Creating a Design Narrative Through Art

Art as a colourful addition to any room, building interest and creating personality in spaces, one client at a time!

Art is at the core of everything we do at Home by Tim + Chris. We love art so much that in 2018 we opened the Colborne Street Gallery. Having your own art gallery pretty much solves the problem of not having enough art in your life! We are surrounded by wonderful local artists and the gallery is dedicated to the exhibition of contemporary art, including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, fibre, and mixed media arts. We also host artist talks, workshops, and other special events that allow artists to be discovered and engages the local community. When it comes to our design clients, having an art gallery is handy because we can recommend, integrate and curate art pieces from our own collection. Art is how we build personality, character and depth into a space.

Colborne Street Gallery is a place for our clients, community and visitors to enjoy and discover local artists like: Eddie LePage, Leanne Baird, and Paul Chester among others.

Art at Colborne Gallery extends to cards, sculpture, fibre, textiles metal and wood.

Art in this client project, is hung adjacent to a window overlooking the same landscape as the artist’s depiction, creating connection to the outdoors.

With the proliferation of mass-produced art, it remains a challenge to educate, and present original art to not just clients but also gallery visitors. Maker culture is hands on, and artists have long been creating and forming their work from where they take inspiration. Cultivating an appreciation for art is a role that we enjoy filling, we love bringing new pieces and installations to our clients for consideration. Every new discovery is not only an artist being found and their story being told, but it’s also knowing we found that perfect piece to layer into a room and expand on the design potential. Art in a space allows for a narrative to unfold, it’s no longer just about a room that performs a function, it adds emotion and cohesion to the overall layout.

Smaller art pieces accompanied by a larger impact piece, add warmth and a sense of harmony in this kitchen working with both wood tones and a vintage shade of green.

Art As Anchor

When connecting corners, reading areas, bookcases and other more one-off spaces, art is how we anchor the look. By adding a piece that suddenly creates interest and adds a pop of colour, we create a vignette that can work alone in a greater space. Reading nooks are a great example where you may have a floor lamp, a chair and ottoman and using art can really give that area a clearly defined role.  Using art within a book case is an example of creating a cultural connection within a room and provides a literal interpretation of what that space is used for. Once a room is anchored it feels finished.

Art can elevate and anchor a hidden corner, like in this example, allowing for the bench, built-in and accessories to be pulled together creating an interesting vignette.

This artful bookcase at our Sandy Point project, shows how art tells a cultural story and helps anchor the bookcase as a showstopper for the room.

Art flanking a fireplace in this project, allowed us to anchor the tall vertical walls and stovepipe, bringing the eye back down to an interesting rug and furnishings.

This art piece in our Sturgeon Lake project, helps give presence to a back wall. By using a large piece that reflects back the view from outside, we turned an otherwise plain wall into more of a gallery feel.

The piece seen here, anchors a wall opposite built-in storage. In this case, the art complements the sectional and helps add a pop of colour.

Art As Accessory

Throw pillows, decorative vases, books and art, provide ways to layer a space and to further build on the design story. Grouping small pieces together or defining kitchen art from dining room art, helps to add a theme and make a wall more interesting. Creating ambiance in a room using art, can be a way to add conversation and intrigue. Small pieces purchased on travel excursions are a great way to accessorize with art. Sculptural bowls and pieces on art stands or tables are another way to accessorize a room. A stunning colourful bowl can also work in tandem with something hung above it. This creates a story and draws the eye in. A painted paddle leaned in a corner with wall art adjacent demonstrates how art can take many forms.

Objets d’art flank the TV and fireplace in our Clear Lake project to soften the effect of the fireplace stone and darker colours.

Art on this smaller wall works to complement the other room accessories in this open-concept design.

Kitchen art creates a theme and can often be unexpected like in this kitchen bar area for one of our clients.

Art As Focal Point

When we design, we often have specific spaces where art commands centre stage. Above fireplaces, long vertical stairwells, entryways or above a sofa are examples of where art can act as the focal point to add definition to a space. Entryways and stairwells are great examples because without art, the potential for these spaces can be lost. Being able to enter a home or cottage and be met with a fabulous piece of art, instantly connects the visitor to that home or family story. Adding interesting pieces in these areas, lends instant personality and gives a hint of what’s further inside. When used as a focal point, we look for art with impact, either with size, colour or texture which allows the art to catch the eye.

A large piece for this entryway integrates with the stone wall, console and blue wine cellar door making for a harmonious feel.

This colourful piece acts as a focal point on an expansive wall in our client’s office space.

Nothing says focal point like the presence this piece commands in an otherwise neutral room!

Art As Expression

Since everyone’s taste in art can vary, we often use art to convey a client’s personality to add character to a room. Pieces that are extraordinarily colourful or thought provoking can really punch up a space! We love finding or using client’s current art to inject a surprise factor into a space. The unexpected detail that art can bring can be an instant story teller. It says a lot about a homeowner’s sense of fun and imagination.

Using this fun neon sign expresses a thought for a bar area!

Rotating art

Leaning art on floors or shelving is often a trick we use to add that collector feel to a space. It also allows art to be rotated seasonally or on a whim. With this approach art can be non-committal until you really feel what a room is conveying.

An Eddy LePage piece leans against the wall in this guest room adding a casual and comfortable feeling.

Beyond Walls

Art goes beyond just a design aesthetic, it helps us as designers, build impact, personality and atmosphere. Our role is to shape a room, to give it both form and function, using art then adds a layer of authenticity to tell the personal story of the client. From this, no two rooms are ever the same. Art lives beyond trends and patterns, which makes it collectible, valuable and integral to good design. When we travel, we often experience hotels that are a great example of how art is used to convey a cultural story, to ground a location in the feeling and vibrancy of that particular region. Hotels are really good at this. When you use art in the same way for your home or cottage, you can project a sense of the external environment and bring a faraway memory home. Art is an emotional unifier, and when it’s done in a way to connect with other design elements, a space can be truly elevated and transformed. That’s why we made our own art gallery, so we can do the same for you!

A long, horizontal piece in this kitchen works with the expansive wall and builds cohesion with appliance and accent colours.

Don’t’ forget this can be art too! A pretty view of lakeside woods from the bathroom window of our Gull River project.