Our food blogger Helen Parkin is back this month with a Spring stapple …. but with a difference!

 As I write this, we’re in the middle of the long Easter holiday weekend. 

Despite the strange weather we’ve had here over the winter – notably, a dire lack of rain – all the signs that we traditionally associate with Easter are evident. For me, Spring is properly signalled by new growth of those plants that will bear fruit, quite literally, later in the year. So I’m pleased to see all our trees in fat bud – plum, apricot, greengage, quince, apple, mulberry, and medlar. The berry and currant bushes are doing well, too. And, in the meantime, it looks as though the first batch of rhubarb will soon be ready to pick. 

Still, all that’s yet to come. 

Dolly and Bertie in Easter field - proud parents

For now, I’m rather more preoccupied with one of the season’s most enduring sights – new-born lambs, gambolling happily about in lush green fields. As endearing as they are in their woolly form, it’s their meat I’m principally after at this time of year. A Springtime roast lunch, with a juicy joint of roast lamb as the centrepiece, is hard to beat. 

But, in our current economic climate, it’s fair to say that a shoulder or leg of lamb represents a bit of a luxury. It’s not cheap, even though you can perhaps more readily justify the cost of a good joint of lamb by making tasty meals with the leftovers – think shepherd’s pie, hotpot, jalfrezi, and kofte, for example. 

Lately, I’ve been using smaller, alternative cuts rather more, and in doing so, I’m wondering why I ever forgot about them.  

A succulent poached piece of lamb rump, trimmed of its fat, is perfect with the first Spring vegetables – broad beans, asparagus, or peas. For a simple meal, take a portion of rump (about 150g), and place in a pot or pan, and just cover with chicken stock, pepped up a little with some fresh thyme, a bay leaf, and a few peppercorns. Cover, bring to the boil, and turn off the heat. After 8 minutes, remove the rump from the pan, and leave in a warm place to rest for the same amount of time. Serve with lightly cooked and buttered Spring vegetables.  

Helen Parkin's Spring Lamb

Lamb breast is a long-neglected cut which is well worth revisiting. If you can buy it boned and rolled (you’ll probably have to ask your butcher to do this specially), then this Simon Hopkinson recipe for a long braise with meltingly soft onions is an absolutely delicious treat. 

Breast of lamb is, however, most frequently seen on the bone these days, either whole or cut into what look like a bit like mini chops. These make for a meal that could hardly be easier (or cheaper – a kilo should cost about £4). The original recipe (by former Masterchef finalist, Alex Rushmer) uses rolled breast and needs slow cooking – but using my variation for the ‘chops’ means you can have the ‘fast food’ version.  

Spring Lamb the fast food version by Helen Parkin

For two people, you’ll need about a kilo of chopped lamb breast. In a large roasting tin, pour a tablespoon or two of olive or rapeseed oil. Tip into that a drained tin of chickpeas, and add 2 or 3 quartered small red onions. Pour in a glug of white wine, and add a few sprigs of rosemary or thyme and a pinch of paprika. Scatter the breast meat over the top, and put the tin in the oven at 180C for about 30-40 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breast strips. The onions should be soft, the chickpeas soft but nutty and a little caramelised – giving a pleasing umami hit – and the lamb cooked through. Leave to rest for 10 minutes, and then serve. Have some bread handy to mop up all the luscious savoury juices!

If you’re feeling bold, you might want to try lamb heart. They really are a bargain, at about 50 pence each. There’s very little wastage with them, too. Like other dense meats (they have the texture of kidneys), cooking them whole, and possibly stuffed, for a relatively long time at a low temperature is one way of doing them, but they’re also good cut into small chunks, marinated, and then grilled – perfect for making kebabs and popping on an early barbecue!    

