Dark blue Walls and Roses in the Bedroom

I absolutely love this colour concept: dark blue walls, white furniture and a white floor or carpets. A classical composition that makes a room light and floating. Of course I also love the chair that is shown here with its delicate but simple stripe pattern. I even love the pillow with the embroidered flower design, the small side table etc. Everything very harmoniously decorated. Only the art on the wall is an issue I would personally change. The reason - there is just too much sweetness in this room.

Why would it be better to find an alternative for the wall? Because in my opinion too much repetition leads to boredom and disinterest. The images on the wall too show flower motives. Now look at this image and you will find lots of flower motives in the same style. To try something different would be nice - wouldn't it?

Admittedly the alternative painting shows some flower-like motif too but it is modern style and adds more interest to this room.

  "WhiteWall"
(from the Reminiscences series)
acrylic, 26" x 18"
©Petra Voegtle

The painting belongs to the Reminiscenses series, a painting series that was created from my photo documentary about the Olympic Student Village in Munich, torn down a few years ago in order to be re-constructed.

In order to create a kind of memorial for the beautiful and often funnily painted walls which are now all lost I took hundreds of photos from the village. But this was not enough for me - I also decided to create a painting series from the most impressive and beautiful parts i.e. walls, doors and windows. The peeling paints and especially the marks all the vines left on the plaster created wonderful patterns and structures. There is an extra photo series only about these wall motifs which you will find here.

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Please add more Surprise to the Bedroom

The following bedroom is beautiful and very elegant but as usual I really don't like the decor on the wall. The cross above the bed is probably very valuable and may have a very special meaning for the owners but it is also too predictable for my personal taste. Rooms should look as if someone is LIVING there - not so much like a museum.

original image source: www.southernliving.com

I could see an alternative on this wall that would rather add a surprising exotic element to this classically designed bedroom without destroying the elegance and aura of this place. I am convinced that too many correspondents make a room static. It is like using too many colours of the same hues - you need a different object or area which attracts the eye and that delivers a counterpart in the symmetry.

The art on the wall is a so-called silk carving, a silk sculpture created with a technique that I developped out of the trapunto techniques you can find in quilting. If you would like to read more about the "making of" please check this link.

"Ganesha"
( from the Angkor's Faces series)
39" x 19" x 2" silk carving
©Petra Voegtle

A few details show you the depth of this "carving":

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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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Windows to your Soul

I would have loved to see more of this room than only this small vignette because I like the warm colours and the huge mirror besides the bed. So I can only start from here.

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

As usual I was looking into my stock of art pieces and found a silk scroll that would fit nicely into this colour scheme and restrained pattern of the wall:

This silk scroll is a semi-abstract interpretation of the mind's view towards the inner self. As we never can see the whole until we have reached the perfection we will only be able to peek through many little windows. Doesn't this correlate wonderfully?

"Windows"
(painted and stitched) 

silk scroll

 45" x 24"
©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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Fossils in the Bedroom

No - it's not what YOU are thinking - I am talking about a painting that depicts the theme of ancient fossils i.e. ferns. It was one of those crazy ideas - hanging a painting horizontally although it was painted vertically but I thought it just made sense when you placed it above the headboard of the bed.

The image that sparked this idea was the photo of a bedroom that I felt missed a little bit of drama (I love to play the drama queen regarding interior and art). The colours in this room are very appealing though, warm and inviting.

What I also did not like was the little window just above the headboard. From the Feng Shui oriented point of view it is never a good idea to have an opening - the window - behind your back and I personally would have covered it and hung a painting instead. Whether you believe in Feng Shui or not - a window behind your back weakens your position and causes an insecure feeling:

"Why is a bed under a window considered bad feng shui?
At nighttime your body needs strong support, as well as protection, in order to do its best with the work of regenerating itself. This is the reason a good solid headboard is highly recommended in feng shui. In addition to a good headboard, you always want to have a solid wall behind your bed. When you sleep under the window, your personal energy tends to get weaker in time, as it has neither proper support, not protection.(read more)"

The original painting was painted in acrylics on rayon. I am collecting minerals, crystals and fossils. But not only that - I am also digging them up, when I find the time and the right place. It is so much fun. Currently though I am rather painting them and so it came that a couple of paintings became a series about Minerals and Fossils such as this one, called Triassic Prints II. The name comes from the imprints of fossils you can often find in rocks. Ferns are the oldest plants on our earth - I love them.

This painting was created with a special technique that is normally used with silk painting: dye resist painting. This means, that certain parts or patterns are covered/created by using a substance which is removed after painting the rest. This process has been repeated several times on this painting although this is not silk but textile paints and acrylics on cotton. The result was a kind of "printed" pattern of the ferns with many additional "ghost prints".

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

©Petra Voegtle

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Addendum:

I am extremely suspicious towards statements of people that claim to be Feng Shui EXPERTISES but of course there is a lot of truth in this 1000 years of knowlege - actually "the history of feng shui covers 3,500+ years before the invention of the magnetic compass. It originated in Chinese astronomy dating back to 3500 BC." Briefly said "The goal of feng shui as practiced today is to situate the human built environment on spots with good qi. The "perfect spot" is a location and an axis in time."(Wikipedia) Therefore I have added a few interesting links about Feng Shui:

How Interior Designers Can Work with Feng Shui Specialists
Feng Shui Diaries - Esoteric Feng Shui 
Qimancy - The Art and Science of Feng Shui

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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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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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A rustic Hallway with a Pigeon Painting

These days I read so much about pigeon haters again and about people who save songbirds and raptors, have a heart for all kind of wildlife but when it comes to pigeons, especial the ferals, their hearts turn into a stone and they would rather extinct them from this planet. Why is this so? I don't understand this. People are the cause for their misery and people condemn them, pursue them and shoot them just for fun.

