A Museum Room Designed For Art Lovers
- By Angela Glancy
- Published 12/26/2011
- Home Management
- Unrated
If you love art and have a large collection of wall art and statuary, you might enjoy designing a special museum room to display parts of your collection. This is a wonderful way to enjoy and appreciate your favorite artworks, while elevating special pieces to the status they deserve. It’s also a great place to host a party or entertain friends. Having a designated museum room is also conducive to changing the artwork displays as you desire, such as for a special occasion, seasonally or to showcase a particular style or artist that you are fond of.
Choosing a Location for a Museum Room
It’s important to choose the location of your museum room carefully. For one thing, it needs to have easy access, especially if you plan to entertain in the room. It can be convenient if the room is located near other rooms where you entertain, such as the dining room or living room. It is also important to consider the lighting in the room. Direct sunlight can cause irreparable damage to artworks, particularly to painted canvases. If the room received direct sunlight, plan for room-darkening window treatments to protect your collection. Also consider the type of artificial lighting, such as spot lights, that will be needed to highlight the artwork. Remember too that heat and humidity is damaging to artwork so proper museum quality matting and glass should be used to protect photographs, prints and certain mediums of paint. Do
some research online or talk to a curator at a local museum for tips on safe display of artworks.
Themes and Changing Displays
Of course, you don’t have to choose a theme for displaying your artworks, but if you have a large collection, this can be a great way to display the pieces and rotate your displays. You may choose to display items based on the season, on the artist or genre, on the subject or even on a particular color. You can personalize the museum room by devoting a wall to family photographs and vintage portraits of ancestors or an ancestral home or country. The same concept can be applied to your current day family by arranging favorite family photos, vacation photos and mementos of memorable trips and events.
Arranging your Art, Museum Style
Think about how your favorite museum displays art and take your cue from there. Wall art should be at eye level to make it easy and enjoyable to take in every detail of the work. You can arrange like items – by artist, subject matter, genre or style, for example – to create interesting groupings on the wall. Design your arrangement by viewing it just as you would if you were in a museum: Face the wall and imagine gazing at an artwork, then step sideways to view the next piece. This exercise can help you create proper spacing for each artwork so that each piece can be appreciated and has a margin of space that separates it from the next artwork. Before hanging the artworks on the wall, prop them against the wall at the floor to get an idea of spacing.
Choosing a Location for a Museum Room
It’s important to choose the location of your museum room carefully. For one thing, it needs to have easy access, especially if you plan to entertain in the room. It can be convenient if the room is located near other rooms where you entertain, such as the dining room or living room. It is also important to consider the lighting in the room. Direct sunlight can cause irreparable damage to artworks, particularly to painted canvases. If the room received direct sunlight, plan for room-darkening window treatments to protect your collection. Also consider the type of artificial lighting, such as spot lights, that will be needed to highlight the artwork. Remember too that heat and humidity is damaging to artwork so proper museum quality matting and glass should be used to protect photographs, prints and certain mediums of paint. Do
Themes and Changing Displays
Of course, you don’t have to choose a theme for displaying your artworks, but if you have a large collection, this can be a great way to display the pieces and rotate your displays. You may choose to display items based on the season, on the artist or genre, on the subject or even on a particular color. You can personalize the museum room by devoting a wall to family photographs and vintage portraits of ancestors or an ancestral home or country. The same concept can be applied to your current day family by arranging favorite family photos, vacation photos and mementos of memorable trips and events.
Arranging your Art, Museum Style
Think about how your favorite museum displays art and take your cue from there. Wall art should be at eye level to make it easy and enjoyable to take in every detail of the work. You can arrange like items – by artist, subject matter, genre or style, for example – to create interesting groupings on the wall. Design your arrangement by viewing it just as you would if you were in a museum: Face the wall and imagine gazing at an artwork, then step sideways to view the next piece. This exercise can help you create proper spacing for each artwork so that each piece can be appreciated and has a margin of space that separates it from the next artwork. Before hanging the artworks on the wall, prop them against the wall at the floor to get an idea of spacing.
Angela Glancy
Angela Glancy with AmericanArtisanArt.com has developed an interest in expanding the use of musical notes wall sculptures as well as metal wall panels.
View all articles by Angela Glancy