House Beautiful Magazine has a great series of tips from top decorators all about how to take your home from good to great. We particularly like their tips for hanging art (above). See all of the tips - 101 in all - here. And, in case you're wondering, all ArtStar mats are 8 ply Hahnemuhle paper with a lovely beveled edge. For a great example of a gallery-style wall see below from Young House Love, and of course, you don't have to follow these (or any) decorating tips to the letter. The important this is to make your space your own!

For our Friday design inspiration we're loving these dalmatian spotted chairs (sourced via pinterest, if you've got the credit for this pic let us know!). They take polka dots from cutesy to a whole new level of cool and the pink piping keeps the pattern from being too dizzying. Pair them with some bright pastels - we love the abstracts above the fireplace - and some gold accents and you've got a look that is fresh and invigorating.

Art is a great wedding gift, and in urban centers where space is at a premium there is nothing better than a gift that doesn't take up precious closet, kitchen or bathroom space. As Annie notes in the MSN article below,  "while cabinet space was hard to come by, the walls were free reign!" Read more about offbeat wedding in this adorable article on GLO including a profile of Annie & Pierre who used ArtStar for their registry. From eco conscious registries to those that help you buy a house, the process of registering for a wedding is no longer confined to towels and candlesticks. Read the full article here.

Modern Gifting by Martine Bury

"About 60 percent of today's couples live together before getting married—which means that by the time they're engaged, they're well-stocked with dinnerware, linens and small kitchen appliances. As a result, alternative wedding registries that offer everything from far-flung adventures to cold hard cash are booming. See what these six couples put on their wedding wish lists.

Whether trying new restaurants or exploring museums and galleries, newlyweds Annie and Pierre-Antoine love city living. "Space inside our tiny one bedroom is limited and it physically wasn't possible to fit new dishes, china, bed linens and towels into our little apartment," says Annie. Instead of registering for the usual wares, Guill and Bollet opted to deck their walls with personally inspiring, limited-edition art pieces from the registry ArtStar. "While cabinet space was hard to come by, the walls were free reign!" Annie says." Read the rest of the article HERE and see Annie & Pierre's picks by Irene Suchocki, Cheryl Maeder, Noel Kerns and Kim Holtermand.

Join us at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show

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March 21-24 at Pier 94 in NYC

Booth 242

Trade Day: Thursday March 21st

Purchase Tickets HERE

Register as Trade HERE

HOURS

To preview work that ArtStar will be featuring, click HERE

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Interior designers are invited to join us for a reception in the ArtStar booth on March 21st from 4-6pm. Meet our curatorial team, preview new artists and explore our new framing options!

 We will be offering a trade discount to registered interior designers.

Questions? Email us at hello@artstar.com

Stripey Scalene Triangle

We're very excited to be launching the work of English artist Gary Andrew Clarke and not just because he's on the wall of Twitter's London office. Check out his wonderful graphic work work on ArtStar and add a piece, or two, to your collection and impress your design-savvy friends.

About Clarke:

Gary Andrew Clarke was born in Leicester, England in 1970. He studied graphic arts at Manchester Polytechnic (later Manchester Metropolitan University) from 1989-91. He subsequently spent several years working within the music industry for a number of major and independent labels. In the late 2000s he began to produce graphic art to sell as prints. His work became widely noticed in 2009, with a series of work based on well-known works of art reduced down to a simple grid of coloured circles. These have been reproduced in many of the leading design and art blogs. His Mona Lisa Remixed, from the series, is on the wall of Twitter’s London HQ. His work has been featured in several art & design books including Foundations of Design, along with various magazine features.

MacArthur Park

Augmented Pentagonal Prism

To see more of Clarke's work on ArtStar, click here.

The Natural Habitat of an Object, by Paul Wackers, 2007

It's finally winter here in NYC, long cold nights and bright days, but that doesn't mean we're down in the dumps. In fact, we love winter and the bare branches and sparkling snow. Recently we spotted this painting by Paul Wacker (above) from 2007 and it recalled to us the work of the early 20th century Canadian roughly-affiliated group of painters the Group of Seven. It's always exciting to see work that echoes each other across centuries, whether or not the artists inspired each other, and these three seem to make a lovely, winter-y pairing.

Franklin Carmichael, Mirror Lake, 1929

 Lawren Harris, Mount Robson, 1929

So we're back in the office from Miami (and the Nespresso coffee maker is our BFF) and getting a little panicked out that Christmas is only 2 weeks away (and Chanukah has already started!). For tomorrow we're planning a great newsletter all about the trickiest people on your list - that means you boys (and dad). No ties, we promise. And don't forget that ArtStar has easy gift certificates for everyone on your list. Need extra help? Drop us a line at hello@artstar.com. Plus stay tuned for more observations from Art Basel and the Miami Fairs.

Get Creative, Give Creative

Art lovers everywhere know that art is one of the greatest gifts to give and to receive. But finding that piece that fits someone's exact style can be a challenge, which is why I've assembled some of my favorite picks for her, him and home for the holidays.  From romantic views of Paris to sporty photographs of soccer goals to abstracts the whole family will love, there's something for everyone. Plus with 15% off all purchases through Cyber Monday there's no reason not to show those special people in your life that you love them, and their walls! Give art. Because a throw pillow never inspired anyone.
- Chrissy Crawford, Founder

For the Jetsetter: Ciel Bleu by Irene Suchocki              For the Natural Beauty: Top Knot I by Elizabeth Mayville

For the Athlete: Goals by Kim Holtermand              For the Jokester: Mr. White by Jason Alper

For the Beach House & the Modern Loft: Hawaiian Beach by Richard Silver & Desperate Girls by Hayoung Kim.

More from our friends at Heartwork. Truer words were never spoken! (plus check out their gorgeous office furniture - we're dying for the media credenza in yellow)

This room from the New York Times shows that art is more than paint and canvas or photography. Fabric and textiles can make a beautiful wall hanging too, as demonstrated by this gorgeous contemporary quilt. Note also the mix of textures and the blue and sienna shades picked up in the lighting and pillow on the chair. Sophisticated and gorgeous. Photo by Jan Sondergaard.