Decorating Decorating Advice 7 Creative Ways to Display Art, According to an Antique Dealer Think beyond hanging a lone frame on the wall. These ideas for displaying art cultivate creativity in every corner of your home. By Petra Guglielmetti Petra Guglielmetti Petra Guglielmetti is a home writer for Better Homes & Gardens with more than 20 years of experience covering home design and beauty. Petra began her career covering home and beauty trends and honed her craft as a staff writer for Martha Stewart Living and Glamour magazines before becoming a freelance writer. In addition to beauty, she now also writes about decorating, DIY projects, parenting, pregnancy, wellness, weddings, modern etiquette, and pop culture.She's written for Glamour, Allure, Real Simple, Martha Stewart Living, Self, Better Homes & Gardens, Health, Southern Living, Dr. Oz: The Good Life, Family Circle, and Reader's Digest. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on January 29, 2024 Close Dylan Chandler Art has a way of pulling a space together under Tori Jones’ guidance. The New York design consultant’s eponymous firm and shops in NYC and Block Island, RI, are known for their collected aesthetic that incorporates art in fresh ways. What’s on walls flows with surrounding architecture and decor. “I create vignettes that I treat like little rooms within rooms,” Jones says. She shares tricks for welcoming art into just about any space. 34 Creative Wall Art Ideas to Fill Blank Spots with Personality 01 of 07 Determine a Theme Dylan Chandler Lack a knack for arranging art so it feels composed not cluttered? Antiques dealer and design consultant Tori Jones suggests sticking to a theme. Wallpaper inspired these layered botanical and floral finds. Color—here, it’s pink—also pulls art pieces together. A sleek white frame mixed with gilt ones freshens the grouping, and a handcrafted paper plant becomes part of the composition. 02 of 07 Layer Contrasting Pieces Tori Jones To underscore large art, prop smaller artworks and treasures on a shelf or table below it. “Keeping the row of collected items neutral lets the piece above be the star,” says Jones, who likes the push-pull of a modern painting in an antique frame. “The look is all about layering old and new, graphic and classical.” 03 of 07 Don't Be Confined by Space Dylan Chandler An herbarium (framed dried plant specimens) creeps around windows in Jones’ seasonal Block Island shop, proving that a collection of small art can make a statement even when wall space is limited. In fact, creating a gallery wall in a confined space or around architectural features is easier than on a big, blank wall because windows and trim can establish boundaries and guide placement. 04 of 07 Extend Art to the Kitchen Cy Karrat Treat your kitchen shelves as still lifes by artistically grouping dishware and letting a few pieces of framed art make a cameo. “Kitchens can feel so clinical and cold,” says Jones, who “ruthlessly” edits her Manhattan kitchen’s ivory, gray, and black goods and mixes in items of varying shapes and heights. Tucking a few pieces of art into shelves works equally well in other utilitarian spots that might lack wall space, like a small office. 30 Kitchen Wall Decor Ideas for Every Design Style 05 of 07 Utilize Mirrors Tori Jones Let a mirror be the backdrop for personal mementos. Tuck or tape photos and ephemera into the frame and on the wall behind it. “It creates a frame within a frame, one that also reflects people and experiences that matter to you— like a scrapbook you don’t need to open,” Jones says. Tori Jones, art and antiques dealer Artwork is the most important thing in any interior. It says so much about who lives there and what they value. — Tori Jones, art and antiques dealer 06 of 07 Look to Unexpected Places Dylan Chandler Framed art draws the eye inside this 19th-century cabinet-turned-bar. “I love to hang art in overlooked places,” Jones says. “It’s delightful and surprising.” Other spots she seeks out include the back of a door, above a doorway, and over the sink in a powder room. 8 Stylish, Useful Bar Cart Ideas for Must-Have Tools and Ingredients 07 of 07 Embellish Your Bookshelves Cy Karrat Be honest, bibliophiles: Most books don’t get pulled off shelves often, so hang art right on the bookcase. “Books add warmth, and combining them with art is inviting,” Jones says. A twist she uses: Remove a shelf from a built-in to create a recessed space to hang a large piece of art. Traditional Decor Is In—and Bookshelf Wealth Gives It an Eclectic Spin Produced by Monika Biegler Eyers Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit