Decorating Guides
8 Ways Vermeer’s Work Can Make Its Mark in Your Home
Go Dutch with stained glass, Oriental rugs, checkered floors and delft tile
Even with only about three dozen paintings to his name, Johannes Vermeer is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age. (His Girl With a Pearl Earring painting caused a craze on a recent two-year world tour.) Painted with utmost care and the clarity of a photograph, Vermeer’s paintings mostly depict ordinary domestic scenes, often of ephemeral figures in the crisp northern light inside two rooms of his home in Delft, Netherlands.
Although you may think you and the 17th-century Dutch artist are worlds apart, you may be surprised to see how his paintings can shape your home’s interior for the better.
Although you may think you and the 17th-century Dutch artist are worlds apart, you may be surprised to see how his paintings can shape your home’s interior for the better.
The stained glass windows in this kitchen are a beautiful focal point and help elevate the other traditional materials in the space.
If you’re worried about the efficiency of exterior stained glass windows, Venegas and Company found a workaround. This particular stained glass installation is separate from the actual window. Independent stained glass panels are attached to the inside face of operable, insulated exterior windows by Marvin. Boston-based Jim Anderson Stained Glass made these stunning stained glass panels.
If you’re worried about the efficiency of exterior stained glass windows, Venegas and Company found a workaround. This particular stained glass installation is separate from the actual window. Independent stained glass panels are attached to the inside face of operable, insulated exterior windows by Marvin. Boston-based Jim Anderson Stained Glass made these stunning stained glass panels.
Stained glass isn’t only for exterior windows. It’s a great addition to an interior transom, such as this one made by Daniel Maher Stained Glass.
Crown glass also gives you an old-world look but without color. Resembling the thick bottom of a bottle, it’s made of cylindrical glass that’s blown into a globe shape, then flattened.
2. Invest in an Oriental rug. Look at most any Vermeer (or 17th-century Dutch painting for that matter), and you’re likely to see an Oriental rug. Vermeer probably included them to demonstrate his talent in rendering all things intricate. While this one is shown draping a woman’s legs, most in his day were used as table coverings instead of on the floor.
Shown: The Procuress (1656)
Shown: The Procuress (1656)
Like stained glass, Oriental rugs are prized works of art and will amp up any room. Patterns, colors, weaving techniques and styles vary greatly. Some have larger, more prominent designs, like this example. Others are more elegant, finely detailed and less pronounced.
If you don’t like the idea of walking on something so exquisite, hanging a rug on the wall is another way to enjoy its beauty. This one serves as a headboard.
See more on hanging rugs on walls
See more on hanging rugs on walls
Prominent in 17th-century Holland, checkered floors have never gone out of style. Graphic and bold, they easily skirt between traditional and contemporary, and make a handsome statement.
Checkered floor patterns can vary in scale, but 12-inch squares set on a diagonal are the norm. Smaller squares can look overly busy if the palette is high-contrast like a black and white, but they can work in smallish spaces. This bathroom floor sports 6-inch marble tiles.
If you find checkered floors too adventurous for your taste, you can curb the graphic effect by installing a light border between the dark-valued tiles and selecting an accent color instead of black. This cheery kitchen uses a combination of white and green commercial-grade vinyl composition tiles by Armstrong.
4. Embellish with a blue and white tile. The city of Delft is renowned for its blue and white pottery. An imitation of Chinese pieces imported by the Dutch East India Company, it’s also known as delftware. The pieces originally had tin glazing, which turned an opaque white when fired. Cobalt blue ceramic glazed patterns were added for decoration. Popular imagery includes windmills, flowers and pastoral figures.
Delftware includes pottery, plates and serving pieces, ornamentals, as well as tile. Here in Vermeer’s painting, delft tile, also known as Dutch tile, is used as baseboard skirting on the wall.
Shown: Young Woman Standing at a Virginal (1670-72)
Delftware includes pottery, plates and serving pieces, ornamentals, as well as tile. Here in Vermeer’s painting, delft tile, also known as Dutch tile, is used as baseboard skirting on the wall.
Shown: Young Woman Standing at a Virginal (1670-72)
Delft tiles are perfect for fireplace surrounds. Be aware that traditional Dutch tiles tend to be thicker and sized differently from U.S. factory-made tiles, so depending on your application, you’ll need to plan ahead to accommodate appropriate spacing.
You can mimic Vermeer’s moody hues by painting your walls a dark hue. However, dark walls aren’t right for every space or aesthetic. Unlike whites, which are expansive and make a space feel larger, darks make a space feel smaller and more intimate.
