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Art Expert Tips

Art as a starting point for styling your room + top tips for hanging art

By Helen Small

Choosing which artwork to buy is up to you, though sometimes I feel the art picks us. The simple answer is to choose something you like, something that makes you happy. It is less important if it’s an expensive original, affordable art from a gallery or a print that’s chosen, but what it says to you. Try to imagine yourself starting each day looking at your artwork. A serene landscape will ease you gently into the day ahead or maybe a big, bold abstract suits your personality more.

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Colour is also a consideration when choosing what to buy. Most people will be instantly drawn to a particular colour, so trust your instinct. On styling a room around the artwork, you will have to decide which colour you want to reference. Being bold with colour will allow you to decorate in multiple shades of the one colour for all furniture and furnishings. Alternatively, stay with mostly neutrals and invest in pops of colour for accessories such as cushions, throws and ceramics. A textural artwork can be linked to the room by using rustic timber furniture, soft furnishings in chunky knits and woven baskets for storage.

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Art

The beginner’s guide to finding, choosing & displaying art

By Amy Timbrell

Artwork is by far one of the easiest and most affordable ways to inject new life into your home and add final touches to your living space.

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However, whilst most people would love to create an at-home gallery, sadly it is often difficult to find unique and beautiful, quality pieces with the right price tag and people can feel genuinely overwhelmed, not knowing where to start. Cue bright white, blank and boring walls.

It is a question I am often asked by my customers, so here are some of my top tips for choosing, buying and displaying art in your home.

  1. Don’t worry too much about creating your own personal mini-gallery at home. It really is something you should have fun with, afterall it is one of the easiest ways to express yourself and your tastes and style at home, not to mention one of the best ways to inject colour, intrigue and interest into your space. Try to think of purchasing art as a 3-step process: choosing, finding and displaying. When it comes to art there is no right or wrong. You should just go with your gut and to put it simply, just buy what you like and what makes you feel good.

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  1. Before you set off on your journey, have a think about your home (or office for that matter). Take a walk through your property and take note of where your eyes fall when you enter the home, walk along the hallway, up the stairs or into a room. These are the key areas where you should be displaying and featuring art.

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Travel

Discovering London and its treasures

By Jeanette Del Zio

London is filled with culture, history and great designers to be discovered. It is perceived as one of the most influential cities, setting the tone for the global design scene. It is especially known for its large retail, gift and vintage markets, where you can find many treasures.

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A designer that is known for participating in some of London’s most prestigious gift fairs is a very unique wallpaper designer. I recently discovered Londonite Claire Coles when I stumbled across her embroidered wallpaper and was instantly intrigued by their unique composition.

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Interiors Addict

Exclusive: new canvas designs from Urban Road

Spring is upon us and so are the latest canvas designs from Urban Road, seen here for the very first time.

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Modern homes will suit abstract works like Nebula and Colour Bomb, while more traditional spaces will love the balance of shades and textures found in Bottle Brush, Lace and Falling Leaves.

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Interiors Addict

Blacklist’s Nathan Johnson collaborates with his brother on limited edition prints

Nathan Johnson, one half of Blacklist with wife Jaynie, has collaborated with his photographer brother Matt on some limited edition prints.

“He recently did a trip up to Noosa to shoot a long boarder from California, Danbe Peterson,” said Nathan. “When I saw his photos, I thought it too good to pass up, so I did a bunch of artwork over the shots and we released this one print as a small edition of 10 only, hand signed and numbered.”

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What a talented pair they are! Prints cost $159.95 including shipping in Australia. Buy online.

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Art

20% off new paintings from United Artworks: one week only

Sponsored by United Artworks

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Candy Floss and Composition (above) are the latest additions to United Artworks from artist Julie Robertson. Julie has joined United Artworks as a designer, providing limited edition pieces in this collection of handpainted pieces featuring vibrant colours and textures. The subject matters are purely abstract, but Julie also likes to reference popular animal themes as depicted in her dramatic composition Tigresse (below left).

