Our living room at Fox Hall features a pair of antique, Italianate gilded wall brackets on either side of our painting of a terrier. We discovered the painting at a gallery in Prague, and our children all voted to buy it. To this day, it is one of their favorite pieces! Mummy found the antique pair of Chinese porcelain jars in Hong Kong back in the 1960’s, and I think the graceful curves of the brackets complement the curves of the porcelain.
A pair of lovely wall brackets will enhance any wall... in any type of interior!
In my Lessons for Lovely Living, decorative wall brackets seem like an appropriate topic to discuss at the beginning of November. I am steering away from our national election issues, and instead will focus on home sweet home! This time of year, quite fittingly, many wish to spruce up interior areas for the upcoming holidays, even during Covid times.
The Canton porcelain pieces, which flank either side of a portrait of my grandfather, required rather large wall brackets!
Use your imagination, and join me in envisioning wall brackets as pretty drop-earrings that adorn a wall! Wall brackets are stands that support three-dimensional artwork such as porcelain pieces, sculptures, clocks, and even candlestick holders. They have graced interiors in Europe for centuries. A charming pair of 1760-80, gilded shell wall brackets from England even embellish the front parlor of George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Wall brackets are my go-to for enhancing a wall space inside of Fox Hall, and for my clients.
This pair is based on an 18th-century design and are hand carved with an antique gold gilt. Scully and Scully offer some lovely options.
Wall brackets give dimension to a wall. If purchased in pairs (highly recommended!), they add glorious symmetry when placed on either side of a featured piece of artwork or a looking glass (mirror). I refer to them in my book, The Pretty & Proper Living Room. Wall brackets come in all sizes, shapes, and forms. They can be made of gilded wood, stone, plaster, acrylic, and other media forms.
Like picture frames, wall brackets should complement the object they hold, and the room they are displayed within. When you discover a pretty pair, my recommendation is to buy them! My husband and I purchased a set of four gilded brackets from the Mario Buatta sale at Sotheby’s in NYC, and they are patiently waiting to be appointed to a wall in Fox Hall!
While shopping for a client in Palm Beach, I spied these fun and attractive acrylic wall brackets at the store HIVE.
Grandmillennial Tips:
When you have a piece of porcelain, such as a vase or a Chinese ginger jar, and wish to display it on a wall bracket, remember to measure the widest point, as the widest point will push the piece away from the wall, sometimes further than just the base. It may require a larger shelf surface, necessary for the item to appropriately fit. I once purchased a rather buxom pair of Canton vases. It was a challenge to find a large enough shelf on the wall bracket to place them on, but eventually, I found a pair!
From overzealous, dusting endeavorist housekeepers, to slamming doors, remember to use some “museum putty” under the pieces displayed to keep them in place on the wall brackets.
There is nothing like pretty earrings to finish off an elegant outfit, so let your imagination go wild with the array of possibilities of what to display on your wall brackets! There are endless options. Look around your house for a pair of “something pretty” and ponder… are they wall bracket-worthy?!
Forbidden Faux Pas:
No-no: To hang a pair of wall brackets too high when used to grace either side of a piece of artwork!
No-no: Try not to only center the wall bracket on the piece of art, but instead, center the entire composition of both the wall bracket and the item that is placed upon it. If anything, the composition can be hung a scant lower than dead center of the artwork.