Lambs Heart Hellen Parkin's Spring recipe with a difference

You can marinate using whatever flavours you like, but a splash of lemon juice, olive oil, some paprika, and a few sprigs of fresh oregano or thyme makes for a flavoursome combination. Wash and dry the hearts first, trim off the fat, and remove sinews and tube bits. Chop the heart into inch-cube sized pieces and stir your marinade into the meat. Cover and leave for about an hour. Thread the heart onto skewers (if using bamboo skewers, remember to soak them first), and then put under a hot grill for about 5 minutes, keeping a careful eye on them. Serve with a punchy green salad.  

So next time you fancy some lamb, but don’t want to cook a large joint, why not ask your butcher for an alternative cut? It’s Spring, after all – so what better time to give your eating habits a seasonal clearout and replace them with something new!_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Helen Parkins has been mad about food for as long as she can remember. She writes about her obsession with all things gastronomic at http://www.akentishkitchen.co.uk/, and www.aforkfulofspaghetti.blogspot.com ; and on Twitter, at https://twitter.com/#!/akentishkitchen and https://twitter.com/#!/aforkful

I discovered The Building Centre back in 2010 and have been visiting regularly. I like going to their many events and I adore the book shop (always leaves a very very deep hole in my finances!). I also have a variety of colleagues and friends who work there, so I often meet up with them in the coffee shop. The centre is a great way for me as an Interior Designer and Garden Designer to keep up with building materials and techniques.

The Building Centre - Pipers Central London Model

At first glance it does not directly relate to my job but it’s always good to absorb the information especially when I work on site with surveyors, architects and project managers.  Most people think of Interior Designers as fluffy “darlings” who lunch, so I like to completely dispel that with my technical knowledge, my wit and grace (coughing loudly!)

The Building Centre - London's Urban Sprawl

Last year when I visited the centre they had a small exhibition and also maquettes of London’t urban sprawl (The Pipers Central London Model which you can visit in the entrance and also have a free 1/2 hr tour on the 3rd May for the 80th Aniversary events ) . I have always liked the visual 3d models I made when I was at University, I could just go completely wild on my ideas and usually never drew anything but just built as I went along. This was rather different of course.

The Building Centre - the Shard

I particularly liked the density model – such a good way of exemplifying the tight density that abounds in some boroughs of London. I am often taken aback when I visit London clients particularly in Islington, at how packed the area is. I have been to some back gardens that are literally no larger than a handkerchief but for these few lucky clients, they seem like Versailles! These are very difficult to design as the clients usually want a multitude of different spaces: children’s play area, a deck area, an entertaining area, a BBQ, a sand pit, flowering borders, a Potager…..you get my drift!

The Building Centre - the Density Model

The Building Centre - the Density Model

As you can see on the density model the City is rather poorly inhabited compared to Hammersmith & Fulham!

The Building Centre - the Density Model - The City

The Building Centre - the Density Model - Hammersmith and Fulham!

The Building Centre is celebrating 80 years of innovation, information and debate. It’s their Anniversay on the 3rd May 2012. They are having a variety of workshops, talks and events on that day with a big party on the crescent to cap the day.

I am particularly looking forward to the Archigram talk, and What Does Green Architecture Mean to You with Ellis Woodman Editor of BD.

Our food blogger Linda Williams is back this month with a blog and ideas on how to use  the earliest herbs we can find at this time of year.

Last month I was writing just after we’d had heavy snow falls and spring seemed a long way off. Now there is sun streaming through the window, a cloudless sky and its warm enough to sit in the garden. For today at least. 

Signs of spring abound: the blossom on our cherry plum tree came out two weeks ago and now its coming into leaf; the patch of wild garlic is looking healthy and robust; the quince tree is about to blossom. Food wise there are young sweet leeks in the shops, I’ve spotted people talking of very early asparagus available, there’s plenty of sprouting broccoli and the Jersey Royals will be with us very soon. 

Most people with their own potagers are likely to be a little behind the commercial crops although anyone with a polytunnel will be starting to enjoy their earliest pickings now. Here, we only have space to grow a few things so seeing juicy stalks popping up in the rhubarb patch is wonderful and at last some of the herbs are springing back into life.

