Gestalt: The theory in which context is considered vital to perception, in which things are described as more than the sum of their parts. Christian von Ehrenfels wrote an essay describing this in terms of music. When a melody is played in one key, and then in another, the listener recognizes the tune as the same song, even though the notes are entirely different. That’s because it’s the relationship of the notes to each other that give us the melody, the whole.
I believe that design is a function of gestalt. The feeling a buyer gets when she or he walks into a property is greater than the sum of the individual pieces of furniture in the room, greater than the individual pieces of art. It’s how it all works together, the gestalt; that is what we pursue.
Think of the space you have on the market as notes to a song. Add more notes and elemental layers — artwork, paint, a rigorous cleaning — to create a symphony. In fact, hanging works of fine art can add a great deal to the overall feel of a property. Bold works of color add a feeling of energy, of finesse, of luxury that delights the buyer.
When staging a nearly $8 million loft on Bond Street that featured large walls and open spaces, I collaborated with an art gallery. Karen Boltax, of Boltax Gallery on Shelter Island, believes that art “completes the home.” She helped provide inspiration for filling up those blank walls — we chose works of art to elevate the condominium. I also collaborated with Condé Nast archives to obtain prints.
Artwork helps give a home its identity.
Boltax and I worked together to create an artistic feeling that would appeal to an art collector. “The walls needed to speak to a degree of sophistication and stature,” Boltax said. “I think the art provides that.” Boltax went on to say, “Artwork really can help identify a home and give it a gravitas that is immeasurable. I’ve had enormous success as an art dealer generating business through staging. I’ve rented or loaned artwork to clients many times. People buy the home and buy the art.”
Regardless of whether the property is as grand as the one we staged on Bond Street, here are some rules of the road for implementing my “Gestalt Design” theory:
Toss out the junk, clunk and clutter. If you don’t love it, buyers won’t either. Even if you do, ask yourself if the piece of furniture or design clutters the space or accentuates it. Throw unneeded pieces out, donate them to charity or put them in storage.
Clutter and dust-free equals stress-free!
Clean, clean, clean, and clean some more. I recommend hiring a cleaning service to shine floors, walls and lighting fixtures. Dust those light bulbs! Shine mirrors and windows!
Add artwork. Now that you have a clean, dust-free, clutter-free canvas, it’s time to fill up those walls! You can visit many a Manhattan gallery to find pieces to accentuate your walls. Depending on your budget, here are a couple additional options: The Affordable Art Fair is held twice a year in New York, Seattle and Los Angeles. 20×200 is a website featuring new art every week at reasonable prices. Yes!
This pop of color gives the dining room its spark
Once you’ve completed these steps, there’s only one question left to be answered: Is there a symphony waiting to be played in your home?
jill vegas 