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 Dining Room in minimalist Style but so cold...

While I hate overstuffed and crowded rooms - the complete opposite is equally not to my liking.
Honestly folks - how would YOU feel in such a place? This may be hipp but who would feel comfort and really could enjoy a good meal here? The floor is cold, table and chairs do not really look inviting although the four of them would suggest that you expect some company? The wall is blank besides some fixtures and the lamp might be trendy but may add some warmth only when lit in the dark.
So what to do here?

(original image source www.housebeautiful.com)

Solution: at least adding some art on the wall. Such as this one, few colours only to stick to the design style but at least something for the eye to rest on:

The acrylic painting is from the Fossils series: Triassic Prints III. Like a faux marble painting it depicts the patterns of black marble but with the inclusion of ferns - which have been added btw with a special dye resist technique to embed them into the "stone surface".

"Triassic Prints III"

(from the "Fossils" series)

40" x 13", acrylic on cotton

©Petra Voegtle

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The Beauty of Glass and Crystal

Did I tell you that I love anything which is clear, transparent and especially in aqua colours?
I am collecting glass as well as crystals and dream of having a place one day where I could use my treasures for decoration. At the moment they all live a sad life, cramped together on a shelf in my bedroom waiting for the moment to be released...

That's one of the reasons why I loved this delicate and simple dining room - the decoration is beautifully natural and fragile - nothing that disturbs the impression of living with much light. The only thing I would change here - if it were my dining room - I would add some more art to the facing wall - it looks a bit too bare to my eyes.

(original image source www.housebeautiful.com)

I have the perfect painting for this place - don't you think? It is from the Minerals series, painted in acrylic on cotton and depicts the image of a huge Aquamarine - this is also the title of this painting. It repeats exactly the colour of the wonderful glass decoration.

The painting tries to depict the wonderful colours and transparency of aquamarines which could not be better representatives for clear water - the most precious treasure we have on this planet...

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

©Petra Voegtle

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Views, Views, Views - Dining with all Senses...

Rooms with a breathtaking view do not need much decoration but how about enhancing breathtaking views with another impressive view on a painting? Again I replaced the original art virtually with a silk painting that would perfectly match the colours in this room...

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

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.

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

~

Here and here are more room examples for this painting.

A Dining Room with Magic

I like this dining room. I like the materials of the accessories and I like the colours. I like the simplicity of this room. There is no schnickschnack, no redundant decoration. This room is perfect to have a nice dinner with your husband/wife and your best friends.
What I missed though in the original composition is a little extra for the visual senses, a tiny touch of exotic, a reminiscence perhaps of travelling to foreign countries, memories...

I would always try to give a room a very small but special attraction, just in order to tease the senses and so I would replace the original painting by this one, Maya, a silk painting that talks of ancient cultures, of secrets that may never be fully unsealed.

In my opinion it is a mistake to hang a painting or any other object d'art in a room with the same subject i.e. I would never hang an image about food in a dining room - honestly that is quite boring. It would be equally boring to hang a nude in the bedroom. Where is the fun then? And what do YOU think about this?

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

You can find more detail photos in my last post if you like and read a bit about the Maya and their culture.

"Maya"
(from the Magic Symbols Series)
40" x 13", silk
©Petra Voegtle

As usual the silk painting has been gallery wrapped (stapled on the back not on the sides) and can be hung immediately with or without additional frame.

~

A modern Dining Room in a tropical Environment

In tropical regions you normally look for simplicity. I think the presence of over-decoration would be cumbersome and wearing. You look for airiness in a hot country. No heavy furniture, frugality of textiles and fabrics on the wall would be the right recipe. Which in fact does not mean you should relinquish all decoration such as art work in the room.


I like this dining room for its clean lines - if it were in a private home though I found it too restrictive so I would add some more paintings on the wall such as Morning in Sumatra and Angkor's Relics. Having the advantage of filling walls with all sorts of greenery while the windows and doors can be left open is nonetheless priceless.

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

 "Morning in Sumatra" and "Angkor's Relics"

(from the Magic Landscapes series) 
40" x 13" each, silk
©Petra Voegtle
(BoxHeart Gallery, Pittsburgh)
.

The images are painted on silk and additionally stitched to add texture. Some gold metallic pigments were added to the paint to create some highlights. The paintings are gallery wrapped and ready to be hung with or without frames.

If you would like to see other room examples see here and here.