The chives have come on in leaps and bounds in the last two weeks and the mint is now looking robust enough to start using some without setting back its progress. The flat leaf parsley is also on course and the wild rocket that we let self-seed seems to be springing up everywhere. Of course, there isn’t enough of any of these yet to go mad and make a huge salad or pesto but there is enough to start adding a hint here and there to dishes. 

Here’s how I’m using them now: 

Mint: I have two types, a peppermint and gentler apple mint. Both die back over winter but grow back unaided as the weather warms up. Both are great for making a refreshing tisane. It only takes a few leaves with boiling water poured over and left to steep for about 5 minutes and you have a light minty drink. I’ve also using it stirred into yoghurt and honey with my granola in the morning to add a little zing to breakfast. Its also good finely chopped and sprinkled on feta of goats cheese. 

Chives: I love these with egg dishes, either mixed into an omelette or scrambled egg or perhaps an egg mayonnaise. Like mint, chives also work well with fresh tangy cheeses. Chives are also good added to wilted chard or spinach. 

Linda Williams' Spring herbs - Chives

Parsley: This is lovely stirred (at the last minute) into mushrooms sautéed with butter and served on sourdough toast. Parsley also works well with eggs either instead of or in addition to chives. 

Linda Williams' Spring herbs - Parsley

Rocket: Excellent wilted with greens or tossed with pasta, oil and lemon juice. If you’ve grown the rocket yourself do check how strong it is first as it can be quite fiery and bitter. It’s also good in place of watercress pepping up a roast chicken sandwich.

Linda Williams' Spring herbs - Wild Rocket

Wild garlic: mostly thought of as a wild foraged food but if you know someone with a patch then get them to gift you some and you can try growing in the garden. Do NOT go digging up patches you happen on in the wild! Remember that rather like mint if it likes the habitat you put it in it will take over so choose your area carefully or contain it in a pot. I like using it instead of chives, it can be much stronger so be careful. This weekend I used it with some lemons inside the cavity of a chicken I roasted, it scented the flesh wonderfully. 

Linda Williams' Spring herbs - Wild Garlic

Crunchy carrot salad: any of these herbs work well tossed with shredded carrot and dressed with a splash of good cider vinegar and oil. 

Potato salad: again any of these herbs are great in a potato salad either made with mayonnaise or for a lighter version with Greek yoghurt. 

Mayonnaise: cheating I know but adding some fresh chopped herbs to good shop bought mayonnaise will add a hint of summer to come. 

Of course, by the time the potatoes and asparagus are here in a few weeks the herbs will be more advanced and all sorts of delicious dressings for them can be made. For now though it’s a little here and there to add a hint of spring to my cooking.

So enjoy the Spring goodbness of herbs!

_______________________________________

Linda works with small and medium business as a ‘bite-size’ general manager and right hand woman to the owner. She helps make sure projects happen and guides them through the maze of business from numbers to social media and beyond. She loves cooking and experimenting in the kitchen and is also currently learning the art of letterpress printing.

Bright Blue Skies was founded by Linda to enable small and medium business to get access to the management skills that big businesses take for granted. We help businesses get the practical advice and hands on support they need to grow and flourish. 

Linda is on Twitter @brightblueskies  and for food as @goodshoeday

Business: linda@brightblueskies.com 

Design projects: @letterpresslab 

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/goodshoeday 

Facebook chats:

Business: https://www.facebook.com/BriteBlueSkies

Food blog: https://www.facebook.com/withknifeandfork

Vintage or whatever word you may want to attribute to it these days, has really come of age so to speak, yesterday’s “bits and bobs” are today’s 21st Century antiques. As an interior designer these types of shows are a great source of meeting new dealers, looking at savvy ways of up- cycling and recycling old furniture as well as discovering new unusual artists and crafts people. They are a great source of ideas, sometimes inspiration and often where I buy for client’s projects. Or even where I just buy something that has caught my eye and that I know I will place in an interior later on. 

