All Hung Up

Grant Gibson shows how to add art to your home—without the intimidation factor or stiff price tag.

Art can make or break a space, but it definitely doesn’t have to be expensive,” says interior designer Grant K. Gibson. “A fun and cheap way to add instant art to a room is to look for architectural prints or old maps from flea markets, and frame them yourself at Aaron Brothers (5600 Geary Blvd., 415-876-0150).” The Presidio Heights–based Gibson, who has designed everything from a classic black-and-white Breakfast at Tiffany’s–inspired atelier for 2005’s Decorator Showcase to a high-rise luxury condominium at the St. Regis, proves here that art can be affordable, and that the keys to working with it are creativity and a sense of playfulness.

Be Selective
“It’s important that you select carefully, because you’re going to be staring at your choice for a long time to come. I like to use a lot of black-and-white photography of architectural buildings or landscapes around the world and focus on abstract artwork from galleries like Lost Art Salon (245 South Van Ness Ave., 415-861-1530, lostartca.com). Their vintage pieces are brilliant.”

Buy Locally
“I like to look for art at flea markets and have it reframed. Local art schools are a great resource. I recently purchased a large painting for a client from a student at California College of the Arts  (cca.edu). Who knows if it is worth anything, but it might be someday! Another amazing place is the SFMOMA art-rental gallery, in Fort Mason (sfmoma.org). They let you rent art, and they’ll even hang it for you. If you like it, then you can buy it, but if not, then you can just pay the rental fee and return it.”

Keep It Simple
“For me, it’s really important to have things framed in a very minimal way, so that the art is the focus—not the frame around it. I also like to keep the walls neutral, so that art looks good against it. When painting spaces, I work with painters to ensure that the wall color is going to look good with the art.”

Frame Kiddie Art
“For one client, I took a bright piece of art that was done by her child in elementary school and had it framed in a very chunky white mat and a simple silver frame. It now hangs over the living-room mantel and kind of resembles a Picasso in a way!”

Group Photos
“One way to incorporate family photos, which are usually dispersed all over the house, is to convert them to black-and-white, place them in similar frames and group them together on one wall. It modernizes the art and reduces the amount of clutter around the house.”

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