Design Inspiration: Great Painters
Design inspiration really is all around us – on TV, in magazines, in books. But some of the best inspiration around can be found in the 
hallowed halls of great museums.
Take, for example, the Vermeer painting Girl with a Pearl Earring. Vermeer was, famously, a master of light and color. He used shadow expertly and his paintings emit a lifelike, but mesmerizing, sort of glow.
Take those same principles – a focus on light and shadow, and a commitment to colors that are both rich and muted, and apply them to home design. The result could be something like this:
Gorgeous color and interesting light make for an intriguing room, don’t they? We think the rust-colored chair perfectly captures Vermeer’s mastery with color. It’s both intense and muted at the same time. Plus, light from an unseen window at the left and from the standing lamp give those living in the room a sort of careful control over how shadows fall and how the room’s colors are perceived.
And, unrelated to Vermeer, we just love those beat-up school lockers!
We also love the clarity and simplicity of Jean-Louis David’s Death of Marat. David’s classicist roots are on clear display in the painting – and we think they’re easy to translate to a clean, traditional interior:
That bathroom is so pretty and classic, in fact, that it could’ve been David’s inspiration. It’s lines are simple and straight, with only simple architectural details as adornment, and the colors are straightforward. The room is a serious one – no gauzy curtains or fun patterns.
The delicacy and frippery of the Rococo movement, typified by Fragonard’s ode to frivolity, The Swing. Swirling detail, pastel color and intense light create an undeniably feminine and elegant image. The same femininity and elegance are on display, minus the obvious frivolity, in this home office:
We love that wallpaper – it’s feminine without crossing over into little girly. The shades of pink and green are ladylike, but rich enough to be appropriate for a grown woman. And the delicate lines of the writing desk are perfectly elegant. We have a mental image of the lady who sits at this desk to write – she’s a modern, grown up, mature version of the girl on Fragonard’s swing.
The 20th century has a role in influencing interiors, too. We’ve long been fans of the Fauve movement and, e
specially, Raoul Dufy, who’s use of outrageous color and strong brushstrokes turned out paintings full of energy and fun, like his Regatta at Cowes. Dufy’s bold use of color has informed our decorating choices since our dorm room days – he makes it easy to be unafraid of wild color combinations and super bright shades.
We love this translation of Dufy’s aesthetic:
When she’s not mopping up juice spills, Kit throws way-too-big parties, cooks complicated dinner, and decorates (and redecorates) her house. Plus, she writes about all of it – both the fabulous and the disastrous – for Examiner.com, Baltimore Magazine, Houzz.com and on her personal blog, Mango & Ginger.
