Why This Artwork is an Inspiration This Mother's Day

Art is an important element to designing a room. A lot of times, art or wall decor are placed on the walls to "fill in" a blank space. The truth is art should be personal and unique, especially if it's in your home. It should draw an emotional response while complimenting the overall style of your room. 

This past Mother's Day I was reminded of my mother from an artwork I have hung in my staircase landing. It's a print of Picasso's Mother-Child sketch. My late mother, Suzanne Marise, was not an art collector but she owned this beautiful print and hung it in her room. It wasn't until I was collecting her things I noticed it was a Picasso print from 1904. I knew I had to add this to my home in memory of her. I decided to give it a facelift by adding a custom mat and frame. 

P.Picasso Mother-Child print 1904

"The truth is art should be personal and unique, especially if it's in your home." -S.Hayes

This Artwork Is Personal To Me.

Every time I see this Mother-Child sketch I can't help but be reminded of the bond between my mother and me. It's a way of having a little piece of her. Now that I'm a mother myself I understand the precious bond a mother has with her child, it's like no other relationship.

The Layers of the Sketch Remind Me Motherhood Is A Process.

As I look at Picasso's sketch of this mother nursing her child, I notice his multiple sketches of the mother's hand. I love to see the raw sketches of the hand included in the print. It shows the multiple drafts he had to sketch before developing a hand he was proud of. This process Picasso took is similar to the journey of motherhood. As mothers, we make mistakes, try our best but are not perfect. Motherhood is a journey of trial and error driven by love.  

This Artwork Blends With Many Pieces. 

In addition to the sentimental value this artwork has to me, I love the neutral tones and simplicity of the sketch. When selecting a mat and frame I decided to use a monochromatic palette by using a darker tone for the mat and a medium tone for the distressed wood frame. The neutral tones give me the versatility to use this piece on a gallery wall with a collage of other pieces or as a focal point by itself. 

Picasso 1904

No matter what pieces of artwork you use in your home, I hope that this inspires you to get personal with your wall decor. Be sure when you are selecting your artwork to consider the room you are placing it in and how it coordinates with your color palette and decor style. Share in the comments below your favorite artwork in your home and why. I'd love to hear all about it!  

To all the Mothers and Grandmothers I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!

À la prochaine,

Looking to create a color palette from your artwork? Check out: Using Art to Create a Color Palette.

Using Art to Create a Color Palette

As an interior designer, I believe that developing a color palette for your space is crucial to achieving a successful design. Whether you are using monochromatic, complementary, or contrasting colors it's important to define the role that each color in your palette has. If you are having a hard time developing a color palette, draw inspiration from something that already has a color palette like a piece of art.

using art to create a color palette

Art is a great way to develop a color palette because it already has a collection of colors, tones, and shades that you can draw from throughout your room. Let's take a look at a formal living room I designed for a client and how I was able to pull colors from the custom artwork to design the entire room.

This living room included 4 original artwork pieces I had an artist create just for this project. All of the individual art pieces were uniquely different but shared the same colors. The colors inspired me to develop colors for the window treatment fabric, accent pillows, area rug, tabletop accessories, walls, trim, and even the ceiling.

formal living room paint color

color palette

Once you determine which colors from the artwork you want to incorporate in the design section them into categories (e.i. main color, secondary color, accent color, etc). This will help you determine which colors will be used the most and which colors will be used to complement the main color. In this living room the blueish, teal color was the "main color" and the soft browns, tans, and creams were "secondary". Lastly, the reds and purples were "accent colors" used in the pillows and the centerpiece. Each color was carefully selected for a particular role in the living room. 

coffee table centerpiece

Leave a comment below and share where you create your color palette from? Maybe you are asking "How do I find the right artwork?" or "I'm scared I will choose the wrong color?". Let me help, contact me directly at sabine@georgettemarise.com to start on your personal color palette for your room!

