Abstracts At The Artist Project

When perusing portfolios, pinterest and other mags, it’s the tension between modern and traditional styles in an interior that most often catches my eye. It’s what keeps me guessing and wanting to see more, and one of my favourite ways to achieve that tension is by pairing a bold abstract piece of art with a more classical interior.

The art could be by a more established artist or by someone local, it doesn’t matter the provenance of the piece so much as it’s  the basic idea of hanging something that is seemingly so haphazard in a setting that’s so calculated. (Like in the Suzanne Kasler-designed space above)
Here is a sampling of some of my favourite abstracts from the Artist Project, a great spot to start when looking for your own piece, which just wrapped up here in Toronto:

The black ground and large scale of this canvas from Mitchell Clark Meller is intriguing. I love how the black just sucks you in for a closer look. It would be unreal paired with my black and white striped setee.

These little guys from David Brown were small in scale and price at just $75 a pop but were big on style! I love displaying small pieces on easels and placing them on a console or chest-  this one would be amazing sitting on an elaborately detailed mahogany chest of drawers.

Anna Bateman’s “Floral Zest” has a traditional starting point of a vase filled with flowers but then goes a little haywire with bursts of messy colours. I’m drawn to the blues and pinks, a colour combo I am feeling right now, that would look beautiful with the navy sectional I am designing.

The collegiate-looking A is a fun surprise on this piece by Neil Young which is coloured like a miami sunset but given a more modern edge with its resin finish. It would be amazing in a neutral living room.

Sour Grapes

I’m a pseudo-old biddy under my youthful twenty-something exterior, so it’s not totally shocking then to learn that I love fruit made out of semi-precious stones, most notably grapes. Made of onyx, amethyst, rose quartz, jade - I love ‘em all!

You may ask yourself, what does one do with a set of stone fruit? The answer is the same as with any other pretty tchotchkes- you stare at them and enjoy!

I have seen the prices range wildly for these beauties so you can imagine my delight when I found a whole lot of them at The Elegant Garage Sale for under $50!

I put them in my pretty wedgwood jasperware footed bowl that sits on my dining table and I just love how their pale luminous colours are set off by the matte black vessel. They add permanent colour to my tabletop and bring a sense of old world elegance to the space. (emphasis on old)

Considering I spotted a single cluster priced $225 at Bergdorf Goodman on my last trip to the famed 7th floor, I was pretty pleased with my local discovery. Not so pleased was the woman behind me at the cash muttering things under her breath when she caught sight of my fruity treasure and realized what she missed out on. (know you know why my blog title was an appropriate choice- zing!)

If you find yourself with an appetite for some fruité objét of your own, Cynthia had these pretties on a recent visit:

(top image: live auctioneers)

Brass is Back and So Am I!

But unlike my pinterest quote that you can find along with lot’s of other bits and bobs of wisdom from my fellow editors on the Style At Home Pinterest board, I did really leave this blog - my bad!

You see life as a design editor at the mag is a lot of fun between all the propping, writing, events and TV appearances (like the shot above from my last Marilyn Show with Jillian Harris and my fab producer Wendy Russell), but more so a lot of work; and as the producer of Style News it has been a challenge trying to update the blog while not stealing the thunder of what may appear on the pages of Style At Home.

So why the change of heart? Well there is more than enough design love to go around and as personal projects get published, I’ll be able to post both here and on the Style At Home blog more about my design adventures behind the scenes…because who doesn’t love knowing the bajillion steps it took to arrive at the final product? Rome (or the cottage, or my own house g-d knows) wasn’t built in a day and for every thing I have decided on, I have gone through a handful of other scenarios first that have been debated, contemplated and then rehashed over and over before making up my mind. Just ask my fellow design department gals about how many different powder room schemes I have gone through! (the answer is too many)

Hopefully you’ll check back occasionally here and on the SAH blog to see what I’ve been up to and hopefully get some inspiration of your own!