Polished Pop: Spaces Sure to Make Andy Warhol Proud

Bring in the Warhol for Bold Color and a Not-So-Serious Tone, Even on a Budget

Brian Patrick Flynn December 28, 2010

I'm a home makeover TV show producer, interior designer and the creator of Decor Demon, lifestyle editorial with an edge. http://www.decordemon.com

I'm a home makeover TV show producer, interior designer and the creator of Decor... More

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My former loft had a super unique style which I found nearly impossible to articulate. Then one day a magazine scout came over for a look-see and referred to it as "Andy Warhol meets Green Acres." I liked it. I liked it A LOT. Ever since that moment, I was hooked on the Warhol reference.

Pop and Warhol go hand-in-hand, not just from a design era point of view but also in relation to color, shape scale and tone. Although some of these spaces don't scream ANDY WARHOL right away, each possess certain elements of the pop era — with a polished, sophisticated touch.

decordemon

In my previous home, both Andy Warhol and pop pieces were all over the place, starting in the dining room. The pink Natalie Portman painting is by a Warhol-inspired artist named Ronnie Bauttista.

This is classic pop — ultra white with bursts of saturated color. It ain't as easy as it looks, folks. For this to work, in reference both to pop and high-end, it all comes down to editing. Each piece needs to play a prominent role in regards to texture, shape, pattern and color. If you want a master class in editing, familiarize your retinas with the work of Brad Ford.

Tara Seawright Interior Design

The upholstered/acrylic Mademoiselle chair: deceptively pop. If this gal, made by Kartell, were a high school student, she'd be Most Popular for sure. A favorite for modernists, the chair has the high-energy flair of the Warhol look but with an Elle DECOR-ish touch.

Baby pop: probably the best place on Earth to bring in the Warhol. Since kidspaces are meant to be packed with color and fun, graphic shapes, why not introduce 'em to Andy at a young age? If you like the look and feel of the furniture in this room, you will LOVE the pieces from Blu Dot.

decordemon

Back to my former loft. The general store-inspired breakfast nook surely fits the bill for "Andy Warhol meets Green Acres." Since I don't have an extra $45K sitting beneath my sofa cushions, I went the Warhol-on-a-budget route and turned multiple Campbell's Soup cans into a POP installation. See the full spread of the space along with an interview here.

Jerry Jacobs Design, Inc.

Pop art is an excellent way to take the why-so-serious out of a more formal space. In this case, a Lichtenstein-ish painting above the sofa leads to a less serious tone.

Tracy Murdock Allied ASID

Graphic faces: easily the most recognizable of Warholian elements. While the pop style is playful and fun, what it's paired with gives it new identity. Sure, this space is playful but overall, it's sexy. The introduction of black and limited bursts of canary yellow make it glamorous, not just punchy. Scared of black walls? Don't be! Believe it or not, it's a designer trick to make walls and/or ceiling recede, therefore taking the focus off square-footage-challenged rooms and onto the beautiful things in it.

Midcentury Dining Room Midcentury Dining Room

Pop is all about bold color. If you're not into the actual art of the era, why not just run with the color aspect? Here's an example of a super tailored space packed with POP color yet no sign of its iconic art.

Imagine Living

And then there was disco-era Warhol. The introduction of white upholstery and tons of super shiny chrome fast-forward Andy from the mid-1960s straight into the late 1970s. Although the pop icon cut his artistic teeth working on commercial projects, the 1970s were all about his fine art. He spent most of the decade churning out private, commissioned portraits of huge celebrities including Mick Jagger and Liza Minelli.