Room by Room – Modern Handmade Sculpture

This week on Room by Room with FormFire Glassworks, we take a small shift from the original paintings of last week’s installment to the realm of three dimensions. I had intended to discuss prints, but have taken a small detour. Today’s look at Modern Handmade Sculpture is sure to inspire you and give you many ideas for your own decor.

Although traditional painting types are a great way to bring color and interest to a room, one oft-neglected area of interior design is that of texture and space. Many homeowners find that although they have chosen great furniture and paint colors, that their rooms look very static. One way to combat this is through the addition of sculpture. Sculpture can include any type of 3-dimensional art, from wall art such as a mask, hanging ceramic plaque or mixed-media sound sculpture, to more traditional figurative pieces like a metal deer and ceramic figure, to high-tech 3-D-printed tabletop forms.

Sculpture in all its forms provides a room with tactile pieces – one does not typically walk over to a painting and touch it, but your friends won’t hesitate to pick up a small piece in a bookcase or run their hands over the curves of a larger sculpture. Not only does sculpture provide a tactile quality in a room, but it also fills up space and adds texture in its play of shadows. A piece of wall sculpture brings the wall itself forward to greet us, a tabletop artwork can gently guide our eye from the horizontal surface up to a lamp or higher surface without a jarring effect. As you should with any accessory, find pieces that work with both your color palette and style. If a piece speaks to you, even an item that doesn’t seem to fit your typical style can work to great effect. The smaller the piece, the easier it is to deviate from your standard palette or type. Try adding some groupings of smaller items and see how it brings life to empty spaces throughout your home.

Next week we will be shifting back to two-dimensional space in my take on the Modern Print.