A collector's home should not look like a museum, nor should it treat great art as decoration. The aim is a house in which the art is seen beautifully and lived with every day.
For many of my clients, the art collection is among their most treasured possessions, and sometimes the most valuable. Designing around it begins with understanding it: which works are to be shown, which rotate, which are fragile, and which the owner simply loves to see each morning.
Plan the walls before the windows
Art needs walls. In a new house or a major renovation, the most important works should be placed on the plan before windows and doors are fixed. Long, uninterrupted walls, proper backing for heavy pieces, and generous ceiling heights for large canvases are far easier to design in than to find later.
Sightlines and arrival
The most powerful moments come when a work is seen at the end of a corridor, across an entrance hall or through a doorway. Designing those sightlines deliberately gives each important piece its place and gives the house a sense of discovery.
Light it properly
Art lighting should render colour faithfully, avoid glare and reflections on glazed works, and protect the work from heat and ultraviolet light. Adjustable, precise fittings allow light to be tuned as works change. Daylight should be controlled so that it never falls directly on sensitive pieces.
Conservation at home
- Stable temperature and humidity throughout the year.
- Ultraviolet protection on windows near sensitive works.
- No art above working fireplaces, radiators or air supply grilles.
- Appropriate hanging systems and secure fixings.
- Conservation advice for works on paper, textiles and photographs.
Security and insurance
Significant collections require security designed with the insurer and a specialist adviser: monitored systems, discreet sensors, secure storage for works not on display, and careful control of who knows what hangs where. Discretion protects the collection as much as any alarm.
Let the rooms and the art speak together
The best collector's homes are not neutral boxes. Colour, texture and furniture can enhance a work, and a work can transform a room. A great contemporary painting in a panelled library, or an antique in a minimal modern hall, often has more life than any matched setting. Restraint is the guide: let a few remarkable pieces breathe rather than crowding every wall.
To discuss a commission in confidence, contact kenneth@bhli.us or call +1 (310) 467-5635.
Frequently Asked
How do you design a home around an art collection?
Place important works on the plan before windows and doors are fixed, design sightlines to them, provide strong walls and ceiling heights, light them with precise, colour-accurate, ultraviolet-safe fittings, maintain stable climate conditions, and plan security with the insurer.
How should art be lit in a home?
With adjustable, glare-free fittings that render colour faithfully, protect works from heat and ultraviolet light, avoid reflections on glazed pieces, and keep direct daylight off sensitive works.
Where should you not hang valuable art?
Avoid placing valuable art above working fireplaces, radiators or air supply grilles, in direct sunlight, or in bathrooms and other rooms with fluctuating humidity.
Does BHLI work with art collectors?
Yes. Beverly Hills Luxury Interiors designs residences around private collections, coordinating with art advisers, conservators, insurers and security specialists.