The Sunday News
Amanda Ncube
FOR a home to be complete there are certain aspects to take into consideration and portraits play that role. A portrait is a painting, drawing, photography, or engraving of a person, especially one depicting only the face and shoulders. Portraits have got something that other forms of artworks simply don’t. They provide a sense of life — whether it is new or old, painted or photographed — they ignite imagination and populate a room with hidden stories.
This week’s column will explore ways of decorating your house using portraits to make it feel complete and elegant.
When decorating or designing your home use portraits that share a trait. Portraits that have the same characteristics make your home feel collected and in order. You can select portraits with the same colour, size or works done by the same artist. By so doing your portraits will not be all over the place or jumbled up. Hang them in the same area — hang them as a collection for maximum impact.
There are some portraits which work well when they are not hanged. Casually propped portraits are also a good way to make your space enticing. Forget the hammer and nail — a portrait leaning against the wall can be even more delightful and appealing. Try it on the floor or leaned atop the mantel. Surround the portrait with a vase of flowers and a few stacks of books or magazines will help it look purposeful.
Nowadays you can spruce up the look of your space by mixing colours — colour blocking is the way to go. Shake up a grid of family portraits by mixing in a few solid colour blocks. This works best with photos printed on boards or canvas rather than in frames. Choose the images you want to include first, and then pick a colour that will complement your photos for the colour blocks. This may sound as a risk but when correctly done it will make your home look new.
Enlarging your photos is also another way of bringing life to your home. Such photos are conversational, they make the guests wonder what the subjects were thinking or feeling. Have it blown up to nearly a life-size proportion for a bold, personal piece that will fill a wall.
Whether modern and colourful or vintage Victorian, profile portraits have an irrefutable graphic appeal. Why not have one made of each family member and hang them together? It makes anyone who enters your home know the kind of people living there.
