TO SOME PEOPLE art may mean an oversized Buddha-head print from a market in Thailand filling wall space over the shoe cabinet. For serious collectors, however - from those who have inherited heirlooms to those who have spent time and money amassing a collection of paintings, photographs and art objects - figuring out how to integrate art into an overall home design poses challenges.
'An art collection can be the main actor or the supporting actor in an interior space,' says Johnny Wong, architect, designer and founder of FAK3. 'It all depends on the overall design concept.'
Wong has worked on projects that have focused on furnishings rather than collections and others in which works of art have been put centre stage by lighting, framing and thoughtful use of space and colour.
He says it's vital to incorporate art into architecture at the start of a project. 'It's important to infuse spatial planning in the early stages with the types of art pieces that will be displayed,' Wong says. 'These ideas can be further enhanced as the design progresses.'
It may involve designing features such as focal lighting and structural details such as framing columns that compose and enhance how a piece is viewed. For a project that involved displaying more than 50 pieces, ranging from furniture to paintings and tiny ornaments, in a 3,000sqft apartment, FAK3 built a 1:50 scale model of the space complete with miniature artworks.
'There was so much complexity because all the pieces had different display requirements,' says Wong. 'With our model we were able to see how all of the elements, including art pieces and furniture, would be composed together.'