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"When we look upon their artwork we feel happy, peaceful and inspired."
The owners of a new home under construction, wanted it " to feel like my Grandmother's Swedish home" with variations on traditional patterned borders, and lots of color.
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) Before |
) After |
Design Concept
We worked with designer Everett Day to incorporate traditional, authentic Swedish flavors - blending elements from conventional Swedish country homes, the elegant Gustavian-style treatments from the great old manors of Sweden, and Carl Larsson's more rustic "craft/art nouveau" decorative concepts. We created designs for the sunny entryway, the formal living room, the brahmasthan (central atrium of the house), and the more "craft-style" dining room.
Our Approach
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Our
designs integrated traditional Swedish style elements, the clients'
particular requests, as well as the architectural features of the building.
After taking extensive measurements on site and working with the designer,
we incorporated into the designs the various requirements for room arrangements
(for example: placement of wall sconces, cabinets, main sofa in living
room and other furniture, Swedish Mora grandfather clock, etc). In two
instances, the Living Room panels are painted over the light switches
so that they merge with the room and become unnoticeable in the otherwise
palace-like setting. We presented watercolor renderings to the clients
and designer for approval, with sketched examples of the decorative
panels, a model mock-up of the different spaces to show the placement
of all the work, as well as an actual-sized sample painting of one of
the bouquets.
Entryway and Living Room
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The
elegant panels for the formal entry way and living room were adapted
from traditional Swedish border patterns and the floral designs of Lars
Bolander, who decorated some of the palatial manors of Sweden in the
1770's.
The panels were painted on canvas (a traditional wall decoration technique in Swedish houses, which tied in with our preference for painting murals on canvas in our studio) and then applied to walls and trimmed out on site with specially painted & gilded wood-frames for a true signature 'palace' look.
) Proposal Sketch |
) Installation |
) The Living Room |
Working with the designer, we helped blend and integrate many of the finishes (such as on light fixtures, mirror frames, wall cabinets, relief ornamentation, etc) so that all elements in the rooms flow seamlessly together. The result is a unique blending of creativity of the artists, designer and clients.
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Central Brahmasthan Area
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The
'brahmasthan' is the center of the building - a silent place around
which all activity flows. The architecture reflects this 'central core'
of the home with open space from the floor through the 2nd floor to
the skylights in the roof above.
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The
design for the central brahmasthan (atrium) floor is an elegant floral
pattern, in keeping with the formality of the rooms around it. We painted,
stained and gilded it directly onto the floorboards so that it resembles
inlaid wood.
In the stairwell and around 2nd floor opening, below the balustrade, we created a formal Gustavian style border design, and, over each of the doors that open into the brahmasthan, we painted illusionist bas-relief 'cameos' of the clients' four children, set into trompe l'oeil decorative reliefs.
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At
the very top of the brahmasthan (atrium) along the edge of the walls
at the ceiling, we painted a colorful border, including flying blue
birds. The 'bird' theme flows through the decoration of the home - with
bright birds appearing in the living-room panel paintings, and in the
stained glass over the front door. Gold-leafed stars make a grid pattern
on the walls below the border, reflecting light from the skylights and
chandelier.
Dining Room
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For
the colorful, more "rustic" dining room the clients chose a verse from
the Upanishads, which we had translated into Swedish, to run around
the upper walls. Inspired by Carl Larsson's "craft/art nouveau" style
murals, we painted "floating parchment scrolls" directly onto the walls,
with the Swedish text painted into them.
) Process |
) Dining Room |
) Process |
"Lynne and Elaine are two of the finest artists working in America today. To observe their work is to see, as William Blake once wrote, "heaven in a wildflower". They have a way of seeing the world from it's deepest level and can translate that vision into wonderful works of art that delight the senses. The wall paintings they created for us are imbued with light, beauty, and bliss. Elaine and Lynne radiate love, happiness and devotion in three personal lives and the art they create reflects these most refined qualities. When we look upon their artwork we feel happy, peaceful and inspired. It was a real joy to work with Elaine and Lynne from the start of the project to the finish."
- Dennis and Nancy Zettervall, Boone, NC
Our thanks to Everett Day Design and Rick Donhauser Photography for permission to use their photographs.