Need Wall Art? Rent Some of the Best

Filed under: Your Home, Design, etc, News & Trends, Furniture

A new site allows you to borrow art for your home the way that Netflix allows you to rent movies. And it just might change the way you think about home decorating.

When Jason Gracilieri moved into a new apartment three years ago, he stumbled upon a business idea.

Frustrated that the art he adored in his old pad just didn't look right in the new place, he got to thinking about a company where you could rent art -- a mix of landscapes, portraits, contemporary minimalism, you name it.

"I got to a point in my life where I wanted to move past mass-produced pieces of art. I wanted something substantial, with more meaning. I love the idea of owning original artwork, but it's obviously very expensive," says Gracilieri.

TurningArt.com, which launched in August, allows homeowners to try out art. You sign up for one of three subscription plans; each allows you one piece of art (a print) per month with varying durations of borrowing (from two months to three months to as long as you want). All of the art is from up and coming, emerging artists.

We like that the monthly fees are affordable. They range from $9.99 to $19.99, depending on how often you want to rotate your art (but use code "SHELTERPOP" for 15% off your first month!). For the $19.99 fee you have an unlimited amount of times you can swap prints. But we love that you can convert these fees to credits, which you cash in to purchase original art (not a print) from the site. It might be the same art you've fallen in love with after hanging it above your couch for two months. Or you might take a chance on a piece you haven't tried yet.

And if you're worried about trolling stores for frames to match the art, don't. This is one-stop shopping. When you sign-up you pick out a frame -- black or gold -- and your first piece of art arrives in that frame. All future pieces you swap out by keeping the frame and mailing only the print.

"I can see the benefits of switching out and 'trying out new art pieces' until you figure out what you like and find the right piece for a certain room," says Kerry Schuss, who owns KS Art in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City.

But the idea has its critics. "Artwork for rent seems to be more of a 'fill the walls' decorating kind of thing, which goes against my idealistic collecting goals," says Nicole Reid, gallery manager at Tory Folliard Gallery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her 22 years of experience in showing art has shown her that art collecting is a very personal thing. Besides, she says, most galleries offer clients the opportunity to make payments over time, like TurningArt.com does.

For those new to collecting art, TurningArt.com is very approachable. "It's an original art savings plan," says Gracilieri, whose wife is a gallery director and consultant on the site. There are more than a hundred artists from across the country represented in the collection, which numbers at around 400 pieces. "We add new artists and new artwork every week," he says. He plans to expand to multi-print subscription plans soon. (Unlike Netflix, you can't check out more than one product at once although you do have a queue.) Each Sunday morning a newsletter is sent out to subscribers that contains info about the latest acquisitions.

We asked Jason to name his five favorite pieces of art within the TurningArt.com collection.

1. Cambridge Plant by Luca Ricco (watercolor, $650)
Ricco started this painting after doctors discovered a tumor on his brain; he subsequently had surgery to remove it. After the surgery left him with limited use of his arms and legs, he re-taught himself to paint. He now paints with his left hand despite previously painting with his right hand. "Although the piece is of an industrial plant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, I look at all of Luca's work as an example of our will and ability to overcome -- very important for an entrepreneur," says Gracilieri.

2. Untitled (Topiary Tiger) by Greg Mamczak (acrylic on canvas, $1,000)
Graclieri has long been fascinated with skateboarding, which is suggested in this painting. "The description that Greg gave us for this particular piece is 'The complications of a stripe-less tiger.' I'm not exactly sure what that means, but there's a certain fun, irreverence to it. I also like the patterned graphics. You could almost see it as wallpaper, which is a huge trend in art right now," says Gracilieri.

3. Lighthouse by Jodi Chamberlain (oil on wood, $2,300)
Chamberlain, who lives and paints in New York City, is one of the newest artists to join TurningArt.com. "There's just something very surreal and peaceful about this particular piece," says Gracilieri. "The first time I saw it, I imagined a very small person looking down on the world below, far, far removed from all the hustle and bustle. It's a similar feeling to looking up at a clear, star-filled night sky."

4. F Line by Marianne Bland (acrylic on canvas, $1,800)
If you spot a San Francisco influence in this piece then you are absolutely right. Bland was born in the Bay Area during the '80s. By the age of 16 she had a business license for mural painting. "This painting is a wonderful snapshot of modern city life and very accessible for new collectors," says Gracilieri.

5. Blue Ball with Stars by David Robbins Estrada (oil on canvas, $670)
Gracilieri was drawn to this piece because of its conceptual nature. "The rooster is often a very masculine symbol, and when paired with the blue and the stars, the entire piece can be seen as a commentary on an American society dominated by aggressive and war-like males," he says.

And good news, ShelterPop readers -- if you're interested in signing up, use code "SHELTERPOP" for 15% off your first month!

Read more about decorating your walls:
House Tour: Maria Brito's Art-Filled Apartment
Map Art: From Old Maps to New Decor
Wallpaper Trends 2011: New, Fresh and Fun Designs

Now if you're getting ready to display artwork, check out this video about how to keep picture frames from scraping your walls:

 

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