels are beautiful and probably handcarved wood. I assume that they are the remnants of a vintage coffered ceiling which have been saved from an old building. But this is not the right place for them to be displayed and certainly not in this way - please!

A bedroom per definition is a private place where people usually sleep for the night or relax during the day. Furthermore "in some jurisdictions there are basic features (such as a closet and a "means of egress") which a room must have in order to be qualify as a bedroom. In many states, such as Alaska, bedrooms are not required to have closets and must instead meet minimum size requirements." (Wikipedia) Funny isn't it?

I wished I had more paintings in a horizontal format which could be hung here but currently I haven't. So this one should only serve as an example. The colours in this room are nicely warm - still they could bear some additional slightly brighter colours to add a bit more serenity to this otherwise lovely room.

The painting I have hung here virtually as an alternative to the panels 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

~

A sweet little Bedroom in Cream and Green and dreaming of sunlit Valleys

** A very HAPPY and PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR **

to everybody!

When the light is missing and the days are dull,cold and unfriendly don't you long for some friendly and cozy environment too? 

I miss the green outside and the colours but mostly the green. That feeling is coming back, the fainthearted question arising whether it will ever be warm again and whether there will be any colours ever outside again. Of course there will but at the moment it does not look like that. I hate this kind of weather, the winter, the cold and I wish to be in warmer regions and say goodbye to winter forever. Truly!

In the meanwhile I am dreaming of sunlit valleys on tropical islands, of wonderfully green palms and other trees which are swinging in a breeze and I imagine being in this bedroom, having a good night sleep there and waking up in the morning and seeing the ocean outside...heavenly...

Below is the original photo of this bedroom and I thought it needs a bit more art on the wall than just these tiny frames with the kids photos or grandchildren on the wall behind. To be honest would YOU hang these photos above your bed? There are better places for these...

The art work is a silk painting inspired by the landscapes of the Hawaiian Islands - where else? It is called The Valley.It is ready to be hung with or without additional frame as it is gallery wrapped (the staples are on the back only and it's sides are painted too).

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

Other room examples with this painting can be found here.

~

A Dining Room with Landscape or Modern Art?

In general art has always something to do with emotion and our response is very personal. Either we love a piece of art or not, either we feel attached to it or not. But there are some rules where we can hang certain art in order to look good i.e. complementary and where not.

Here we have a dining room with a clear line, without any draperies, no embellishments, clean, modern, nearly prosaic if there wasn't that awesome view through the windows, revealing a breathtaking landscape even if we don't see very much of it in this photo.

Whoever placed the original art work on the wall did wrong in my opinion - it simply does not fit into this environment. It would have blended well into the dining room of a modern appartment in the middle of a city but to place it into a room that belongs to a house that is apparently located in the mountains, or at least near mountains, commits a break of certain rules.

The harmony of a house depends not only on the interiors alone, the exterior and the environment are part of it. This is often not considered when designing a single room. Imagine a house built like a Spanish villa and then designed inside like a British country cottage. No match. Impossible.Or imagine an old farmer's house and stuffed inside like a Moroccan riad (house). Ridiculous. And the harmony of a room depends on "how the interior design reflects the inhabitants of the home rather than the latest and greatest design trends." Of course we all have our preferences and our dreams of a perfect home. But if we dream of a simple beach cottage but live in a condo on the 12th floor in the middle of a big city, the "beach arrangements" in a condo might look somewhat poor.

I understand that the intent here was probably to lighten up the dark wall and the dark furniture but the choice was not so perfect. Although there might be better solutions than the one I am proposing here it is still the better choice. The painting shows a semi-abstract landscape, the colours are warm and even complement the scarce vegetation that you can see through the windows. A simple, unadorned frame adds warmth and some light and repeats the shimmer of the candles. The original artwork appears like a foreign matter in this room. But judge for yourself...

Below is the original photo:
 

The painting has been painted on silk and was inspired by another breathtaking landscape - the ones you will find on the Hawaiian Islands where you also can find very arid landscapes in the areas of former volcanic activities...

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

~

Romance with Cast Iron and Silk

Yellow is friendly, it is warm and cozy and if it is the right hue it is like the sun.
I like this room very much and I absolutely love this 4-poster bed in cast iron. It looks so wonderfully old-fashioned and romantic. The only thing I did not like in this room was the painting that was placed on the wall. There was too much additional yellow. If you check the original photo you will understand what I mean.

If this were my room I would have rather hung this silk painting on the wall. The Valley just adds the right contrast to this room colour without being too prominent and hard in my opinion.
If you would like to check the details of this painting from the Magic Landscapes series - please check this link.

original image source from http://www.getdecorating.com

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

A different impression here with the painting in a gilded wooden frame, although it could be hung easily without any frame as it is gallery wrapped. In certain environments a beautiful frame yet can enhance the whole value of a piece of art.

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A terrific Hallway with a Valley on the Wall...

Although these colours are a bit gloomy - I do not quite understand people's preferences for dark colours - I nevertheless like this composition. Maybe it's because I live in a country where half of the year bright light is rare due to bad weather and long winters which are mostly wet and dark.

The original painting on the wall was marvellous and I would not want to change this interior design image - I just added one of my landscape paintings which I believe would fit marvellously into this hallway too, even repeating the graphic design of the carpet accidently. This silk painting belongs to a whole series called - Magic Landscapes

This silk painting is called The Valley, inspired by the wonderful green valleys you can find on the Hawaiian Islands. Check out this link for more details...

original image source from http://www.getdecorating.com

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

The Valley from Hawai'i in the Bedroom...

Don't you think this would bring marvellous dreams when you have such a painting on the wall in your bedroom, sweet memories of a holiday in Hawai'i, memories of luscious green valleys which look like velvet and the fragrance of Frangipani in your nose? You have never been to Hawai'i? Now then it is high time!
What about starting with the painting first to pre-set your vibes...

You would like to see some details of the painting? Here they are - please enjoy! This silk painting belongs to a whole series of landscape paintings - Magic Landscapes

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

Hawaii and Morocco...

In times where I am sad I tend to look back and recall memories that heal my soul.
What could be more consoling than the landscapes on the Hawaiian Islands that I love so very much. Their greens are so soothing and the ocean's horizon is so far away that you feel there is a mergence of heaven and waters.

This room from the Moroccan Interiors is perfect of course without any additional stuff - it is simply marvellous. Still I could not hold back to play with one of my favourite silk paintings: The Valley. So I placed it seemingly into this awesome room to see how it would look like. What do you think about it? Check details by clicking on the link or on the photo below.

Original image source from "Moroccan Interiors", Taschen Verlag 1995

"The Valley"

silk, 21" x 40"

©Petra Voegtle