Styling: custom artwork helps property stand out

When Jason Saft was called in to style a $3.6m apartment, he took an inventory of the artwork and filled in the blanks.

A statement wall in a Pacific Heights Victorian was painted to complement the furnishings and other decor. Picture: Colin Price Photography

When Jason Saft, a real estate agent at Compass and founder of Staged to Sell Home, was called in to style a $US2.495m ($3.6m) apartment at 44 Gramercy Park North in Manhattan that was about to be listed, one of his first moves was to take inventory of the artwork and fill in the blanks.

For the home’s drab foyer, Mr Saft commissioned the work of Chicago-based artist Josh Young, known for his provocative printed portraits featuring a signature hand-painted slash of colour across the face.

Mr Saft, himself an artist, also created a custom piece for the foyer. In the master bedroom, Mr Saft and his team culled artwork from around the apartment to create a new gallery of framed pictures for above the bed.

Tired of searching in vain for just the right piece to complement a room or home, real-estate agents and homeowners alike have caught the custom-art bug. Sellers are commissioning specially designed works to set the right tone in high-end listings, and owners and interior designers are hiring artists to create pieces to work with the existing decor.

Rachel Bickerton, an artist and one of Mr Saft’s Compass colleagues, is becoming well-known for custom acrylic and charcoal artworks created for staging projects throughout Manhattan. Mr Saft asked her to create a custom piece of artwork at a $US2.75m loft condo on East 20th Street in Manhattan. He wanted something that would bring contrast to the home’s strong, linear design but harmonised with the space’s minimalist colour palette.

“We wanted to add some curvature and femininity to the space,” Mr Saft said. The result was a sensuous nude print that cost $US1000. Once the space sells, Mr Saft intends to keep the art for subsequent projects. “Custom art can be a great tool to attract buyers as it adds to the allure of originality and exclusivity,” said Mr Saft.

When potential buyers view multiple listings, Mr Saft says, they often see the same generic artwork hanging in every model apartment, but “original pieces stand out in a crowded sea of sameness”.

The practice of creating site-specific art or curated art installations is also a great way to help affluent buyers envisage how they might create a private gallery space in the home.

Mara Flash Blum, an associate broker with Sotheby’s International Realty, and Richard Grossman, president of Halstead Real Estate, both believe that powerful art pieces can successfully boost a home’s value.

“Art by a well-known artist can also lend a cachet to the property, which is particularly important in higher-end listings,” said Mr Grossman. “Walking into a home with high ceilings and a 9-foot high Christopher Wool painting in the foyer is very dramatic — and it certainly says someone successful lives here. That statement resonates with high-end buyers,” said Mr Grossman.

Leonard Steinberg, a broker with Compass in New York City, said that showcasing art is an important real estate marketing tool. Mr Steinberg is selling a $US10m, three-bedroom condo at 100 East 53rd Street that has been staged using pieces by Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly and John Chamberlain from real estate investor Aby Rosen’s private collection.

The Wall Street Journal