Decorating Guides
Interiors Need Energy? Look to Mondrian’s Paintings for Inspiration
The Dutch master of abstraction can help you return to basic colors, create zones, highlight function and more
Even if you don’t know the name Piet Mondrian, you probably know his work. The Dutch painter’s use of black grids filled with primary colors spilled out of the art world and into home decor and fashion — Yves Saint Laurent designed dresses in the 1960s based on Mondrian’s work.
And while Mondrian might seem a bit uptight (he kicked a member out of the De Stijl art movement group for using diagonals), he was a key figure in the development of modernism and the concept of visual abstraction. If you think along similar lines, Mondrian’s work can uplift your home’s interior in a striking way.
And while Mondrian might seem a bit uptight (he kicked a member out of the De Stijl art movement group for using diagonals), he was a key figure in the development of modernism and the concept of visual abstraction. If you think along similar lines, Mondrian’s work can uplift your home’s interior in a striking way.
This Mondrian-inspired kitchen designed by Hunter and Co. embraces the artist’s love for primary colors. The varied shapes of the cabinet and drawer fronts evoke Mondrian’s boxy color fields. Red, blue and yellow cabinet fronts are set amidst a conventional white background, and black frames cleverly re-create black composition lines.
While installations like kitchen cabinets are fairly permanent, paint is a more flexible alternative. Here’s a cheerful medley of red, yellow and blue paint on the walls of an indoor lap pool.
If you want to harness the Mondrian color vibe but don’t like the intensity of primary colors, tone them down. This traditional living room uses the trio successfully without the nursery vividness.
Highlight functional areas. The clients for this small bathroom project asked Alloy Workshop to create a space based on the work of one of their favorite abstract painters: Mondrian!
Not only does the bathroom resemble the artist’s work, but it channels the modernist tenet “form follows function.” This means the shape of something should be based on its use. Here, there are colored tile fields at many functional locations.
The red above the sink delineates a shallow inset shelf. Blue tile covers a shower seat and surrounds a grab bar on the wall. The yellow stripe depicts the shower controls and drain.
Not only does the bathroom resemble the artist’s work, but it channels the modernist tenet “form follows function.” This means the shape of something should be based on its use. Here, there are colored tile fields at many functional locations.
The red above the sink delineates a shallow inset shelf. Blue tile covers a shower seat and surrounds a grab bar on the wall. The yellow stripe depicts the shower controls and drain.
This living room has some interior surfaces of built-in bookshelf cubbies finished in a Mondrian-inspired color scheme.
Create zones. The linear elements in Mondrian’s compositions create a number of compartmentalized areas, or zones.
A zone in an open space creates a sense of intimacy and identifies the use of the area. Zones prevent a space from feeling and looking like a big mishmash. Use architectural elements, screens and area rugs to delineate spaces.
A zone in an open space creates a sense of intimacy and identifies the use of the area. Zones prevent a space from feeling and looking like a big mishmash. Use architectural elements, screens and area rugs to delineate spaces.
Incorporate geometric patterns. Linear geometric shapes add interest and texture. Tile inherently lends itself to linear design, and a kitchen backsplash is a prime spot to showcase a Mondrian-like pattern. This custom installation has tile sizes in both square and rectangular shapes in a variety of sizes and colors.
Wood parquet is an alternative way to enliven your decor with a linear or geometric pattern on the floor. Parquet is available in a number of designs. This installation has the same wood species for a uniform appearance, but parquet using mixed wood species may offer more contrast and pronounced patterning.
This custom stair railing conveys Mondrian’s stylings in metal and glass.
David Wilson of WA Design Architects says Mondrian’s rectangular compositions influenced this bathroom cabinetry’s design.
“This was a case where the basic position of the cabinets was not particularly interesting, but the interest comes for the compositional approach within the cabinets themselves,” he says. “Using various rectangular elements at different depths made the cabinet into a unique sculptural element in the room. Not only do they look great, [but] all of the cabinets and drawers are functional.”
“This was a case where the basic position of the cabinets was not particularly interesting, but the interest comes for the compositional approach within the cabinets themselves,” he says. “Using various rectangular elements at different depths made the cabinet into a unique sculptural element in the room. Not only do they look great, [but] all of the cabinets and drawers are functional.”
Play it straight with your furnishings. Mondrian’s paintings are full of 90-degree angles and boxy shapes. Furniture that mimics this style follows suit. So nix the overstuffed, curvy furniture with big rolled arms. Instead, pick pieces that have squared-off arms and straight back cushions, like the sofas shown here, which have a neater, more tailored appearance. Low-slung midcentury modern sofas are an easy go-to, but so are traditional and transitional pieces with track arms.
Shown: Tableau I (1921)