The Art of Home blog series chronicles my visits to the homes of devoted art lovers to chat about how they live with, collect, and curate the pieces in their space. Their stories inspire us to integrate original art and handmade objects into our homes – and are shifting the common perception of “art collecting” from a lofty pastime to a fulfilling, fun, and attainable endeavor.
Meggan Waltman is a local artist whose Yalecrest home echoes her own painting style: light and airy with a sophisticated balance of bold color, pattern, and pastel hues. Perfectly perched on Yale Ave, the home’s large vertical windows allow natural light to stream into the front sitting rooms, which are curated with vintage or designed furniture, artwork, books, pottery, and other artful oddities. Her collection continues throughout the rest of the home, which she owns with husband/architect Brad Waltman of Inhabit Design Build.
Not surprisingly, Meggan is also an interior stylist; she’s the former owner of the Harvey Shop in the 9th and 9th neighborhood, and now works with patrons directly to style art and objects for their homes. When sourcing pieces for clients, her mantra is “affordable yet authentic,” as she aims to bring aesthetic balance to their space. When it comes to buying art for her own collection, Meggan chooses pieces based on personal connection, intuition, and a joyful yet comforting mood. Photographs by Ester Voisin and Seth Smoot, a collage by Colour Maisch, and an intimate abstract by Portia Snow are prominently displayed as local pieces in her space, intermixed with her own artwork and vintage paintings sourced from local shops or at auctions. Many pieces are grouped, with paintings hung salon-style or ceramics clustered by color. An assortment of blue pottery fills a kitchen shelf while a collection of pink design books stack naturally on a coffee table.
“One might feel random, but ten is a statement,” says Meggan of her cohesive home curating.
Having purchased most of her vintage art and furniture from shops like the Green Ant, Shadowplay, Urban Vintage and other local haunts, Meggan encourages those seeking a unique yet cohesive look to do the same. “I used to sift through junk shops to find the good stuff, but now I just wait for other people to curate it – our local shop owners have a great eye.”
Once a savvy shop owner herself, Meggan definitely has her own unique eye for art and design, which she, no doubt, developed from personal experience in creative fields. Having been a musician her entire life, she pursued it professionally in LA while working for a designer as a day job. She’s always crafted and sewed, but ultimately pursued painting as an adult. Most recently, her art has been featured by Modern West Fine Art and 801 Salon at Vis.
Meggan’s paintings are minimalist and abstract, created with oil and natural pigment yet achieve a fluid translucency similar to watercolor. While she loves to paint large, keeping inventory on hand became a logistical challenge and led to her current series of paper tile paintings, which are built from small square paintings on cotton rag paper. With the ability to work small, she can create these pieces in her home and work collaboratively with clients who may be interested in specific elements, tones or sizes. “It’s a fun experience and hopefully brings meaning to what people have in their home,” she says of co-creating the compositions. Personal connection is one of the most important factors for Meggan when purchasing art for her home, and this process allows her to impart that experience to buyers of her own work.
Meggan gave us a few more insights into her approach to art collecting and home styling in the Q&A below…
Why is it important for you to live with original art & objects? What is your “why” when it comes to collecting?
I enjoy living with original art and unique objects because they help create a joyful and comforting mood. Choosing a piece of original art is intuitive, there is a personal connection that is made that feels authentic and grounding to me. I like having things around that lift me up, spark curiosity and make me feel like our home is where we can relax, be ourselves, get cozy and regenerate.
You also source and style art for clients – what are some of the things that you consider when choosing artwork for a specific space or design?
The most helpful thing for me when styling and sourcing for a project is getting to know my client/clients!!! I love seeing what they have collected so far? What they feel is missing? What they have always wanted to live with but haven’t known how to make work with what they already own? What is working for them in their space and What is bringing them down or turning them off about their space?
What do you think are the biggest influences on your design style?
Travel, nature, art, grandmas.
In addition to pieces by current artists (including yourself!), there’s also a lot of vintage art in your home and intentional furniture pieces that are vintage or personally designed. Do you have any tips on how to cohesively style an eclectic collection?