Everytime I go to these shows I often shout out “my Aunt had one of those chairs with the plastic multi-coloured strings!” or “Didn’t Grand-Maman have one of those Formica topped small side tables in the TV room?”. The list goes on of course. It always surprises me how a few decades on, things come round and become the new antiques or “chichi” finds.

I attended the Dulwich College MIDCENTURY MODERN SHOW  ON March 18^th with Sam,  a friend who adores vintage and is starting up an online shop of vintage and re-designed items. Housed in the sprawling Dulwich College, the ancient façade is imposing but the good thing is there was plenty of parking!  

I liked the feel of this show as you had to walk through different rooms – a good way to make you pause and also not get overwhelmed by the sheer number of people attending. The lighting within this imposing Victorian building was rather poor though – and many of the stands did not have their own lighting – it sometimes made the furniture look a bit drab. I think that’s the thing with Vintage, it’s a matter of creating an interior that doesn’t look “so” old that it feels like it has not moved with the times. The key to a vintage interior is to mix old and new. Update the old dining chairs with bright textiles, add a colourful rug under those Scandinavian “oh so slick” armchairs and your interiors will feel fresh and definitely of its time.

We thoroughly enjoyed the day and found some little gems as you will see. There was a good mix of furniture, objects, posters and art as well as some artists actually exhibiting all with a definite re-purposing items and feel of vintage.

I even found a genuine  Achille Castiglioni FLOS pendant light! I didn’t buy but I should have! They go for 4x that price in Germany! 

Achille Castiglioni FLOS lamp from the 60s at Midcentury Modern Show Dulwich 2012

We met some people that we chat to on Twitter such as Minimodern’s Keith, who is delightful. He showed us his new wallpaper collection and said that they are busy issuing new collections all the time! I loved his Buddha of Suburbia wallpaper - a look back at the 70s with decadent touches of colour and detailed reference to a butterfly species!

Midcentury Modern Show Dulwich 2012 Minimodern's stand

Minimodern's new wallpaper collection - bus tickets! So London, so urban chic!

Here are some highlights from the show – by the way another one is being held at Lord’s Cricket Ground on Sunday 27^th of May – so if you missed this one, head for that one with cash and credit cards at the ready. Vintage on!

Midecentury Modern Show at Lord's

These chairs below are a good example of how to update vintage and make them look fresh from www.vintageretro.co.uk

Midcentury Modern Show Eames Chair original - iconic of course and still going strong.

 

Here we found some new items - Sophie Cook, a contemporary English ceramicist, had a delightfully elegant and fresh collection of porcelain vases on show.

Midcentury Modern Show Sophie Cook contemporary english ceramicist

 

Helen Stevens is a surface designer who uses collage, paintings and illustrations to make decorative textures and patterns. Helen’s work includes wallpapers, wall vinyls and ceramics. I particularly loved the ceramics.

 

Midcentury Modern Show Helen Stevens

 

Midcentury Modern Show Helen Stevens Ceramics

 

SALOME wallpaper from Helen Stevens

Something that was really innovative was Felicia Strehmel’s Light Boxes - her company is know as Lilly’s Lightbox. She makes lightboxes from recycled old drawers and wooden objects. She takes her own photographs and manipulates them to make ethereal installations with a light shining from the back. I loved it!  

Midcentury Modern Show - Lilly's Lightbox Company

 

We also spotted Eleanor Pritchard - a textile designer. She also teaches at Central Saint Martins – enough said! Her textiles are wonderful – made with English wool, mill woven in Scotland and she told me that her designs are inspired by her grand-parents who were architects (if I remember correctly) . She is a celebration for me of British design and craft. Although not being British I am incredibly proud to live here in this amazing country that offers us all this imaginative and incredibly talented pool of design people.