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Furniture

Dinosaur Designs branch out into furniture in their signature resin

Dinosaur Designs co-founders Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy have released their first furniture collection: side tables in the brand’s signature resin.

Stephen's collection, Collage
Stephen’s collection, Collage

Having cemented themselves in the Australian design industry, the introduction of these larger pieces is perhaps a natural progression. Louise and Stephen have each designed a collection of side tables, celebrating their individual design sensibility, all which are one of a kind and have been handmade in their Sydney studio.

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Art

Art review: The Cairn by Alexander McKenzie

By Olga Lewis

Sydney artist Alexander McKenzie’s paintings are dreamlike landscapes with enormous amounts of sensitivity and detail.

Alexander at home
Alexander at home

His latest exhibition of works are a must see. The scale of his paintings are hypnotic and they draw you into a fantasy like place where you get a sense of calm, quiet and mystery. You cannot help but revisit to observe in detail. Only then do you see hidden symbols and secret doors in grassy green hedges.

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Art Interviews

Ali McNabney-Stevens, art without the snobbery

If you watched Offspring or The Block, you may have coveted Ali McNabney-Stevens’ colourful artwork, which has been in a few magazines recently. Behind the scenes, this very humble Melbourne artist and mum is just delighted to be doing what she loves day in, day out. 

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A fellow Pom, she moved here in 2001 after marrying an Australian. “After 5 years in London, he missed the sunshine and we decided to come for 2 years and that was 12 years ago!” There’s no doubt her surroundings have affected her work, with Melbourne’s bustling art scene and cultural diversity a constant inspiration. “Right from the get-go the artistic side of me was fueled. I am a very happy person here and I like to think that my art is happy. It gives me great pleasure in producing it and I guess I hope in turn that it gives others pleasure to hang it on their walls.”

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Interiors Addict

10 places to buy affordable art, updated for 2013

Everyone’s idea of affordable is different but for the purposes of this post, I’m talking art for under $500 and, in many cases, under $100! All Australian and available to buy online from the comfort of your own home. 

Blacklist 

These guys, husband and wife duo Jaynie and Nathan Johnson, remain in my top 10 because they continue to produce fantastic affordable prints and wall flags which are always featured by the glossy magazines. They’re also really nice people, and that’s important too!

Blacklist Cross My Heart frames

White Horse Home

A small but lovely collection of prints and wall hangings, available to buy online from $49.95. Grab one of their gorgeous Fig & Melon candles while you’re there. Delicious!

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Travel

The design lover’s guide to New York

Sponsored by Laminex

As a homewares shopping starting point, no trip to NYC is complete without visiting the legendary American stores Anthropologie and Jonathan Adler! I would usually add West Elm and Pottery Barn to this list but, luckily for us, they’re now open in Australia (just Sydney for now but West Elm opens in Melbourne too, later this month).

Design lovers cannot go past the Jonathan Adler stores to pick up a quirky piece or a signature colourful, patterned cushion or throw. Friends of Interiors Addict Kate and Lu, from The Ooh Blog, were lucky enough to go on a trip earlier this year. “I developed a devastating idol crush on this uber fun designer a few years ago and it felt a little bit stupid really that I had never physically stepped foot inside one of his stores,” says Lu, an interior designer in Sydney. “I had a moment on the front steps then delved into a happy-chic paradise full of colour and pattern and retro, regency gorgeousness. It was a little overwhelming to see the pieces I’ve been frothing over online for years in the flesh but I was so thrilled to find that Jonathan, who began his career as a potter, is one seriously talented individual and his product is of an incredible standard and well worth the slightly heftier price tag. His tongue-in-cheek approach to decorating is evident in many pieces like the hilarious Delirium Coasters while others like the Desmond Screen are effortlessly chic.”

Image: http://theconcernsofmindykaling.com
Image: http://theconcernsofmindykaling.com

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Art Homewares House Tours Interviews

At home with Lumiere Art + Co’s Emma Cleine

Many artists never make a viable business from their talent and passion. It’s a tough gig. But former school teacher Emma Cleine is bucking that trend with Lumiere Art + Co and her story is inspiring. Today, she shows us inside her charmingly understated Mornington Peninsula home and tells us about making what she loves into her full-time job.

