The other night we were walking along the bay at sunset and I was noticing how the sun on the water was making everything pink. Paired with the beautiful blue water of the San Francisco Bay it made me realize why I love the color combination of pink and blue so much and why I use it so frequently in my work. I love the way its both warm and cool and pulls in colors from the best times of the day, dusk and dawn.

Pink is an especially beautiful color to me- it can have so many variations and tones and can give a design so many different directions. Ballerina pink for a little girls room, dusty rose for a sophisticated twist, neon pink for an unexpected splash. Ok I know a lot of people don't think pin is as perfect of pop as I do- but my love for pink aint ever gonna die. Follow along my Color Study: PInk board on pinterest where I indulge my love for pink in nature, interiors and fashion. 

Images: SRTA-PEPIS / Another / Textile Tribe / Hotel Covell / mansurgavriel / French by Design / The Red List  / Habitissmo

So where do i like to shop for art you ask? LIke I said in Art on my Walls Part I, art has been and will always be such an important part of any room design for me. Whenever I hang a piece during an installation, I always feel this "aahhhhh" sense as the piece tends to just pull the whole space together. 

There are so many great affordable options for art these days. Of course I love shopping galleries and checking out beautiful pieces that are great investment items and its something that I always tell my clients- if you are going to spend a lot of money on anything it should be the art and the upholstery. Those are generally pieces that you have for a long time and will move with you into new spaces. I know I personally have art that I have had for over 15 years that has travelled with me back and forth across the country and made their homes in a lot of different rooms. So here we go top places that I look for art. 

Tappan Collective is by far my favorite spot to source art. They do the work for you searching up and coming and established artists and bringing it all together with beautiful limited edition pieces in multiple sizes and price points. I absolutely love the aesthetic they curate, moody, sexy, unique, painting, photography, collage. It runs the gamut and always changing. I sourced beautiful art pieces from Tappan for both Erin Heimstra's guest bedroom as well as the Chicago project and in both the oversize dreamy landscapes were on point to create a mood for the room. 

One Kings Lane continues to be a favorite destination of mine for art. They do a great job curating pieces from my favorite artists and again the selections change constantly so if you see something you like you better grab it before its gone! The price points are varied which is nice so you can get great pieces for reasonable prices.

Society 6 is a super inexpensive source that I am constantly scouring. I am such an art freak that I generally dont have enough wall space for all the art that I fall for so I am constantly buying unframed prints and changing them out. Designer Tip: Inexpensive and gives a whole new look! Society 6 is great for this- you can buy prints framed as well, but the unframed are a great buy. I have found that artists i have sourced elsewhere are sold for less here. 

Minted. Of course the go -to source for great art! I love Minted- especially for good quality. large scale, framed pieces. I have found so many wonderful artists through Minted, and we used their palm print in Audrina Patridge's living room. Great selection here! 

Urban Outfitters has saved me multiple times when I was in a bind during an install and needed cool art fast - let me tell you this is very difficult to come by in a pinch! Their selection of art has grown exponentially recently and really bringing cool artists and photographers to the forefront which I love seeing. You can again buy pieces framed or unframed. 

Bay Home Consignment in Berkeley and Stuff in San Francisco are 2 local spots I hit up on the regular to peruse their inventory. And let me say I have gotten some gems in both places. Vintage wall weavings and 70's abstracts are some of my prized purchases! Ok so thats my list of "secret" designer sources when I am on the hunt for great art on my (or your) walls! Check out my art pinterest board if you are looking for more inspiration- I am always adding there! xx

Images: Jonas Ingerstedt Photography / House of Hipsters for Decorist / Nell Waters Bernegger / Leah Flores / Audrina Patridge Living Room / Jamie Chung Living Room / Nicole Cohen

Art is such an important aspect to any design project. Art can set the tone of a space- it can completely transform the vibe of a room based on the subject, the color and the way you display it. Its always amazing to me the way adding a simple art piece to the wall or combining things together in a gallery wall can totally change the direction of a design. There are so many great artists out there, and discovering new artists is never ending- so I figured I would break up this subject into 2 blog posts, how to display and my favorite sources (I have a lot!). 

Gallery walls will never go out of style. I promise! Its a great way to combine multiple styles and sizes to create an impactful focal statement in a space. I created the gallery wall above in the Decorist office and it was such an inexpensive and one of kind option. I went on a little buying trip to one my favorite local vintage shops and sourced some cool abstract art pieces and displayed them above a vintage credenza. Instant gallery wall! 

For me gallery walls are great because I have a knack for collecting odd and mismatched pieces for the wall- tassels, horns, convex mirrors are some of my latest finds, so creating unique gallery walls mixed with my latest favorite artists is a great way to keep the space fresh and rotate my ever growing art collection. I created this fun gallery wall for San Francisco advertising agency Partners in Crime because my client also loved art and wanted a way to display his amazing walking sticks from the Mill Valley Walking Stick Company that he creates (more on my favorite art sources coming up!) 

So besides gallery walls how else do you display art? Don't restrict yourself just to displaying art on the walls. I love the idea of over-laying art on bookshelves or on other built in architectural elements. It immediately adds depth and unexpected interest in a room. 

Leaning art is another favorite of mine. Its feels so casual and sophisticated and has an easy Parisian flair to it. Best part is no nails in the wall so if you are a crazy art collector like me. you can easily change out without feeling like its too permanent.

So thats the skinny on how I like to display my art, stay tuned for some of my favorite (current) art resources! 

credits: Hollywood Hills/  Decorist/ Union Street / Prospect Street 

Heike Weber . Hello this is amazing! I have been researching a lot of art installations for one of my particularly stylish clients lately and ran across Heike Weber's work. Obsessed, dying, can barely breathe! Really loving this amazingness that involves permanent marker. It has a great natural quality, is pattern without being chaotic and that pink its just my favorite color these days! I always love a good malachite pattern and this is a just doing it for me in all the right ways! Now excuse me while I go grab my sharpie and attempt a masterpiece of my own.