 

Midcentury Modern Show Eleanor Pritchard textile designer

 

 The show was full of Scandinavian furniture and its appeal is not waning. Understandably as it is streamlined, solidly built, and looks elegant and mostly just fits in to most interiors without a fuss. But there is an upsurge in the more industrial look these days – the old filing cabinets, lockers, metal trolleys from old dentists’ surgeries and lighting that might come from tanks to warehouses!

Here is what we found….

 

Midcentury Modern Show Industrial furniture

 

Midcentury Modern Show Industrial furniture - lockers

 

Lastly in the lights department – we found this young man’s stand Artifact Lighting. He was not just showing off Anglepoise’s but a myriad of inventively re-purposed lights (from old hairdresser’s heaters for example!). Based in the  New Forest – these chaps source industrial lights redolent of the Bauhaus period in many ways. Must go and visit them!

 

Midcentury Modern Show Artifact industrial lighting

 

Finally, iconic architecture on a plate…. a mug… or anything you can think of! Really liked this idea – People Will Always Need Plates is the creation of Hannah Dipper and Robin Farquhar. They use low volume batch production to create these stunning graphic plates and mugs.

 

People Will Always Need Plates

 

Don’t forget the Midcentury Modern Show in May at Lord’s and also try this show at the Brockwell Lido a Grade II Art Deco building on the Sat. 5th and Sun 6th May.

Autumn and then Spring awakens the panic buttons in many clients when they first contact you after the winter pause that their garden has enjoyed. They have gotten over the Christmas lull and easing into winter has made them forget that come Autumn, everything looks holey and in spring everything starts running to weeds! Panic sets in and they go and buy anything and everything in the garden centres or the smart ones call a Garden Designer!

I had a meeting with four potential clients last week and the usual “can you design a maintenance free garden” was a requirement….. This pretty much always comes up in my discussions with new clients. As I said before in the In Autumn you see the holes in the garden and clients always point these out mentioning first that they bought lots of plants last year but many died, secondly that they just don’t have the time and thirdly…. that they need help! Spring brings its fresh problems with the weeds invading the said holes and clients start to buy again or call someone like me – it’s been like this forever.  

Planting lots of plants is pointless if they are the wrong plants for the wrong place. It’s a waste of money and people get frustrated. Lack of knowledge is another – usually linked to the lack of time in researching and choosing the right plants, for the right conditions, for the right soil and checking how much maintenance it needs. I guess that’s when people like me come in handy! I usually spend time explain that the garden of eternal beauty and no work  does not exist and they have two choices – hire a gardener or accept that they are going to have to spend some time in the garden at some point! Designing a low maintenance garden is not a problem of course.

Many flowers, shrubs and trees are happy to just get on with it and do their own thing. But you have to choose carefully. So here are a few pointers for the non green-thumbed people and the plain lazy ones! But you still need to do some work…. and please remember that you need to check whether these plants suit your soil and garden conditions.

For most gardens what you want to do is have a variety of planting heights, there should at least be three heights – low,  as in ground hugging, mid-level as in up to waist height /up too shoulder level and then the taller background trees or shrubs depending on the type of garden and size you have. 

Three heights and the trees' canopies are high so it gives you lots of space to fill the lower volumes of the garden.

Three heights does not mean of course against a fence and in strict gradient, I often put something rather tall in the middle of a border, as long as it is see-through or is light on its feet or sways in the breeze. It’s all about balancing texture, height, colour and size… 

In any case, low maintenance means, as little soil showing as possible – this mean no weeding or very little, since the space is taken with growing plants. This time of year is perfect to assess your garden again and see what’s missing. It’s a perfect time to establish young plants and shrubs. A tad late for bare root trees but you can buy the pot grown ones (just remember to water them religiously for one year!).  

Personally I hate bark mulch – it’s ugly for a start and for me it’s just a replacement for soil! It’s the same colour! I would rather fill the space with flowers or other plants. So a mulch is a good thing obviously but try to fill the space with plants – it looks better. Also using bark as mulch leaches nitrates unless well rotted. I have used it on my Potager paths but not around my plants.  

