Forever A Masterpiece

Decorating with portraiture.

A guide to enhancing your home and office with photographic portraiture.

Planning the best decorative investment you’ll ever make. An investment in yourself and your family’s heritage.

Designing for impact.

The placement of portraits in relation to the room’s furnishings is critical when their purpose is to create a dramatic decorative focal point. Whether the art work is the central component of a room concept or an isolated accessory, all of the elements of design – style, color, size, and framing – must work together to complete the creative statement.

Selecting a style.

The decorative intent of the room is which you plan to display portraiture will set the design tone for the portrait and help in your selection of clothing and setting.

Achieving color harmony

The portrait’s overall color theme should blend with or compliment the room’s color palette. Carefully chosen clothing and background elements can add richness to the room’s color scheme.

Determining size.

An appropriately sized portrait is one that dominates the space in which it is hung, but does not appear to crowd that space. When planning an individual portrait or collection of images to be hung together, be sure to establish whether the space lands itself better to a vertical or horizontal composition.

Portraits are appropriate as focal points in both public and private rooms, so display them where you, your family, and your guest can enjoy them every day.

Choosing the framing

Truly the “finishing touch” of portraiture, framing must be both complementary to the image – so as not to distract the viewer’s attention from the subject matter – and an appropriate accent for the room’s furnishings.

Designing with creativity.

Today’s portrait photographers possess a wealth of artistic techniques that range from softening edges and adding text to creating photographic watercolors and color-tinted images. With each new technique comes a new opportunity for decorative creativity.

Displaying portraiture in your home and office.

Today discerning families are choosing to preserve their heritage and commemorate their lifestyles in photographic portraits that serve as decorative focal points in their homes and offices. When portraiture is a primary design element, it makes the décor of any location you choose more personalized and cheerful, or even more dramatic.

Choosing subject matter.

Portrait images communicate how we feel about ourselves, our world, and those closest to us. Their subject matter and settings are limited only by imagination: children as they grow, family times or events, artistic personal statements – all are appropriate subjects for decorative portraiture.

Your precious family photographs – new and old, original or restored – can become treasured heirlooms and decorative accents when creatively displayed in your home.

Because the reveal something about the character or the interests of the individuals who work there, portraits personalize the décor of office environments as well as enhance the enjoyment of those who work or visit there.

Planning your artwork.

Giving life to your personal artwork begins with a planning session, during which you and the photographer or design consultant explore your ideas and discuss creative possibilities.

When the finished work is on display in your home or office, you will find that it serves as both a tasteful reflection of your individualized decorating style and a tribute to the ones you love.

As these examples illustrate, a well-designed portrait, when properly sized, creates a decorative focal point that can add both drama and personality to any room in your home.