To those of us who aren't in the art or design world, buying art can be an incredibly opaque process. Luckily, interior designer Jeremiah Brent is making it much more transparent. The star decorator took to Instagram to share the search terms that he and his husband, Nate Berkus, use to find relaxing artwork for their home. From chic paintings to perfectly designed mirrors to stylish pottery Jeremiah has the answers for how to emulate his enviable interior style by decorating with art in your home.
'I get a lot of questions from people about art and while I don't pretend to be an art aficionado, I'm going to give you some advice on things and keywords that I look for when searching for art in our own home,' says Jeremiah. He continues, 'Obviously, art is so subjective but in our own space, we like things that are really clean and simple and quiet. I think because we're around so often when it comes to our space, I just want [it to be] relaxing.'
Panning around his living room decor, Jeremiah adds, 'As you can see, I'm always looking for contemporary, modern, and transitional.' He goes on to say, 'I always look for geometric, and cubism is a really interesting thing to search for. And then I always search for French 30s, 40s, and 50s. For me, that design era is especially interesting in France and Italy specifically.'
We used Jeremiah's recommended terms to scan Chairish for relaxing art pieces and found a few that definitely fit the search terms.
We found this painting with the search terms 'geometric' and 'neutral.' This absolutely stunning painting by Annette Baksinskas. It incorporates black and white geometric shapes and is contained within a wooden frame.
This enchanting painting by French artist Paul Pouchal was created in the 1950s. The picture is framed in gilt wood with linen matting. We found the piece with search terms '1950s' and 'French.'
This cubist plasterwork is a modern masterpiece, found using the search terms 'cubist' and 'neutral.' It riffs on Constantino Nivola's mid-20th-century sand castings. The painting has a built-in fame and is equipped with hardware for hanging.
Beyond art, Jeremiah recommends how to decorate your walls using a fabulous mirror. He states: 'Another thing that is really important to Nate and I [is mirrors]' You can find them usually on any secondhand website and any vintage store, but if you're looking online look for French gilt mirrors.' We absolutely love this way of decorating with mirrors.
This beautiful, neoclassical, French mirror incorporates a grand gilt pattern on fabulously carved wood. The 19th-century piece would make a fabulous addition to any home.
Finally, Jeremiah goes over how to purchase 3D art, specifically pottery. His advice for these pieces is much more laissez-faire and revolves around casually looking for secondhand finds wherever you go. Jeremiah says, 'Obviously my favorite type of art is pottery. These are pieces that we've honestly just kind of collected over the years. Some of them were you know, $20, and some of them were more. We always look wherever we go for ceramics.'
This fantastic piece of earthenware comes from the Southwest of France. Its traditional yellow shade adds a pop of warmth to any room its added to and the 19th century history makes it an excellent conversation piece.
While buying art often seems overwhelming and like you need a ton of knowledge to know what to look out for, Jeremiah's simple tips for searching for art help make the process a lot easier. For a more comprehensive guide, our article on how to choose art offers wonderful expertise.
