Artful Living: Creative Ways To Use Sculpture At Home

Sculpture has long been celebrated as one of the most expressive art forms, but its place isn’t limited to museums and grand estates. In the home, sculpture brings personality, atmosphere and artistry into everyday spaces. Unlike paintings or photographs, sculptures are tactile and multi-dimensional. They invite us to interact with them and notice the play of light and shadow across their surfaces. An eye-catching design used as a focal point can anchor a room or add visual interest to an otherwise blank wall, while bookshelves, side tables and mantles are all great spaces to add a subtle accent piece.

Sculpture has a way of elevating ordinary settings into extraordinary experiences. Outdoors, sculptures become landmarks that shape the flow and feeling of the patio, terrace or garden, encouraging you to experience and connect with your environment on a deeper level. Find out more about how to display sculptures outdoors.

Here, we share creative ways to display art and sculpture at home.

Creative ways to bring sculpture into the home

Create a focal point

Creating a focal point in a room anchors the space. To do this, art and sculpture are commonly displayed in prominent locations to draw the eye and create a primary area of interest. For example, in a dining room, the table is the focal point. This is why candles, vases or smaller sculptures work so well as centerpieces. Large sculptures easily grab your attention, but when it comes to displaying large sculptures in the home, you need to give the piece space to avoid making the room feel cluttered.

Use sculpture as wall art

Sculpture is a great way to make an artistic statement in your home and build on an existing art collection. It can be displayed as a standalone piece to fill an empty wall or as part of an art gallery wall of art prints and paintings you already own. Metal sculptures with reflective features play with light and shadow, can make the room feel bigger, and encourage viewers to experience the room from different perspectives. Wall-mounted sculptures are also a captivating way to add depth and interest, and some materials have eye-catching textural patinas that can work with the existing colors and textures within the room, which is perfect if you like a layered interior design approach.

Statement hallways

Make a lasting first impression by displaying a striking sculpture in the entryway of your home. Console tables over radiators in narrow hallways often need embellishment, or if space allows, freestanding sculptures in a large entranceway make a dramatic statement. Think about spaces outside the home – a courtyard, porch, or even a set of steps leading to your front door could stage a large sculpture and set the tone for your personal style. Outdoor sculpture, such as Dark Planet, Hydra and our oxidized steel Alba, displayed on a terrace, patio or garden close to the home, has the double benefit of elevating your outdoor space while creating an artful view through the window of the house.

Use shelves or a mantelpiece

A bookshelf, a mantel or even a windowsill or coffee table are perfect places to display smaller sculptures, leaving the wall free to hang art or larger pieces of sculpture. You can be playful here, as the artwork is less likely to be fixed. Try combining different styles and sizes, and even add some non-art pieces such as photo frames or collectable items to create a vignette that feels dynamic but still personal to you. In a living room, be creative with side tables. The versatile pieces of furniture offer up useful, movable surfaces to showcase sculpture, and art displayed at eye level is much easier to see and enjoy.

Displaying sculpture in smaller spaces

Free-standing designs like Alba are perfect for smaller spaces. They offer more flexibility, as they don’t need to be securely anchored to any surface or connected to utilities such as water or electricity, and can be moved easily if need be. Wall sculptures are a great choice for rooms with a small footprint, and you can display pieces on surfaces such as bookshelves or side tables to add character and interest without taking up extra floor space.

What are creative ways to showcase sculptures in a living room?

In a living room, a mantlepiece, side table, bookshelf, fireplace or large wall can all benefit from sculptural embellishment. The size and material of the piece will help determine which setting is best, but consider the natural and artificial light in the room, too. An abstract sculpture will draw you to it, so create space to allow you to get up close and appreciate the craftsmanship. Whereas minimalist rooms might benefit from an organic sculpture to build on the feeling of a considered, and curated living space.

Practical considerations

As with any piece of interior decor, there are practical considerations that come with displaying art or sculpture.

How can I display sculptures at home without cluttering the space?

Think carefully about the size of the piece of art or sculpture, the size of your room and the mood or atmosphere you’re hoping to create. You don’t want a large sculpture that dominates, but equally, a piece that is too small won’t hold its own and could contribute to the feeling of a cluttered space.

Whatever its size, this piece is an investment, so don’t hide it away or mask its beauty by displaying it alongside too many other items. Think like a gallerist and carefully select how the works of art in a room piece together. Enjoy the creative process, moving pieces and experimenting with placement until you think you’ve curated the look or feel you want.

A spotlight on lighting

A thoughtfully placed spotlight or downlight will extend the viewing pleasure of your artwork into the evening. Even small sculptures, tucked into a well-lit bookcase or displayed on a mantel, will become more noticeable and dramatic when the lights come on at night, casting playful shadows across the room. In addition to making sculptures and art more visible, lighting can enhance the shape, texture and form of sculptures, creating a more immersive viewer experience. If you’re wondering how to light a sculpture in your home, read our guide.

Material choices and maintenance

The material your sculpture is shaped with influences how and where the piece should be displayed. Contemporary art made with stainless steel will reflect any natural light in the room, making the space feel larger, but it may not be suitable for a room designed to feel intimate and cozy.

You want your sculpture to continue to look its best. If the piece you have chosen requires a lot of maintenance, access to the artwork needs to be easy to allow for this.

What is the best wall color to display art?

It depends on the style and design of the art or sculpture you want to display, and the mood you want to create in your home. Add drama with contrasting colors or create a calm, soft atmosphere by choosing colors that harmonize with the wall color you have. When it comes to displaying sculpture, the same principles apply. A reflective, metal design will bring light into darker rooms, whereas natural patinas suit a more earthy and natural palette. Often, art can be a source of inspiration for a wall color, so if you’re designing a room from scratch and don’t know what color to paint your walls, start with an art piece or sculpture you love and use those colors and textures as inspiration.

If you choose to buy a David Harber sculpture, the team would be happy to arrange a site visit to suggest locations for your chosen piece. We can also provide CGI visuals and animated renders to help visualize how each piece will inhabit your space. To start your creative journey with us, email enquiries@davidharber.com.