The Collector’s Home - Art & Interior Design.

At Studio Ray, we often say that the most soulful spaces are not designed to impress, but to express. This is never more true than in the private homes of our residential clients. People who live surrounded by art, sculpture, antiques, books, and sentimental pieces that speak to a life well lived. For these homeowners, interiors are not simply about decoration. They are about curation.

The Art of the Collectors' Interior

There’s a profound difference between decorating with art and living with art. The former can often feel contrived paintings positioned purely to match the sofa, or sculptures serving as accessories rather than as objects of meaning. It’s a subject I have been asked for my opinion on more than one occasion. I love the moment of excitement and anticipation when I go to a potential clients home for the first time and I notice they have an art collection! For me, art isn’t an afterthought. It’s the anchor.

I was inspired to write this post as we’re currently working on a residential project for a client with an impressive and eclectic art collection. One of the home’s compelling architectural features is a long inner hall. The spine of the house, it is simply crying out to showcase a curated edit of the clients art pieces. We're reimagining it as a kind of private gallery, softly lit, moments to pause for reflection, and at the end of the ‘gallery’, sat outside a full length window, we are re-positioning an existing water feature and planting an ornamental tree. This will help soften the light in the space and increase the impact of the new lighting installation.

The Role of the Interior Designer in a Collector’s Home

A home like this requires spatial intuition, sensitivity, and an understanding of how to create rhythm, flow, and contrast. We look not just at materials and furniture, but at the curation, placement and careful lighting of the art and objects within.

As a designer, I see my role here as part curator, part collaborator. We’re not adding pieces to ‘fill’ space or accessorise here. We’re editing, refining, observing and listening. We’re creating moments to pause as well as movement and ‘drama’. Working with what’s already loved, and carefully introducing the elements needed to showcase and balance the existing.

In our work here, every detail matters. The finishes we choose must serve both the overall aesthetic we are creating and provide the perfect backdrop to the clients existing collection of artwork. Walls in quiet tones that don’t fight the canvas and floors that ground without dominating. Joinery becomes not just storage but stagecraft, with purposeful niches and subtle framing from considered and directed lighting.

Perhaps the greatest luxury of a collector’s home is that it is rarely static. It grows, changes, rearranges itself with the seasons of its inhabitants. A new painting arrives or a sculpture is relocated.

So with all that in mind, here are our top tips for curating and creating your own art gallery space at home.

Whether you're working with a single statement piece or a lifetime's collection, these design principles will help you bring gallery-level intention to your walls:

1. Curate with Emotion, Not Just Aesthetics
Choose art that instinctively ‘speaks’ to you. Ask yourself what it is you like about a piece? The colour palette? The artist? A meaningful connection will outlast trends and give your home its own authentic narrative.

2. Let Your Walls Breathe
Negative space is your friend. Don’t feel compelled to fill every square inch! Like pauses in music, empty space allows each piece to resonate.

3. Think Like a Curator
Either group your artworks by tone, subject, or era, or intentionally clash styles for dramatic contrast. A well-composed arrangement tells a visual story.

4. Consider the Sightlines
Think beyond the wall. What’s visible when you enter the room, walk down the hall, or glance from the sofa? Position key pieces to draw the eye and create rhythm throughout the space.

5. Get the Height Right
As a rule of thumb, artwork should be hung so the midpoint is roughly at 150 - 160cm from the floor. However context obviously matters here. When hanging above furniture, don’t be afraid to go lower.

6. Use Light to Elevate, Not Detract
Avoid direct sunlight (which can fade delicate works) and opt for soft, directional lighting - picture lights, ceiling spots or integrated joinery lighting can all elevate a piece without overwhelming it. If unsure, speak to a framer about UV protected glass.

7. Mix Frames Thoughtfully
Unify different works by grouping them within a consistent frame style or use eclectic frames as a design feature in themselves. Position each frame approximately 5 - 10cm away from each other. It’s all about intention.

8. Edit Ruthlessly
A well-curated wall often comes down to what you don’t hang. Rotate pieces seasonally if you can and wish to, or I know people who keep a few in storage when not being enjoyed, like a gallery would.