Start with something you love, and then just add to it! Try to keep a common thread that continues throughout the collection and as it grows, edit out pieces that seem out of place or less special than the others.
cityhomeUNDERGROUND has been a COLLECTIVE dream for quite some time, and lately it’s felt fully realized due to the intentional work of our team members and talented community partners. Our most recent activation was an art exhibit curated by agents Kelly Carper and Samuel Johnson, who brought together the work of local creators Colour Maisch & Emily Plewe. The connections couldn’t have been more seamless between the artists’ energy, the pairing of their pieces, and the artwork’s attunement to our space. It all coalesced on opening night with the presence and engagement of our community during the Sale Lake Gallery Stroll. This special event was reviewed by our friend Shawn Rossiter at 15 Bytes, who we think captured the feeling of the evening and the artwork quite well….
“The venue has the vibe of a Zen retreat, seasoned with a pinch of the speakeasy….Opening night, lights are low, candles on the floor provide a warm, intimate glow, which works well with the art — porcelain sculptures by Colour Maisch and oil paintings by Emily Plewe…The white spaces of Plewes’s paintings are illuminations, like casts of sunlight poking through a crack in the wall. Maisch’s sculptures are revelations, both micro and macro, cousins to stalagmites and stalactites…”
Read the full review of the exhibit and experience at cityhomeUNDERGROUND, here.
EARTH / ETHER is currently on display at cityhomeUNDERGROUND featuring the work of two Salt Lake City artists, Colour Maisch & Emily Plewe.
Rooted in the earth element with Colour’s porcelain and ink sculptures, the exhibition is expanded by Emily’s abstract paintings that are inspired by cosmology and the vastness of the universe. It is a striking, yet meditative show that allows us to consider the connections between this world and the next, and our place within it all.
“I am drawn to the inevitable impact of time, place, and environment on a body. I use the word body in a very broad sense and mean it to not only encompass the human body, but also the body of the Earth and the body of materials we surround ourselves with. Ultimately, my work is about degradation of my own body, the degrading bodies and beings around me, and a degrading environment…” – Colour Maisch
“My work explores interactions, energy, interrelationships, and the parallels that exist between the macrocosmic and microcosmic elements of the universe. The work is informed by my studies of quantum physics and cosmology. As an artist, I find concepts and discoveries in these fields to be endlessly fascinating and evocative….” – Emily Plewe
cityhome agents and art lovers Kelly Carper and Samuel Green are the organizers behind this exhibition, and would love to invite the community into the space once again during the Salt Lake Gallery Stroll on March 17th from 6-9pm. The pair will also be hosting Coffee with the Collective on Wednesday, March 15th from 9am to noon in the adjacent lounge, where you can stop in for a warm morning beverage after perusing the art. Not a bad way to start the day…or to end the week.
You can also experience this show during our regular cityhomeCOLLECTIVE office hours by sending us a text at 801-718-5555 or email [email protected]
We look forward to having you in our home.
Upcoming at the cityhomeUNDERGROUND: two-person art exhibition featuring Colour Maisch and Emily Plewe, presented by cityhome agents Kelly Carper and Samuel Johnson
Appreciating and respecting the beauty of our everyday environments is key to our work at cityhomeCOLLECTIVE. We celebrate beautiful places and spaces as a means of community advocacy, but it’s also how we stay inspired as realtors, designers, entrepreneurs and creative professionals. It’s probably why we feel a special kinship with local artist Colour Maisch, who is not only an ardent observer of beauty but who also inspires us to find it in the most unexpected of places. Fellow cityhome agent Samuel Johnson and I recently visited her studio in downtown Salt Lake in preparation for our upcoming exhibition at the cityhomeUNDERGROUND, which will feature Colour’s sculptures along with contemporary paintings by Emily Plewe.
Both artists’ work are explorations of place, time, nature and beauty.
