SHOULD THE MATISSE MATCH THE DRAPES?

In her new column, Rita Konig tackles modern design dilemmas, both practical and philosophical. To begin: the art of hanging art.

- Rita Konig

A house isn't anything remarkable until the paintings are A up. Until then you can decorate with all the most luxurious finishes, fabrics, and pieces of furniture available, but you will only have a showroom. I find this every time I install a project.

To me the relationship between art and interiors is a dance, one that should be more Fred and Ginger than either Tom and Jerry or Gilbert and George. The art and the interior need to complement one another, not fight or match. It's common to buy art around the same time that you are decorating a house, and it can be easy to find yourself buying to fit spaces. It's more important, though, that the art connects with you, rather than just fitting the house. The place to put it will come. If you're buying something so large that you need to identify the spot first, do so, but otherwise you must relate to it before the room does.

Recently I was working on a house in the Hamptons. My client and I had bought a large 1970s photograph of a beach in Rio de Janeiro for my client's wife, who is Brazilian. I intended for the picture to go in their bedroom. On the day we were hanging, however, it found its spot on a wall in the main living room over the bar. It was totally unplanned that the colors in the picture would sit so well in the space. That serendipity elevated the room from something pretty to something that sung. We can tie ourselves in knots trying to coordinate things, but the best outcomes are often with elements that work together but don't match.