A whole industry has grown who gain their profits through destroying the vermin of this planet and as vermin they declare the feral pigeon, even blackbirds and other birds which impend to reclaim a piece of nature which was taken away from them by the human species. The birds are considered to be a danger for human valuables such as cars, roofs, gardens. Loudly arguing that pigeons spread diseases which are dangerous for human health, offering even studies which are meant to prove their arguments but which are poorly executed and paid by the very same industry. Fact is that mammal pets can be far more dangerous for human health than any bird at all simply because of the specifications of bacteria, viruses and parasites which are limited to pigeons and other birds only.

The ferals are the offspring of carrier pigeons which are bred for sport, fame and income and when they don't deliver their expected accomplishments they are set free - when they are lucky - and euthanized when they are not so lucky. Not to talk about those who get lost on their "missions". And sometimes they are "used" as pets and share the common fate of other pets who get sick or are abandoned when the "owners" realize that there is a lot of work involved and time and occasionally money.

Is this the way we have been empowered to treat the fellow creatures on our earth?

Any creature on this world has a right to live - who are we to determine which species is the noble one and which is doomed to die? This is nothing else than what all nazis on the whole world do!!! So why is this bigotry still cultured?

But thank heaven there are also loving hearts who deeply feel compassion for the tortured souls and do whatever they can to save the lost, the injured, the sick only to realize what incredible gifts they have got on their hands. Anyone - I am sure there is no exception - who has ever taken care of a pigeon and realized what amazing birds they are, widely underestimated and misunderstood, will never again be able to escape the mystery of their knowing eyes, their affectionate love for their savior. These birds are highly intelligent with capabilities science only just begins to notice.

For this reason I decided to "hang" one of my pigeon paintings again in a room that I like very much: a beautiful rustic hallway in blue and white - noble colours indeed and just right for the painting The Gathering. Without the painting I feel there is something missing, a little eyecatcher, not too bold to destroy the serenity of this room:

 (original image source www.housebeautiful.com)

This is the original acrylic painting. If you would like to know more about this series please check this link. The original is currently not for sale but I have fine art prints on heavy cotton in various sizes in my Etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/vyalaarts . Other sizes can be made available if needed.

"The Gathering"
(from the Pigeons series) 

26" x 18" acrylic

©Petra Voegtle

And if you would like to read more about pigeons in general and what they do go here to the Pigeon Tales, a diary about their lives and more...

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A Bedroom with blank Walls - oh no!!!!!

Now - even if this were only a guestroom - the blank walls would be an "abomination". To be honest - I really don't like overstuffed rooms, especially not bedrooms but this is a bit too minimalistic. Although the bedspread and the little folk art side tables add a certain feeling to this room it still looks bland and cold. Not really inviting. And that's what we normally do with guests - don't we? Unless the unloved mother-in-law is rummaging through the house....

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

I would add some mystery to this room - an apsara face for heavenly dreams, a kirtimukha mask to face off all evil and one of those devine Buddha faces as they can be seen in Cambodia to protect you and keep your soul in perfect harmony:

"Lucky Dragon, Apsara, Buddha"
( from the Angkor's Faces series)
silk carving, 14" x 14" ea.
©Petra Voegtle

I would even add some sheers (very few) loosely draped over the frame of the bed just to match the colours of the silk carvings.

These three faces are the Angkor Faces, Apsara, Lucky Dragon and Buddha, a small series of silk carvings. Faces and Figures of Angkor is a series about the ruins and remnants of the temple area of Angkor Wat. The reliefs are all worked in silk, inspired by carvings in stone. They are a reminiscence of all the unknown artists of the past of whom we have neither memory nor documentation - only their unbelievably beautiful and sophisticated works, works that have survived hundreds of years.

Silk carvings are silk sculptures or reliefs created with a technique that I developped out of the trapunto techniques you can find in quilting. Instead of a single layer of stuffed material it consists out of multiple layers.
These works are all mounted on wooden stretcher frames and can be used as is or additionally framed.

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Art on (at) the Wall but please not in this Manner...

When a room is prepared for photographing it is normally "staged" - you would not show a mess in your bedroom to the public - would you? Often enough the newly prepared rooms look though as if no-one ever has lived or will live in it because everything is too tidy, too styled - you would not dare to touch anything at all.

On the other hand who would like to see all the personal stuff of the owner in a house you want to buy? Your own imagination would be spoiled. But I do not want to go into details what to do when you want to sell a home or what you could expect when you want to buy a home. There are enough tips to be found on the Internet or you could even contact a professional home staging company.

Here is an example though where the owner of this room was not well advised regarding placing art as a design element. Somewhere in the HGTV channel I read a comment such as "new artwork can make a world of difference when staging a home to sell".  Now this applies of course to a newly designed room also. But look at this example: the pictures are placed loosely on the headboard of the bed, partially covered by the cushions. This does not look good.

As an alternative I would have chosen a real painting or a large fine art print such as this one, mounted in a nice frame. The original of the artwork I have chosen here, is actually a silk scroll, painted and embroidered and hung on 2 dowels. A picture is shown below.

This is the original silk scroll:

"Panaxia I"
43" x 24", silk scroll
©Petra Voegtle

and this could be the fine art print that could be produced in any size mounted in a virtual frame:

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