À la prochaine,

How to Decorate When You Are Starting From Scratch

Whether you're moving into your first apartment, house, downsizing or upgrading it can be overwhelming to decorate, especially if you have nothing. I remember when I moved into my first apartment by myself 12 years ago I had no furniture except for a mattress, books, my computer, and personal items. Sometimes starting from scratch is a great way to decorate because you have nothing to limit your choices. 

Start Somewhere. When you have little to nothing, it's time to visit the drawing board, look at your home and determine what is the priority. Sometimes the priority is decorating the entire home and sometimes the priority is taking it one room at a time. Once you've made the decision of what the priority is...focus on it. 

"Inspiration is the seed. Design but the flower." - Michael Langham

Be Inspired. Every unique design came from an inspiration. Once you find your inspiration it will transpire into a vision. Together, with an interior designer, that vision will transform into reality. An inspiration can be as simple as using the colors and tones of nature or the style of your favorite restaurant. There are no wrong answers only unique ones.  

Decide What Is Your Investment. Designing and decorating are investments you make. Based on your priority and the vision, finalizing a comfortable total dollar amount is the next important step. Be sure to decide on a realistic budget before starting any work. Keep in mind that emergencies can occur which should reflect in your budget. 

Create a Floor Plan. Once you've determined a budget, focus on your needs for the room or rooms. Having a well-designed floor plan creates a base for your decorating project, especially if you are working in phases over time. A floor plan will allow you to go back and finish the pieces of the design. A floor plan is also a great way to make sure any furniture needed will fit properly in your space, which is especially key in small spaces.

Shopping. Use your floor plan to create a list of furnishings needed to accomplish the design. Always purchase your largest and most important pieces first. When I am designing a room I always like to start with the seating and some important accessories such as lighting. For example, in a living room, I would purchase the sofa and chairs first then tables and lamps with essential wall decor.

A post shared by GEORGETTE MARISE INTERIORS (@georgettemarise) on Sep 14, 2017 at 12:31pm PDT

Decorating is a process. The decor of a space tells a story of those that occupy it, therefore it has to be done with thought and purpose. If you are looking to tell your story in your space but don't know how to, let's work together to create your vision. Email me today at sabine@georgettemarise.com.

À la prochaine,

How to Find Your Inspiration

Are you feeling stuck in making decorating decisions that you don't know where to start? Being inspired can be the beginning to developing a beautiful design. You have to start somewhere, right? But where do you start? Where do you draw inspiration from? What if you're not inspired by anything? That can be frustrating! Here are some ideas to think about when looking for an inspiration.

Use the Architectural Details of your Home.

Use the style of your home as an inspiration of your decor style. For example, if you live in a colonial house (like the example above) consider the use of the traditional accents as a place to start. 

Start a Collection of Photos

Here are some key points to ask yourself when browsing through photos.

What do I like about this picture?
(e.i. the furniture placement, the colors, the style, the lighting, the pops of color)
How does this picture make me feel?
(e.i. warm and cozy, relaxed and calm, energetic, dramatic, etc.)

Use Pinterest as a tool for finding inspiration. Don't forget to follow me @Georgettemarise!

Let’s see what our clients were inspired by.

Architectural Digest: Jennifer Aniston's Home 

ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST: JENNIFER ANISTON'S HOME

Before Picture of my client's family room

After Picture of the same Family Room

Choose the Style of Furniture You Like

Have you ever walked into a furniture store and said to yourself "nice chair" or "I really like that table" but don't know what it is that you like about it? It's okay! Sometimes we just see things that we like and can't explain why. It happens to me all the time. Find the common denominator from all the items that you like and you're sure to find your inspiration. 

Still feeling stuck and not inspired? That's what I'm here for! Let's create a personal Inspiration Board with ideas and suggestions based on your needs & desires. Click here to get your Inspiration Board started today!

Here's to getting inspired!

Leave me a comment below and share where you get your Inspiration from!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin