Insights Into Interior Design: How Designers Select Wall Hangings. Part Ii: Installing Pictures
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When interior designers use the term “wall hangings,” they are commonly referring to anything and everything that one may hang on a wall. London is a fabulous place to choose wall hangings due to the many active artist communities and the strong tradition of professional interior design.
In this second article in my series on “How Interior Designers Select Wall Hangings,” I will talk in detail about several approaches that I have seen while working alongside many of London’s most successful interior design professionals.
As a general guideline, pictures tend to work well when arranged in squares or rectangles. London is a world fashion centre, and jaunty mismatched shapes can be interesting for certain highly customised interior designs, but in most cases it is best to stick with simple 90-degree angles.
Second, symmetry is important. Often when the interior designer has one central picture and several others in a set, they will choose some sort of symmetrical arrangement.
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Third, a popular approach in London’s interior design community is to use the concept of “horizons” against which to align the upper edges of multiple pictures in a group. If an interior designer has an assortment of differently-sized rectangular frames, they may choose to hang an upper row from one “horizon” and the lower row from a different “horizon.”
Fourth, London Interior Design consultancies often talk of “anchoring.” This refers to a technique by which the largest images in a set form the corners of an imaginary rectangle or square, while smaller pictures are used to “fill in” the rest of the available area.
Fifth, to add interest and move away from rectangles, certain interior design professionals love to use the “cross technique” when they have rectangular frames of various sizes. This requires arranging pictures in the shape of a cross, with the larger pictures below the horizontal line and smaller frames above to balance their mass.
Sixth, London interior designers often focus on hanging the largest pictures at the bottom of a group, along a single horizontal line. This can give a stable feel to the broader arrangement. I have worked with some top London interior design teams who always choose to place the tallest image in the centre of this horizon to draw the eye upwards and accentuate features of the presentation.
In the next articles in this series, I will talk about best practices in the use of lighting and mirrors to highlight wall hangings of various types.
Insights Into Interior Design: How Designers Select Wall Hangings. Part III: Lighting And Mirrors
When interior designers use the term “wall hangings,” they are commonly referring to anything and everything that one may hang on a wall. London is a fabulous place to choose wall hangings due to the many active artist communities and the strong tradition of professional interior design.
In this third and final article in my series on “How Interior Designers Select Wall Hangings,” I will discuss some approaches to lighting and mirror installations that I have seen while working alongside many of London’s most successful interior design professionals.
Lighting is an incredibly important part of the art of interior design when it comes to wall hangings. Sometimes it can be absolutely stunning to include a spotlight effect or underlighting to draw the eye towards a particularly fabulous photograph or painted centrepiece. In London, interior designers will normally include lighting elements at the very first stage of their brief. As with so many parts of interior design, nothing is ever an afterthought – the entire design is comprehensive and perfectly envisioned right from the start. For example, professional interior designers will anticipate a need for any wall-hung picture lights and will make sure this is included in the electrical drawings for the electrical contractors to fit a socket at the appropriate height during the early preparation phase of your project. (In most London residences, such sockets heights are non-standard.)
Mirrors can be appropriate for an interior design because they make a room appear larger and can help the resident to better visualise artwork or other wall hangings from many perspectives. This is particularly important for certain smaller London residences which may feature awkward spaces or difficult corners. The professional interior designer will make sure to think hard about appropriate placement of mirrors – whether they are being included for practical or decorative purposes. If a mirror is framed, the interior designer will make sure that the frame is matched or coordinated with other frames or materials in the room.
When using a mirror decoratively, the professional interior designer will always pay attention to make sure that it reflects something of interest. I have seen less experienced Interior Designers in London occasionally hang a mirror in a place where the reflections can cause annoyance or distraction to someone sitting at a table or on a settee. Fortunately mirrors can be easily re-hung elsewhere, but the most prestigious London interior design consultancies will always take this into account and get it right the first time.
Insights Into Interior Design: How Designers Select Wall Hangings – Part I: Choosing Pictures
When interior designers use the term “wall hangings,” they are commonly referring to anything and everything that one may hang on a wall. This can include pictures, photographs, plates, frames, mirrors, sculptures, reliefs and much more besides. London is a fabulous place to choose wall hangings due to the many active artist communities and the strong tradition of professional interior design.
One of the most important elements of wall hangings are pictures. Many interior designers know that pictures are the way to “make a house a home.” However, poor positioning of pictures can easily detract from an otherwise well-planned interior design. This is especially important in smaller London homes or flats. Your interior designer will be able to outline the key points that need to be kept in mind regardless of whether you are hanging a recent family photo or an ancient heirloom. In London, interior designers have a saying, namely that “all pictures should relate to something else in the room.” This means that wall hangings of this type should never look as though they were included by accident. Pictures should be related via either colour or thematic elements to display tables, armchairs, bookshelves or fireplaces – or indeed to architectural features, such as panelling or mouldings, which can often be quite historic and interesting in London residences.
London Interior Designers will often elect not to position wall hangings symmetrically (meaning centred on fireplaces or furniture), since this can make the overall interior design seem a little uninspired or “flat.”
In London, it is important to remember that the weather is often a little rainy and cool. Therefore interior designers often find it desirable to depict slightly brighter images in their selection of wall hangings. It is also important to group pictures that are related to one another. An interior designer will often place a selection of landscapes close to one another, or they will do the same for seascapes or floral pictures. Another approach often used by some of the most prestigious London interior design consultancies is to group images by colour themes or at the very least by styles of frame or mounting.
In the next article in this interior design series, I will discuss in more detail the practicalities of how to install pictures.
Spinning The Colour Wheel: A Lexicon of Colour Symbols And Associations For Interior Designers
This article draws on interviews with several top Interior Designers in London who appreciate not only the sensory and visual meaning of colour, but also the symbolic links behind certain hues and tones. We will briefly explore just a few of London’s trendiest colour fashions and explain their associations in the context of interior design.
At the far end of the colour spectrum, black is associated with death and illness, except in certain Asian cultures. Indeed, many top London interior design boutiques are very multicultural and regularly design Asia-inspired residences or office spaces. Black generally does not reflect much light, and as such it can represent melancholy or hopelessness. On the more positive side, the colour black also is associated with masculinity, and its historic usage in combat vehicles and war equipment has only reinforced this sentiment. Interior designers are often careful about using this colour because it can be overwhelming in smaller London residences.
The opposite of black is, of course, the colour white. In the interior design world and far beyond, white is associated with freshness, health and radiance. It is often seen at marriages, Christenings, and a multitude of celebratory religious festivals such as Passover. London interior designers will often use this colour to reference joyful events and create a feeling of radiant good cheer.
Red is a fascinating colour in terms of symbolism. Outside the interior design world, it is first and foremost associated with blood. This in turn has links with military campaigns, flags, shields and family crests. Interior designers are aware of its connections with heritage, history, excitement, risk and executions. However, the colour red also symbolises vibrant and triumphant freshness. It is linked with strawberries, cherries, redcurrants and roses. Some of London’s most prestigious interior designers will regularly use red to reference outdoor gardens through either subtle floral designs or more flashy red-inspired colour combinations.
Finally, we will complete this colour lexicon by focusing on pink. Pink is the product of red and white together, and as such it is strongly linked with femininity. In London, the capital’s most celebrated interior designers often use pink as a highlight colour to create either a subtle emphasis or a daring juxtaposition. Some of the most innovative interior design boutiques in the city will create stunning designs that rely upon feminine pink contrasted alongside masculine black or similarly rich, earthy colours.