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Expert Talk: Sculpture Helps Rooms Break the Mold

Pro designers explain how sculpture can bring interiors to a higher level of design

Lawrence Karol June 7, 2012

Houzz Contributor. After graduating from UC Berkeley, I found myself utterly unprepared for the real world and at a loss as to what I should do next. Luckily, one day I stumbled through the doors of Architectural Digest and was taken under the wing of legendary editor Paige Rense. She had the vision to look past my uninspiring sociology degree and my general lack of experience—an unlikely journalism career was born. After AD, with my magazine karma still intact, I was hired by yet another publishing legend, the food critic and writer Ruth Reichl. I currently ply my trade as a freelance writer and editor and live in stylish Mid-Century-Modern comfort with my dog, Mike. twitter.com/WriteEditDream

Houzz Contributor. After graduating from UC Berkeley, I found myself utterly unprepared... More

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I've been curious to find out why designers choose sculptures for a room instead of other artwork. Was it to inject some fun? Balance out other elements in a room? Enhance and play off of a home's architectural features? Yes, yes and yes — plus a host of other interesting reasons that hadn't occurred to me.

BROWN DAVIS ARCHITECTURE & INTERIORS

Turn an unusable space into a feature. "Our interior design is often about showcasing art, and this image is from the Miami Vice house, which we renovated," says Todd Davis of Brown Davis Interiors. The house had a cold, modern feel, and we wanted to bring a sense of art and whimsy to the foyer. This space under the stairs wasn't usable for furnishings, and it looked a bit empty without any decoration."

Davis' partner, Rob Brown, "found these hand-carved dogs at a shop on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach," says Davis, "and they turned out to be the perfect combination of art and decoration for such an awkward space. In our designs we like to create unique and unexpected moments that entertain, and this was also a way to provide a relaxed feeling when you enter this rather serious home."

SchappacherWhite Architecture D.P.C.

Add curve appeal. "This piece is by Mary Callery. It was original to the house but was located on the exterior next to the main entry," says Steve Schappacher of SchappacherWhite. "We decided for conservation reasons to move it indoors. We felt the sculpture was dynamic enough to be located on a curved wall and balance the view at the steel-framed windows."

Complement the architecture. "I'd like to say that we had something to do with the choice of art and sculpture in this room, but is was already in the clients' collection," says Curt Cline of Modern House Architects. "We did, however, design flexible spaces in which their ever-growing and changing collection of Asian and African art and sculpture could have an appropriate amount of breathing room."

He adds, "Many of the owners' sculptural pieces have a verticality to them, and we used concrete support columns as a way to allow the sculpture to have a lightable, stark backdrop."

Play with organic textures. "These sculptures were chosen to relate back to the organic elements throughout the space," says Ivonne Ronderos of DKOR Interiors. "The general concept was to bring the outdoors inside through the use of natural materials and textures. And the organic textures of the sculptures soften the starkness of the stair design."

Michael Abrams Interiors

Mix art mediums. "I believe the most important thing in any room is the people, next the artwork and lastly the furnishings," says Michael Abrams of Michael Abrams Limited. "Art evokes feelings and emotions and can set the tone for the environment. It is a critical element in completing the space."

He adds, "With all my clients I recommend mixing art mediums. Combining sculpture alongside paintings and photography adds tremendous interest, and this room is a great example of how well that can work."

Benning Design Construction

Bring in color and a hint of whimsy. "This sculpture is by Northern California artist Linda Raynsford, and we purchased it from Pamela Skinner/Gwenna Howard/Contemporary Art in Sacramento," says Kerry Ellis of Benning Design Associates. "The sculpture sits opposite a pool table in an entertainment room with a black-white-neutral color scheme. We used a couple of these spheres throughout the room to add an organic pop of color and a hint of whimsy."

Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects

Create a focal point. "For this living room, we wanted a balance of solid walls as well as natural light," says Hugh Randolph of Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects. "Rather than use a series of evenly spaced windows, we looked at the walls as backdrops for large artworks and then grouped the windows together in floor-to-ceiling arrangements. This gave us a balance of solid/void and open/closed, as well as enough wall area to highlight the art as a focal point."

The sculpture "works especially well on this wall," he says, "since it's along a circulation path that provides a variety of angles from which to view the work."

Michael Fullen Design Group

Reflect your personality. "We like to use wall art as well as sculptures to reflect the personality and interests of our clients. It's another layer that reflects who they are and how they live," says Michael Fullen of Michael Fullen Design Group. In this case, the homeowners are avid travelers and take regular vacations to Fiji and Hawaii."

This piece "is a giant palm frond mounted on an iron stand," Fullen says. "It's a simple piece of nature that takes on an entirely different appearance when used in such a new way."

MusaDesign Interior Design

Fit a concept. "This sculpture was made at Porcelain Studio Klimenkoff, which was founded in 2003 and is located in Moscow," says Polina Zaika of MusaDesign Interior Design. "They specialize in producing one-of-a-kind hand-crafted porcelain creations, whose quality can be compared to those of Sevres, Meissen and the Imperial Porcelain Factory."

She adds, "There's an architectural platform that contains metal beams and a metal screen that diffuses LED lights. Together, these elements create the perfect swimming pool for the sculpture. Our swimmer was originally part of a collection of design objects in a retail store. But it was absolutely perfect in terms of the scale and concept for this space."

Cathleen Gouveia Design

Balance the room. "Sculpture adds an element of surprise and drama to a space and doesn't need to be limited to a tabletop or pedestal," says Cathleen Gouveia of Cathleen Gouveia Design. "I often use sculpture to vary the height of objects in a room. I believe that you can balance the elements in a room by engaging the low, medium and high areas of the space. And the triangulation of elements helps move the eye around the room."

She adds that "aspects of nature can act as sculpture and help bring the outdoors in, particularly in a space that lacks a view."

The Inman Company

Highlight the height of your ceiling. "The inspiration for this sculpture was incorporated from the bungalow’s natural surroundings," says Shane Inman of The Inman Company. "The house is situated in the woods, so we decided to bring nature inside. We chose the gorgeous piece on the fireplace to bring balance and to show off the height of the ceiling. And we hired a floral designer to arrange the greenery sitting below the fireplace mantel."

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Comments (12)

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Tirage Fine Art

You are absolutely correct in stating that sculpture can create balance in a room. The pictured sculpture by Cecilia Miguez filled what would have been an empty space in the solarium of this historic house used as the 2010 Pasadena Showcase House of Design. Designer: Parker West Interiors

Like September 5, 2012 at 11:44AM

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BC Jade Designs

Great ideas.

Like June 17, 2013 at 6:40PM

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Lauren Grey Sculptor

This is a fabulous article. As a professional sculptor, I agree with everything you've said. And I applaud your thoroughness and professionalism. Thank you!

Like March 25, 2016 at 2:50PM