At Colour’s studio, Samuel and I learned about her creative process and unique artistic material, which extends from traditional mediums such as porcelain, paper, and ink to also include items like discarded objects, industrial products and organic earth elements. With her observant eye and creative perspective, Colour intuitively collects these unexpected materials and brings them into her studio, where they eventually find their way into her compositions – often symbolizing moments in time or stages of life.
“Objects and processes that illustrate the abstract concept of passed time are frequent subjects of inquiry,” says Colour in her artist statement, “as they contrast the mainstream obsession with newness.”
We were particularly fascinated by Colour’s porcelain and ink sculptures, whose abstract shapes are actually symbolic remnants of their pre-fired forms. In their early stage of creation, clay is mixed with foraged grasses to form a single mass of material, which is then fired. The kiln burns out the organic material, leaving behind a skeleton of its initial shape along with a continuously shedding white ash. The pieces are then soaked in ink water for weeks or even months – or in some cases left outdoors to be weathered by the elements – allowing time and nature to leave their mark on the final piece. The artist considers the entire process a resurrection of sorts, stating that “in the end, we all degrade to material and return to matter.” She says: “In my understanding of the world, we also return to something that is just as alive- albeit different.”
ART SHOW OPEN HOUSE | FEBRUARY 17 6:00-9:00 | CITYHOMEUNDERGROUND 645 E SOUTH TEMPLE | CLICK Here to rsvp
For Agents: Broker Open House on Chandler Drive
The winter season typically brings with it a slower pace for the real estate industry, affording agents more time and space to plan for the year ahead. This is when we business plan, assist sellers in preparing for spring listings, and help buyers develop their vision of “home” for the new year. There’s more opportunity for agents to network at events like the annual Housing Forecast, complete continuing education courses, or just take space to regroup before the active spring season.
This is why we feel that winter is the best time for industry professionals to gather together and share our thoughts on the market or to simply connect as comrades in the field. And what better way to do it than over a glass of wine in a beautiful home for sale? Please join cityhome agent Kelly Carper and Sharla Ellis from Fairway Independent Mortgage for a Broker Open House on Thursday, January 26th from 3-5pm in Arlington Hills, at 1383 Chandler Drive. Close out your work day by networking with fellow agents in the neighborhood, previewing this special home for your buyers, or creating content for your marketing efforts. We look forward to connecting with you!
“The Art of Home” blog series explores the spaces of local art lovers and collectors, who, more often than not, also tend to be community leaders and entrepreneurs in the arts. My most recent interview and home tour was with fashion photographer, producer and director Heidi Gress, whose work takes her all over the world with a client list ranging from BMW to Aveda cosmetics. Heidi’s local endeavors are equally impressive; she is a former owner of (A)perture marketing company and art gallery, whose projects supported emerging artists and raised money for charitable organizations through unique partnerships and conceptual exhibitions. Perhaps most notably, she also co-founded the Art Meets Fashion Foundation, a non-profit that merges art with fashion to benefit various causes through high profile events.
Creative people shape creative spaces (and vice versa) which definitely proves to be true in Heidi’s unique home, both past and present.
Previously owned by artists and built by a sculptor in the 1970s, the home is made from repurposed oil drums that expand and contract depending on the season. Its unconventional shape makes for a fun yet challenging environment to design and display art, which Heidi tackles with an all-in approach that she describes as “eclectic maximalism.” Original artwork acquired by purchase or trade hangs on wallpapered or brightly painted walls, surrounded by décor and artifacts collected from her world travels. Many pieces in her collection are by local artists, as she feels it is imperative to support other creatives in the community. Heidi also comes from a family of artists and art lovers; paintings by her father are prominently displayed throughout her space, in addition to several of her own photographs from fashion shoots or documentary projects. “Each piece in my home has a story attached to it, whether a country, a person or a history that I am connected to,” she says. “If it makes me happy, it goes on my walls.”
Heidi’s unique home is a respite between her travels, a work-from-home haven, and an outlet for her own creative design expression. Read our interview to learn more about the art collection and design philosophies that shape her space.
Let’s start by talking about the biggest piece of art in your collection, the house itself! Can you share a little about its architectural history and unique features? What was it that first attracted you to the home?
