Original paintings for a condo, wall by wall

Which painting goes on which wall of a condo?

The wall decides three things: how much sun the piece gets, how far away you stand from it and how big it can be. Read your own unit against the letters on the plan.

Ashared wall

The interior wall facing the glass

This is the wall shared with the corridor or the next unit, and the one daylight reaches only from across the room. It is the safest place in a condo for a work that should stay out of the sun.

Hamsin is one of the few works in the catalogue that names a natural dye, so this is where it belongs. What direct sun costs explains why fading is the one change you cannot undo.

Bbeside the glass

The short wall that meets the window

Light crosses this wall from the side. On a resin-sealed board that is the best light there is: it picks out the depth of the layers without throwing the window back at you.

The artist says Zwei Goldfische has up to ten clear coats over the line work. Keep it a little away from the glass itself, where the sun lands directly in the afternoon.

Cby the door

The narrow strip in the entry

Between the door, the closet and the bathroom there is often a piece of wall under three feet wide. You pass it a step away, so a small painting reads well there and a big one feels like it is in the way.

An 11 by 14 inch canvas is light enough for one picture hook. Leave roughly the painting’s own width of bare wall on each side; choosing a scale for a wall shows how to tape it out first.

Dabove the bed

The long wall over a bed or a console

Ceilings in many condos are low, so a horizontal piece suits this wall better than a tall one. At 36 by 20 inches, Fluently Python spans most of a queen headboard without reaching the ceiling.

A framed board is heavier than a canvas, and a work hung over a bed has to be fixed properly. Ask us about the hanging hardware on the back before you plan the fixing.

Gloss or open canvas near a window wall?

Many works here are sealed under poured resin and a few are left as open canvas. In a unit with a glass wall the difference matters more than the colour.

Resin-sealed: Infinity, 16 × 20 in

• A hard, glossy face. Hung straight across from the glass, it shows you the window.
• Side light makes the clear layers look deep, which is the point of the finish.
• Dust wipes off the surface. A resin finish in a room covers the rest.

Open canvas: Spring Thoughts, 11 × 14 in

• A matte surface with no glare, so it can face the glass wall.
• It still fades in direct sun, so “facing the window” means across the room, not in the sun patch on the floor.
• Light and easy to move if the afternoon sun turns out to reach it.

Can you drill into the walls of a condo?

Often yes, but the answer is in your building’s documents. In Ontario a condo is split into units and common elements, as the Condominium Authority of Ontario explains, and the declaration and rules of your corporation set what you may fix to which wall. Before you buy a heavy piece, put three questions to your property manager.

1. 1

   Which walls belong to my unit?

   The declaration says where the unit ends. A wall shared with the corridor may not be yours to drill.

2. 2

   Do the rules limit anchors or holes?

   Some buildings ask owners to patch holes or use a set kind of fixing. Ask before the drill comes out.

3. 3

   Is any of my walls concrete?

   Concrete needs different anchors from drywall. A framed board over a bed needs the right one. How to hang a heavy painting goes through them.

If you rent, the landlord’s permission comes on top of the building’s rules; hanging art in a rental has the details. We are a gallery, so your manager is the person to read your rules to you.

What if there is no wall left?

A condo with one side of glass runs out of wall fast. Sergei Troshin paints furniture and small home pieces with the same layered technique as his panels, and they need no hook at all.

The round side tables stand on three tapered wooden legs, and a painted, resin-sealed tissue box sits on a shelf. A small canvas can also stand on a console instead of hanging. Dimensions of the furniture are given on request, so ask before you measure the corner.

The full catalogue lists every table and accent with its photo.

Will a large painting fit in the condo lift?

A small work goes home in your arms. The larger works in the catalogue are another matter: these are their longest sides, drawn to the same scale.

Before a piece over about three feet is on its way, measure:

• the lift door, width and height, and the depth inside the car;
• the tightest turn in the corridor to your door;
• your own door frame.

Ask the building whether deliveries need booking and which lift to use. You can collect a work from the gallery, or we pack it and quote delivery to your address; shipping an original explains how.

Questions condo owners ask us