Why can integrating art into projects be so transformative? – Part 1

The role of art in hospitality design has transformed over the last 20 years. Traditionally, it was used as more of a filler - remember those hotels as children with watercolour flowers framed in gilt gold that looked less like meaningful art, and more like a grandmother’s yard sale turned retro exhibition?   As the average guest’s sophistication has developed, so too has their appetite for more exciting artwork in the hotels where they stay.   Designers have sharpened their berets, and art consultants have emerged from the shadows with savvy sourcing and an expert eye, to aid property owners in creating a memorable guest experience.  Art has ceased to become a filler and has become a focal point.

Yet, so often, interior designers do not have the fee, time or internal resources to take on a project’s entire art program, and art consultants are far too often not appointed as part of the core team. Inevitably, the artwork is left until too late in the project, when money is scarce and the interiors are too developed, and art becomes styling.  At the other end of the scale money can be thrown at art but it doesn’t relate to the overall design, isn’t appropriately lit and even sometime detracts from the overall design. The final result at best can be quaint, perky and maybe even beautiful at worst just wrong … but either way it is not integral to the interior design and often a waste of budget. 

At BrimeRobbins, we believe an integrated approach to art in design can deliver a far better aesthetic and overall experience, which delivers huge value to projects in terms of final experience, time and budget management. 

So first what do we mean by integrated art? I recently used this term during a conference call for a Client who asked, “Where are you going to put the art in the room?”  Instead of talking about our contract excluding this service, or our team not being experts in art procurement, Maria and I decided to say, ok, let’s do something new – let’s design the floors, walls, ceilings, millwork pieces, furniture, lighting – whatever would make the most sense to the overall design – as the artwork itself.  Right there we made a division between fine art and integrated art.  Fine art would highlight the design with select, locally-commissioned pieces curated for specific areas, while integrated art would “belt the room”:  if your design is an outfit, the integrated artwork can be the belt that pulls it all together.  

It’s about seeing art in the same way you would design. The result can be applied to wall finishes, light fixtures, area rugs – surfaces or sculptural elements in any space.  Consider the shower, for instance, which in most cultures is where people dwell for 10-20 minutes at least once a day.  It’s a focal point – so what happens if you treat the shower as an art piece?  Why not integrate an element that makes it more interesting, joyful, impactful?  Better to solve this in the design studio and let the artists and consultants do what they do best – be truly creative in areas where the integrity of fine art is celebrated.  

Well I’m going to just take a pause there and next week talk a bit more about how we approach this use of integrated art. Make sure you follow us to keep reading…..