Design Threads: Art Without Walls – Creativity at Home

Day to Day

Art plays such a huge part in our design and is a vital addition to any space. Each piece, whether it is by a well-known or an emerging talent, has been carefully selected and is interwoven throughout our interiors. This eclectic mix is crucial to creating a dynamic and interesting art collection...

This week for Design Threads we are finding ways to be creative in our garden. You don’t have to own a Barbra Hepworth or Brancusi, you can make your own sculpture quite easily using terracotta plant pots, stacked on top of each other and fixed with lead.

We designed these and have used them in my garden, in the conservatory at Haymarket Hotel and in Crosby Street Hotel’s sculpture garden in New York.

I have used gothic looking stone gargoyles to frame this entrance. You can find some lovely inexpensive pieces online at English Garden Sanctuary or on a visit to the Lorfords warehouse in Tetbury.

These add scale to a space and somehow make an area look bigger and more distinguished.

I often paint them with yogurt and live cultures to encourage lichens to prosper and create that antiqued weathered effect.

Weekly Book Recommendation from Much Ado Books

Eye-popping creations take centre stage in this visually enchanting presentation of paper arts of all kinds.

Living Paper offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how makers assembled some of the most amazing paper art you’ll see, ranging from advertising and short films to intimate artworks to massive installations in public spaces.

Get ready to get out your scalpel, your ruler, some glue, some tape and some paper; the wonderful creations in this are utterly inspiring! (Now, where can I find a laser cutter so I can recreate that parrot . . .).

 

Even a pond can become a place for art and sculpture. Year after year I have tried to create a lily pond haven, but sadly my pond looks more like the Fakahatchee Strand minus the Ghost orchid.

This ornamental painted duck house brightens up the murky waters and is a safe haven for Toad, Ratty and Mole, my three resident ducks. You can find lots of lovely bird houses at British company, Heytesbury Pavilions.

We would love to see what creative designs you come up with in your own gardens. Tag us on Instagram using #DesignThreads and @kitkempdesignthread.