A Zen-like Atmosphere

Lovely view from a dining room - isn't it? So calm and serene, the right environment to enjoy a meal that has been prepared with much love.

If this room were in my house I would have added this Japanese style paravent as an art object that enhances the feeling of this room. This paravent is very special to me because of its very delicate hand carving. The sculptured Buddha statue in the middle panel adds to the serenity and peace of this room, giving it a nearly Zen like atmosphere.

I have added a few detail pictures of this paravent Buddha Amida but if you would like to see more please check this link. There you will also find a detailed description how this paravent has been created and what it's all about.

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

This is the handcarved paravent or Spanish Wall, a polyptych that can be taken apart completely (unlike normals paravents or screens). The 3 middle panels could even stand on their own because of the feet - so there is plenty of possibilities to use this for decoration. The wood is solid pine wood - i.e. from renewable resources. It is extremely important for me to use renewable sources instead of tropical woods which might be illegally harvested. The special working process on the wood carving and especially the production of the original planks which are glued in blocks also prevents not only deforming but later splitting due to changes in humidity and temperature which often occurs with cheap imports.

This wood carving has been stained and polished with beeswax which adds not only protection but also a velvety shimmer to the wood and the surface becomes super smooth.

"Buddha Amida"
Japanese Polyptych, hand carved, 79" x 69" x 9"
©Petra Voegtle
.

before the staining

.

Dining Room with Landscape...

A dining room without any knick-knack but in warm earthy colours. The latter always creates a cosy and inviting feeling and in this case there is no exception to the rule.

It is not meant to be cynical when I thought this silk painting Dry Land to be an excellent addition to the vibrancy of this room because it assimilates the very same colours. Additionally it leads into the distance what might be an advantage for a rather small room such as this one.

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

The painting was inspired by the breathtaking colours I have seen in Egypt. The skies over the desert are exploding with all hues of red, yellow, violets and purples, colours I have never seen in my life before. They must hail from the palette of the Big Spirit Himself - no human being can create colours such as these.

But to every beauty there is also a downside. These are the cosmic laws of balance and duality. In arid regions such as this, water is the most precious treasure. And as usual some areas have plenty - others none at all. So survival becomes a daily task that often ends fatally.

We - as tourists - can return into our well-balanced and air-conditioned homes, our mind full of magnificent images but the people who cannot return to a different location have to face the challenge. Whether they have the eye and the leisure for this unearthly beauty is doubtful. Their life is wrapping around different issues - the one of survival of their families and themselves.

Dry land does not grow crops. Instead it is deadly. Deadly beautiful but with a treacherous beauty. No human can survive here.

"Dry Land"
(from the Magic Landscapes series)
40" x 21", silk
©Petra Voegtle
.

Dining Room and Ricefields...

Interiors and deco need not be excruciatingly expensive in order to be chic and elegant. I think this dining room is a good example. Also if you refrain from buying only brands but instead look for quality no matter who's made it you can save a lot of money.

I don't know who designed this little dining room with an adjacent kitchen, nor do I know the products which have been used here but I think this place looks light and easy, with chic and style and I love it. What I miss here (of course) is a piece of art, so I chose the silk painting Ricefields (no pun intended) from the Magic Landscapes series for the white wall as a potential scenery here.

This link leads you to details of the painting.

with courtesy of http://www.livingetc.com
click here for the original image source

"Ricefields at Dawn"
40" x 21", silk
©Petra Voegtle
.

A stylish Dining Room with a Silk Carving on the Wall...

This room has a great light - therefore the dark furniture and accessories do not diminish that feeling of a light room. I also like the open living character a lot - this gives air to breathe and makes the room larger than it actually is. This is very cleverly done!

So I thought that the facing wall would be the perfect place for this silk carving which is called The Longing. This silk carving has a long history and was started in 2004 already until it was changed lately into this final result, resembling a bas-relief in bronze now. But it is entirely made from one single piece of silk!

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

click here for the original image source

"The Longing"
silk carving
©Petra Voegtle

Celts - a silk Painting for a modern Dining Room

To my own big surprise I have realized that nearly all of my silk paintings go really well in nearly any interior. Depending on the theme and content they can either be hung as they are, in a gallery wrapped setting, which means they are mounted on stretcher bars, sides are clean and painted as well, or they could be mounted in voluptious frames - as shown in several examples. Due to the medium - silk - this is absolutely applicable.

If you would like to check out on details please see here (The painting itself has been sold though - the image is only an example to give you an idea).

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