Dark walls are a good choice for a room you want to make feel cozy, usually smaller spaces like a den or bedroom. In the bathroom shown here, it makes the sculptural sinks stand out. Coincidentally, this bathroom is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Hague Blue.
Painting the wood trim the same color as the wall helps maintain value cohesiveness versus breaking up the scheme with a light-colored trim.
Dark walls are a good choice for a room you want to make feel cozy, usually smaller spaces like a den or bedroom. In the bathroom shown here, it makes the sculptural sinks stand out. Coincidentally, this bathroom is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Hague Blue.
Painting the wood trim the same color as the wall helps maintain value cohesiveness versus breaking up the scheme with a light-colored trim.
6. Try out a blue and yellow room scheme. Despite living in financially delicate circumstances, Vermeer insisted on using the rarest and most expensive pigments, such as ultramarine blue, lead-tin yellow and vermilion red. Yellow and blue are the predominant colors in many of Vermeer’s paintings.
Shown: A Young Woman Seated at a Virginal (1670-72)
Shown: A Young Woman Seated at a Virginal (1670-72)
Blue and yellow go together remarkably well. While they’re not quite complements on the color wheel, they’re near cousins. (Blue’s complement is orange; yellow’s is purple.) Paired together, they create a pleasing energy that’s abuzz with nature tones. Yellow reminds us of the sun, and blue of the sea or sky.
Blue and yellow also balance each other’s color temperature – blue is a cool color, while yellow is a warm one. The duo in this living room and dining room transition is harmonious and striking.
Blue and yellow also balance each other’s color temperature – blue is a cool color, while yellow is a warm one. The duo in this living room and dining room transition is harmonious and striking.
The combination of blue and yellow looks terrific in contemporary spaces too. This otherwise neutral home in London relies on the furnishings for color and texture.
7. Map out your home. About half of Vermeer’s paintings show a large map on the wall. Jonathan Janson of The Vermeer Newsletter says maps were made for practical purposes, prestige and home decoration. In Vermeer’s day, they were a cheap way to embellish bare walls and exhibit Dutch mercantile domination of world trade. Janson says the maps were generally glued on heavy cloth and hung on rods. Balls on the rods kept the maps away from humid walls.
Shown: Officer and Laughing Girl (circa 1657)
Shown: Officer and Laughing Girl (circa 1657)
Maps are beautiful in their own right. They’re also a way to personalize your space with a location that holds special significance, like a hometown or favorite vacation spot.
Today, maps are more likely to be framed than hung, but glass size can pose a logistical problem. If your map is too large to frame (and it isn’t of significant historical or financial worth), consider breaking it into sections. This large map of Paris is handsome framed in four pieces.
Today, maps are more likely to be framed than hung, but glass size can pose a logistical problem. If your map is too large to frame (and it isn’t of significant historical or financial worth), consider breaking it into sections. This large map of Paris is handsome framed in four pieces.
Or go for an all-over look by installing map-themed wallpaper or actual nautical charts adhered to the walls, as shown here.
8. Accept imperfection. Japanese culture has an aesthetic called wabi-sabi that’s focused on transience and imperfection. It’s unlikely Vermeer knew of this concept, but he hinted at it in his paintings. Look at the walls in The Milkmaid. See any crumbly, bumpy plaster under the window and above the baseboard tile? This is likely how the walls were, and Vermeer chose not to make them look new and smooth in his painting.
Shown: The Milkmaid (1660)
Shown: The Milkmaid (1660)
Although it isn’t advisable to put off the repair of crumbling building materials (you need to get to the heart of what’s causing the damage), there are instances when leaving things alone makes sense. Honoring old materials and celebrating how they change over time can be powerful.
These brick and stucco walls are nearly 200 years old and were uncovered during a renovation. Just as Vermeer didn’t edit out the wall damage in his painting, these designers didn’t want to cover up these walls with new material, but rather showcase their history instead. So they secured loose areas, and left the walls and wood beams exposed as they were.
See more artist inspiration: Matisse | Van Gogh | Mondrian
These brick and stucco walls are nearly 200 years old and were uncovered during a renovation. Just as Vermeer didn’t edit out the wall damage in his painting, these designers didn’t want to cover up these walls with new material, but rather showcase their history instead. So they secured loose areas, and left the walls and wood beams exposed as they were.
See more artist inspiration: Matisse | Van Gogh | Mondrian
A stained glass window isn’t just a beautiful piece of art, it’s functional as well. It adds pattern and color, and depending on the glass, it can provide privacy without blocking light.
Shown: The Girl With a Wineglass (1659-60)