Loving this fun structures and crazy fluffy style - grasses and box with Alliums interplanted to give height

 So what types of plants to look for? Well for a start encourage self seeding flowers, you might have to reign them back in once in a while but then this is what low maintenance is – there is some work but not too much. Self seeders can of course become prolific thugs – Alchemilla comes to mind! But then I LOVE Alchemilla, so I don’t mind.  

Cosmos are really a lot of fun too!

 It used to be that gardeners cut back the herbaceous plants in Autumn, but these days a more relaxed attitude prevails.  Instead of a massive tidy up, most of us have learnt to leave it be. This generation is more interested in wildlife and we also have a much more relaxed attitude to gardening – seeing nature do its thing full cycle is rather enticing and beautiful. Cutting back just before spring bulbs emerge is the way to go for me. Leaving Monarda didyma “Aquarius” to stand proud through frost and snow gives you pompoms a go-go accompanied by Agastache rugosa with its furry spires is a great combination. Try these two with panicles of Miscanthus sinensis “Flamingo” – a stunning mix.  

Grasses such as Stipa Gigantea with architectural hedging - formality and the more ethereal textures work very well together.

Long lived perennials are also the ticket – so cranesbills geraniums are perfect, try Johnson’s Blue, it creeps along and fills the space up until no soil shows. Then there is the Dahlia in pretty much every shape, colour and time of the year – perfect flowering deliciousness. Sedums are also perfect for a show throughout the summer until the late season. Sedum spectabile, the texture is good against simpler looking plants such as shrubs and trees; I like it against Sarcococca confusa, a sweet smelling shrub with lovely flowers. 

Vinca minor excellent as a ground hugging plant and filler

Sedum at the back of this bordr here gives a carpet of texture and colour

 Skimmia’s are great too – I like Skimmia X Confusa Kew Green for its lime green and fragrant bouquet. Mix it with Skimmia japonica Rubella and under plant with ivy that spreads like crazy. At the back plant a Mahonia for height, they usually have legs, so the Skimmia will hide that and show off their best part the heads!  Or one of my favourites witchazel’s- Hamamelis Diana. It flowers from December to March and is available in many varieties. 

Skimmia Ruby King is also an excellent plant in the borders with bright red flowers

Grasses are fab too – you plant, you water, you just watch it grow and only cut down in February. Very little work, lots of amazing textures, colours and heights and sizes.  Ferstauca glauca “Blue Fescue Grass” always look good in a very modern garden – here think block planting, with again Mahonia’s at the back.  

Mahonia Media X at the Hillier's Gardens in Hampshire - wonderful fragrance and flowers at the back of your borders

On top of these architectural plants  you need the shrubs and the trees if you are planting any to give you structure throughout the year and look amazing under a blanket of snow.  Remember plant in drifts or blocks, do not buy just one plant. Plant in minimums of three’s (that means always in odd numbers). So that’s three, five, seven, nine…etc …balancing numbers equally in a garden is not great on the eye – it looks out of balance.

So what’s not to like about spending a tiny bit of time in the garden or just go all out and get the full garden design monty along with the gardener!

A few books I can recommend if you are interested in further reading about long lived plants and plants with architectural seedheads to leave through the autumn and winter when they have regaled you through spring and summer..

Seedheads in the Garden, Noel Kingsbury & Jo Whitworth

Gardening with Grasses, Piet Oudolf. Michael King

The New Perennial Garden, Noel Kingsbury

A visit to Tate Britain for me is not just about looking at wonderful paintings and sculptures and taking in the classical building. On my last visit there I looked at how they hang their art work and was aiming to translate this into an interior design project. It’s also about keeping things fresh and not always using the same tricks and processes. Granted the wall space is rather larger than most of our wall space at home but this is about looking for things that work, things that give you ideas and inspiration. It’s good to continuously challenge oneself.