The house was built in 1973 and was designed by a local sculptor Mont Crosland. It is made up of multiple fiberglass domes with a traditional basement foundation. It has 6 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and is approximately 3600 sq. ft. It is highly energy efficient and the house breathes in the hot and cold climate. All the seams are flexible and allow for this. Everyone in this neighborhood calls it the igloo house, but I always thought it resembled something from Star Wars on Tatooine.
When I first toured the home the owner Lynn Behm said he felt only an artist would appreciate the space. Behm had lived in the house with his late wife who loved art and his daughter who studied hair design. I felt an instant energy with the home and even though it is difficult to work out the best way to display art on the walls, it has almost pushed me to be more creative in my approach.
If you had to label your style or design philosophy when it comes to curating your home, what would that be? How is it reflected in your space and art collection?
I think my style is best categorized as eclectic maximalist. Eclectic and maximalist interior design styles are joyful and playful, and they depend on finely sourced objects, fun-looking bold patterns, and an array of textures. Eclectic maximalism interior design appreciates furniture and home accessories that often invade the house with larger-than-life energy. I add layers, textures and materials. I source art, furniture, and decorative items from different eras as well. Nevertheless, I try to look for a balance – like a complementary color scheme or find a focal point in each space so it doesn’t come across as chaotic or messy.
Why is it important to you to live with original art? Can you share a little about your “why” when it comes to collecting?
I don’t really have a specific guideline to collecting art. If it makes me happy it goes on my walls. I am purely an emotional collector. I have been lucky enough to work with some exceptional artists and some of my art pieces are gifts or trades, others I have invested in because I really enjoy the work. I do think it’s important to have art that speaks to you. I love original art, but sometimes I can’t afford a piece so I might get a print from the artist. I recently went to an exhibition in Amsterdam and The Kid’s art really spoke to me. I could only buy a print since purchasing an actual piece was impossible. In addition, I also collect from my travels. I like meeting an artist on the street or a carver or basket weaver and buying handmade art – plus, it supports the local economy of where I am.
Tell us about your collection. Is there a certain style, aesthetic or medium that you are drawn to when buying artwork for your home? What attracts you to purchase/collect certain pieces?
The art has to tell a story. I have one oil painting my father did for my grandfather of his home in Denmark and it hung over my grandparents bed my entire life; later my father painted acrylic abstracts and purely emotionally driven works. My dining room has a bold Moroccan blue and white wallpaper and is lined with blue plates that have been passed down through the women in our family, a Danish tradition. The tapestries in the entry room are from my great uncle who worked in set design in Hollywood 1930s-1950s and they were from a romantic Arabian themed film set.
Other works throughout the home illustrate African Diaspora of the Black American or the struggles of judgment placed on women. We also have Arabic art since my partner is from Saudi Arabia, but we choose to display it in a contemporary manner, i.e. a neon sign, paintings on skateboards, etc. Each piece in my home has a story attached to it whether a country, a person or a history that I am connected to. I have a few images of my own and cameras I have collected. I’m always acquiring new pieces, but I am starting to run out of space!
What advice do you have for other art lovers who are designing and curating unconventional spaces?
Just do what feels right! You don’t need a big budget, get creative. Your art can be your walls, I have plenty of crazy wallpaper and colors all over. I have tried everything. The cool thing about art is you can always try again. Want to paint that wall yellow? Do it! Want to splurge on a mixed media piece from your favorite artist? Why not! Love a poem? Well, get out the calligraphy set and frame it up. If you choose to live in an unconventional space then you already have an unconventional spirit. Your space should feel like you. Have fun, don’t take yourself too seriously. Life is too short to live a boring life!
Ah, historic homes – we’re drawn to their beautiful craftsmanship,
cozy character and classic design that reminds us of an earlier era, one in which our homes were built with intention and, hopefully, preserved with love and care. But a historic home is more than just a pretty house that’s built to last (though we’ve got no qualms with that) – it’s a work of art and evolving story that you as a homeowner get to help create and continue to write.