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Emma Cleine of Lumiere Art + Co, at home on the Mornington Peninsula

I’ve watched the Lumiere Art + Co brand go OFF in the last year and recently had the pleasure of meeting Emma. Her work is now very recognisable due to it being stocked by some amazing retailers and featured on the recent series of The Block Sky High. She’s now branched into homewares too with her textiles and ceramics. 

But Emma, who is based on the Mornington Peninsula, never thought this would be her full-time job. In her early days as a maker, she created paper bunting from vintage books and sold it at markets. “That’s how I started! Oh, and paper covered blocks. They were cute and took me a long time to make. From there I just moved on to other things.”

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Interiors Addict

Blacklist and Birdy & Me collaborate on limited edition print

You should know by now that I love the work of Blacklist’s Nathan and Jaynie Johnson. As affordable, Australian art goes, in my opinion, you can’t beat their prints and wall hangings.

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I also admire the work of illustrator Kelly Smith of Birdy & Me. She specialises in fashion and her most recent collaboration was with jewelery designer Samantha Wills (and yes, without wanting to sound like too much of a sycophant, I love her work too!) on her stationery range and packaging for the latest Zodiac collection.

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Interiors Addict

Screen printed wall hangings to make you smile

These cheerful wall hangings are by Simone Duckworth, who writes the Honey and Fizz blog. I think they’re just lovely.

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Some people think having positive affirmations hanging on your walls is a bit cliché, but personally, I’m all for it, always have been, and if they look this pretty, even better! I’ve always loved art made from words too and am a longterm typography nerd (perhaps my fascination started as a newspaper reporter?).

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Interiors Addict

25% off hand painted canvas art for Interiors Addict readers

Sponsored by United Artworks 

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These are the latest works in the Decorative Abstract series from United Artworks. They are genuine, hand painted artworks featuring an exciting array of colour palettes and techniques that produce an overall harmony that understates the complexity. Available in various sizes, from only $349.

Interiors Addict readers can order these, and any other artworks across the entire range, with a special 25% discount. Simply enter the promotional code ‘ADDICT’ at checkout.

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Art

Kaleidoscope: breathtaking new work by artist Lisa Madigan

Brace yourself for the beauty of Lisa Madigan’s new works, Kaleidoscope. They’re so fresh out of her studio, the paint’s not quite dry on some of them!

LISA_MADIGAN_after_glow_OIL_ON_LINEN_M(Above) After Glow

Explaining her inspiration, Lisa said: “Like reflections on a wet road after a downpour, a shaft of light through a spring storm at dusk, a glint in your lover’s eye or the colour of your heart, the things that we embrace whilst we’re there but soon slip through our fingers to form another vision, in another moment. Through these multiple flashes of light and sensory recollections, Kaleidoscope has filtered back to me.”

LISA_MADIGAN_impossible_beauty_OIL_ON_LINEN_M(Above) Impossible Beauty

She continues: “Recalling sunsets and the way light moves through the city, the punch of strong graffiti, tall buildings and in their shadows the secret entrances into luxurious worlds and caves of curiosities, the elements that juxtapose grit and the sublime right through to the elation of standing alongside those water lilies.

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Art

Artwork to make you chuckle from Bowerbird Living

With my ‘style without the snobbery’ ethos, I love people that don’t take themselves too seriously, and I’m all for having things around your home which make you giggle. These felt, hand stitched artworks from Bowerbird Living really tickled me!

big butts

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Art The Block

Want to buy art you’ve seen on The Block?

The artworks used by this series’ contestants have been some of the most asked-about products this year. Here are some of the pieces that may have caught your eye, now available to buy online.

Alisa & Lysandra’s Protea by Emma Cleine http://www.theblockshop.com.au/store/single/protea-print-series

protea the block

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