 

Tate Britain - classical interior

The last two post on art the ” Selecting Art – an interior designer’s perspective” for Easy Art UK and the insightful blog from artist Melanie McDonald on “Commissioning art works – the right piece of art for the right place“  and how she works with private commissions, made me think a lot more about art ion interiors.

It’s something I do instinctively - the sourcing of artists that would interest my clients, the research and finding of a new and exciting art work that I think my client might get excited about. The discussion of either buying the art work or commissioning something from an artist is a wonderful time and usually a new process for my clients. It’s not about me imposing my tastes but exposing clients to something they might not have thought about. The end game is to site the art work within an interior or indeed a garden for sculptures. This usually takes a long time – endless discussions take place and positions are tried out. 

Tate Britain gesso gilded frames details

Tate Britain gesso gilded frames with stunning intricate details

Whereas in more contemporary work such as these photographs below by Don McCullin the black and white arrangement and colouring is gripping and shows sharp contrast. The frames enhance the photography of  Berlin in 1961 and life of the poor in 1960s London. (Please do open the link to see the video on this living war photographer and how he wanted the art work placed).

The three side by side pictures below are relatively low on the horizon – but in a gallery context this makes the art approachable. I would suggest to do this in a hallway so that you can look at the art works at eye level whilst walking down.

Tate Britain even number of art work, good above a sofa or a console table

 

This hanging below works really well in a long tunnel-like hallway – although it may seem to extend the tunnel-look, in-situ it really creates texture and makes people stop and look at the art work, especially when it is at eye level. The two pictures in the middle – one above the other – is like a counter-point to the sequence and makes one stop and look before proceeding further.  An excellent device for a series of art work particularly for photographs. I would also use this type of hanging in a living room as it would be like having ribbon-windows along a wall creating a sense of opening to the outside world.

 

Tate Britain hanging art works

 

Here below in this striking photograph by McCullen the subject is vivid and sharp particularly enhanced by the black plain framing and white border. The hanging of these photographs was done in conjunction with the photographer – which I think is important – the artist gives direction to how he wants his work to be seen.

 

Tate Britain Don McCullen photography in black frame - gritty London in the 1960s

 

When hanging a major work of art, a single larger painting for example, try to use framing that either completely disappears or use it as a device to enhance the internal space. Such as in this painting by Roger Hilton the frame closes the white space.

 

Tate Britain - Roger Hilton oil on canvas 1954. Frame enhances the graphic lines

 

And here below this painted wood relief by Ben Nicholson (1935 white relief) is also framed with a linear one colour frame which gives colour to a very white art work. Up close the whiteness only changes to shadows between the raised wood pieces, the frame therefore anchors the art work to the wall. Something like this would work very well in a classical interior – especially one with grand pillars and architectural detailing. The relief picks up on  shadows and demi-tones.

 

This would need to be positioned where the onlooker could get up close to it and study the shadows but it would work well from afar too I think. In a living room where light moves around would be perfect.

 

Tate Britain - Ben Nicholson 1935 White Relief, painted wood

 This painting by Patrick Caulfield “After Lunch” 1975, is acrylic on canvas and needs no framing. The distinctive background colour is graphically ordered by the black outlines and the photo-like centrepiece is framing a lake-scene (I think it’s on Lake Geneva actually, looks like Chillon Castle?).

So the frame is already there. This hangs very low, just above the skirting board, and it is very inviting. One can really get up close to the art. This would work very well in a bedroom, as it invites closeness and intimacy.

 

Tate Britain, Patrick Caulfield "After Lunch" 1975, intimate and approachable

 

Choosing art works is a very personal thing – I try to just guide clients to something they might appreciate, perhaps even infuse them with a new passion. Hanging art is something that takes many things into account: sight lines, the feeling an art work gives the owner, where to site to get the best views and enjoyment ftom the art work adn how to frame it within a wall space and volume and myriad other considerations!