As real estate agents, we occasionally have the honor to be footnotes in these stories, turning the pages with care. When it comes to selling a historic home, we get to utilize creative marketing strategies that allow us to locate that special buyer who will appreciate the home’s artistry and are excited to be part of its living history.
My current listing at 2164 Jefferson Avenue is an adorable historic bungalow, built in 1907 in downtown Ogden where unique architecture and charming homes are common sightings. For this home, modern staging and contemporary art curation enhanced the interior living space, where high ceilings, preserved wood trim and refinished hardwood floors already gave it an inviting feel. We featured local artist Darryl Erdmann’s original abstract paintings (which are also available for sale) during Ogden’s First Friday Art Stroll with an Art Open House, where we connected with interested home buyers, art lovers, and other historic homeowners in the area.
As we continue to seek the right buyer for this home, we asked the current owner to share some of the things that make it so special…
Why did you buy this house? Like, what really sold you on it? The soul of this house spoke to me and my daughter’s hearts. It felt like home the moment we stepped inside.
If a stranger walked into your home when you weren’t there, what would your space tell them? That it’s a sanctuary. This space brings a sense of peace to recharge anyone who stays here.
Describe your home in one word: Timeless.
Best time of day in your home? And where should you be sitting for it? Sunset on the wraparound front porch. Morning coffee on the back patio.
How about seasonally speaking…what time of year suits this place best? Summer when you can walk to the Farmers Market and Twilight concerts. Fall and spring for the beauty and views, but winter really brings out the timelessness of the home.
Anything at all you want to say/pass along to the future owners of the home? I can only hope the new owners love this home even more than I do. The possibilities are endless and the timeless beauty and integrity of its era deserves to live on for generations to come.
“Modern Art Deserves a Hearing” – Maud Hardman, 1948
If you love the mid-century modern aesthetic as much as we do, then you’ll want to put a trip to the Springville Museum of Art on your to-do list this season. The Museum (whose incredible Spanish Colonial Revival-style architecture is alone worth a visit) is currently featuring Mixed Reviews: Utah Art at Mid-Century, an impressive exhibition that celebrates mid-century art, culture, and design. The show features almost 70 artworks from the Museum’s collection by traditional and modern artists working in Utah in the 1940s to 1960s, plus two galleries of mid-century interior design and decorative arts curated and designed by our very own Cody Derrick and Kelly Carper.
Kelly: This was a great partnership that brought together Cody’s design eye, my background in art curation, and the Museum’s incredible art collection. Cody and I designed the space with vintage furniture from cityhome’s own collection (with several pieces purchased locally from The Post and Strawberry Mansion) with a few key pieces sourced from Ron Green at the Green Ant. We had the exciting opportunity to select paintings from the Museum’s permanent collection, and we chose pieces from the period that exhibited the mood we associate with mid-century and the vibe we wanted folks to experience in the space. We kept the furniture period-correct, but approached the art curation with contemporary arrangements and included a few modern touches. We wanted the environment to feel nostalgic while also pointing to the continued relevance of the mid-century aesthetic.
We hope you feel at home there.
The Springville Museum describes the overall exhibition: In the years following WWII, critics, artists, and aficionados in mid-century Utah debated the role and merits of Modern art. Some argued for the traditional and beautiful, while others championed the turn to abstract styles and subjects. Ultimately, they argued, the viewer should be the judge. Good art, they claimed, could be determined by the viewer.
Seventy years later we’re reopening the debate and inviting you to become the critic. Which pieces do you like best and why? Which pieces capture the world, experiences, and ideas of Utahns post WWII? Which ones are the most fun? Celebrate mid-century modern art, culture, and design with us in this fun and playful exhibition.
You get to be the judge!
This exhibition is on display through May 13th, 2023, and you can learn more about it at smofa.org/mixed-reviews.
We focus a lot on interiors around here, but we also know that cultivating a creative home isn’t limited to interior design or even architectural elements. Our exterior landscapes and gardens are equally important aspects of our home and offer endless opportunities for expression, creation, and most importantly, connection with nature and the environment in which we live.
