Carnemark and his team began with structural changes that included removing the wall separating the kitchen from the open-plan sitting area to give the cook a view of the outdoors as well as of the artwork displayed across the room. They also replaced one wall with a floating, trapezoid-shaped art wall edged in stainless steel and anchored top and bottom by stainless-steel legs. This wall “allows light to transfer between the rooms while creating a dramatic, two-sided frame for art,” Carnemark says.He and his team provided a clean backdrop for the art on the main floor with white-painted walls and large-format porcelain floor tiles that look like poured concrete in a light gray color. Downstairs, they retained the original wood floors, but added crisp, modern details on both levels such as the stainless-steel staircase and cable rails.
Before positioning the paintings and sculpture, Carnemark and his team completed an art inventory with the clients. “We created a plan for placement and color,” he explains. “We did groupings of paintings and the clients decided which major pieces they wanted to showcase in the public spaces in the house.”
Recessed halogen lights were placed strategically on gimbals that can be ad-justed to illuminate each piece of art.
RENOVATION ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN: JONAS CARNEMARK, CR, CKD, CARNEMARK, Bethesda, Maryland. PHOTOGRAPHY: ANICE HOACHLANDER.
JONAS CARNEMARK'S TRADE SECRETS: