The Sunday Times - UK (2021-11-28)

The Sunday Times November 28, 2021 17

WHERE TO BUY ONLINE

lPanter & Hall Decorative

The rise in popularity of

decorative art led Matthew

Hall, a fine art dealer, to open

a separate arm to his

business, Panter & Hall

Decorative, specialising in

affordable mid-century

paintings. Hall says many of

his customers, a lot of whom

are interior designers, are

shopping for multiple

paintings for a “museum

hang” — basically a sort of

grown-up gallery wall —

which creates a focal point in

a room, somewhere for

people “to stop and stare”.

panterandhalldecorative.

com;

@panterandhalldecorative

lDomenica Marland

The online art dealer

represents young artists, and

specialises in affordable

contemporary and

decorative art. Her stock is

aimed at those wanting an

eclectic interior. Look for

playful paper collages by

Hannah Watts or buy several

framed seaweed pressings

for an effective display.

domenicamarland.com;

@domenicamarland

lMedium Room

Natalie Williams runs

Medium Room in the

Cotswolds, and she has

a good collection of

characterful mid-century

portraits as well as some

beautiful lithographs and

drawings. Williams’s take on

the gallery wall is to mix

vintage, contemporary

paintings and drawings. “I

think a gallery wall which has

grown organically, rather

than been styled, ends up

better in the end.”

mediumroom.co.uk;

@medium_room

lAtelier Bleu

The art dealer Elizabeth

Parker and her partner, David

(a retired professor with a

talent for joinery), are

meticulous in their approach

to buying and displaying art.

They source pictures from all

over the world and reframe

them — beautifully — using

hand gilding, painted frames

and painted mounts.

@atelierbleuart

lWallflower Vintage Art

A great option for those with

a tight budget, Annalise

Holasz operates Wallflower

Vintage Art via Instagram

and Etsy. In stock are several

original oil paintings for less

than £100. She has noticed

that her clients like English

coastlines, as well as small

ships or boats.

@wallflowervintageart

lPartnership Editions

If you are looking to browse

the work of several emerging

artists at once, Partnership

Editions, founded by Georgia

Spray, is a great place to

start. There are plenty of

original artworks for a couple

of hundred pounds (see

Alexandria Coe’s charcoal

nudes) or prints for even less.

partnershipeditions.com;

@partnershipeditions

Tarn London

The vintage art dealer Tanya

Zendra has noticed a huge

appetite for naive art as well

as Swedish pieces. She says

design brands such as

deVOL, “who use vintage oils

in their kitchens”, have

increased the popularity of

this kind of art, as well as

interior designers on social

media. Although her

collection is slightly more

expensive, there are plenty

of works for under £500.

@tarn_london

have to have a specially

trained eye to buy something.

If you see something that

resonates, go for it.”

Of course, when you are

choosing art for a particular

space, there are aesthetic

parameters to consider. For

example, in Mehydene’s

farmhouse kitchen, propped

up on either side of her Aga is

a “naive floral”, bought for £5

from a French flea market,

and a collage of cups and jugs

by the artist Mary Norden.

Both, she says, “reflect the

rustic style of the kitchen”.

It is also worth challenging

dated ideas on design.

Pictures don’t always have to

be hung at eye level. And do

put pictures in kitchens,

bathrooms and laundry

rooms, Haines says, because

the art will “soften any

hard finishes”.

If you are planning to group

pictures together as

a gallery wall, Meyhdene

suggests trying to find “a

thread that runs through a

space”, whether it is a theme

(such as nudes or florals), a

colour or a painting style.

More is more, she says. “When

you have just one painting it

puts a lot of pressure on it and

everything is drawn to it. I like

to have a lot. It makes things

feel more informal.”

Clockwise from

far left: Lisa

Mehydene,

founder of Edit

58; On the Cliffs

by Gunnar

Wallentin, sold by

Atelier Bleu; Anna

Haines’s home; a

floral sold by

Wallflower

Vintage Art;

Lobster Study

print by Camilla

Perkins and

Double Face on

Grey with Yellow

Wall and Pink

Ground by Hester

Finch, both sold

by Partnership

Editions