It’s more than just curb appeal:
For Shalae Larsen, residential landscape design is not only about creating a beautiful first impression, but also considers functionality, water conservation, the local ecosystem, and historic context of your home. The latter is a bit of a specialty for Shalae’s Ogden-based Landscape Architecture and Urban Design studio, Io LandArch, and was the focus of my recent visit to one of their signature projects.
The Healy House, built in 1920, is located in the Eccles Historic District of Ogden. Its Old English (cottage style) architecture is reminiscent of the English Art Nouveau era with a high-pitched roof, stucco exterior, arched entryways and exposed brick chimney. The home has quite the presence as it sits stoically on the corner of Eccles Avenue and 26th Street – when Shalae first visited the home, it was hidden behind giant hedges and a weedy lawn. To revamp the space, the new homeowner enlisted Io for a period-appropriate, yet modern design that was also pollinator and drought friendly.
According to Shalae, the first step in landscape design is to define the space, which in this case included a retaining wall and clipped boxwood hedges for boundary and definition. Once they had a flat plane to work with, perennials were planned in the homeowner’s preferred palette of yellow and purple (lavender, salvia, hyssops, yellow yarrow and black eyed susans, to name a few) and arranged in flowing bands that rhythmically wrap the corner yard. A red hibiscus flower accents the front entry, which features a curved archway intentionally framed by a boxwood bush.
The compositional planning is strikingly similar to that of an abstract painting or musical score.
“It looks natural and randomized, but there is a very specific choreography of color,” says Shalae, who made sure that no matter the time of year, something would always be flowering. “It’s like an orchestra,” she says of the layered blooms.
The result: a whimsical, meadow-style front yard with a mix of English and native plants that softly surround a meandering brick walkway – designed by Io with the original bricks. Beyond the iron fence line (also designed by Io, in an Arts & Crafts style) is phase two of the project, which includes a shade garden with fountain, custom vegetable garden boxes, a pergola that frames the pool, and an intentionally placed greenhouse. (Pro tip from Shalae: greenhouses should typically be aligned on an east-west axis for optimal winter sun.)
Even with such complexity, the Healy House landscape design has a cohesive flow that draws you from one space to the next, as if you’re walking through a series of outdoor rooms. “Our number one job as landscape architects is to define outdoor space,” says Shalae, who creates “rooms” using pergolas, fences or grade changes, and designs those spaces with intentional color, texture, and composition through her choice of plants and blooms. With the Healy House, the aesthetic of the Old English home had a direct influence on the design, as all of Io’s residential projects do – particularly the historic ones. No matter the style of your home, Io offers a range of options to begin planning a landscape, starting with a “seed plan” that will help you define your space and ballpark a budget. Word to the water-wise: excess gravel won’t help our bees and butterflies (or your neighborhood aesthetic) so get creative with your planning! Hiring a designer amounts to a small percentage of the overall cost of your plants, so why not use a professional to optimize the outcome? Check out Io LandArch’s services and templated residential designs on their website.
Here at cityhomeCOLLECTIVE, we take the process of selling homes a bit more personally than most. By spending time with our clients in their spaces, we get to truly feel what it’s like to live in their home, where we have conversations that get to the root of what makes it such a special spot. We ask the homeowners about the parties they’ve had, the best spot for morning coffee, what the unique aspects of their space say about them and what they’ll miss most about it. For my current clients on Chandler Drive, their answer to what they’ll miss about their home is also the first thing I felt when visiting: the tranquility.
This home truly feels like an oasis in the city, completely quiet apart from the birds that visit the tinkling fountain in the backyard. Perched above the street behind glimmering aspen trees, their home has a very private and sophisticated feel, with a backyard that can be enjoyed without another soul in sight – unless of course they’re invited, which we were lucky enough to be. Our agents enjoyed happy hour and conversation on the peaceful patio, chatting with the homeowners about their world travels and future plans for an international move. With a home full of art, artifacts, photographs and other personal items collected from their adventures, there was no shortage of stories and memories to be shared.
The takeaway: no matter where they traveled over the past 17 years, they were always happy to come home
