Decor and design: putting original art within your reach

Owning a piece of art that you love and enjoy looking at every day can be a deeply enriching and satisfying experience.

For those of us who are not seasoned art collectors, however, the traditional gallery circuit can be an intimidating place.

For a start, the price of purchasing an original piece by an established artist is often prohibitive for all but the deepest of pockets.

In addition, it can be difficult to find the sort of work that you can live with. While there is certainly a place for art that challenges and confronts the viewer, that place is not necessarily your living room wall.

Happily, a growing number of furniture and homewares retailers are showcasing talented emerging and established artists who do not have gallery representation.

One such company is furniture manufacturer and retailer Jardan. The company has developed relationships with about 20 artists over the past 2½ years.

Pieces start at about $400 and range up to several thousand dollars for larger framed pieces. While that represents a significant investment for most customers, it is significantly cheaper than entry-point prices at most mainstream galleries.

Jardan homewares manager Tom Adair says the art is exhibited in the company’s showroom as part of a complete interiors package.

“People come in and see the sofa, the rug, the coffee table and the artwork on the wall,” he says.

“It provides a lot of context about how the artwork would look in their own home.”

Melbourne-based mid-century furniture retailer Modern Times is another store providing a platform for local artists to reach a new market of potential buyers.

Amy Malin, who owns and runs the store with her husband, Joel, says customers tend to find the store a more accessible setting than a traditional gallery.

“When our customers come in they feel comfortable in the space, because our art is presented with the furniture,” she says.

“They feel at ease – and that enhances their appreciation [of the works].”

Five furniture retailers worth checking out

Jardan (jardan.com.au)

Furniture manufacturer and retailer with an art selection focused on landscape and still-life photographic works and ceramics. Stores in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Domain recommends: Kane Alexander’s dream-like photographic images of the remote Australian Outback.

Modern Times (moderntimes.com.au)

Melbourne-based mid-century furniture retailer with a wide range of works including digital prints, still-life paintings, landscape photography, sculpture and ceramics.

Domain recommends: Brooke Holm’s aerial photographs of the salt fields of Western Australia, pictured, and Ellie Malin’s bold geometric woodblock prints.

Koskela (koskela.com.au)

Sydney-based furniture manufacturer and retailer with a gallery space that features a new exhibition each month, ranging from sculpture to photography, screen-printing and oil painting.

Domain recommends: Jasmine Mansbridge’s kaleidoscopic acrylic paintings that explore the rural architectural forms found around her home in Hamilton, Victoria.

Curious Grace

Furniture and interiors retailer selling a range of original artworks, prints and signed edition prints. Stores in Sydney and Melbourne.

Domain recommends: Florist and photographer Katie Clulow’s moody close-ups of hydrangeas, peonies, dahlias and other garden blooms.

Mr Kitly

Melbourne-based homewares retailer with a gallery space showcasing the work of local and international artists from painters to ceramicists.

Domain recommends: Ebony Truscott’s beautifully executed oil-on-canvas still life paintings.