Just like a prospective employee, an office only has one chance to make a good first impression.
Whether it’s a collection of paintings, photographs, sculptures or pottery, Orange County companies are using artwork to deck out their workspaces to enhance their images.
Some companies buy or rent art with the help of art consultants. Others find or make the art themselves.
Finding a good piece of art doesn’t just liven up a wall, it conveys an image to a company’s clients and employees, said Victoria Koutavas, founder and chief executive of Artspiration Inc., a Palm Desert-based art consulting firm that has decorated Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services Inc.’s Irvine office, the Cypress Community Center and Centex Corp.’s homebuilding division in Corona.
“Companies are realizing the impact artwork has on their employees who spend eight or more hours a day at work and clients and visitors that come to the office,” Koutavas said. “Just think of how you feel when you walk into a space that has made the effort to have art. You automatically feel better.”
Many times, the industry will dictate how a company will choose its artwork, she said.
Companies that make or produce certain products may have a consultant develop and frame photographs specific to their work.
Koutavas worked with a fruit and vegetable grower that had an 8-foot by 6-foot hand-woven tapestry commissioned that highlighted the produce they harvest, she said.
“The company wanted something that represented what it was about,” Koutavas said.
That’s the same approach that Fullerton-based office furniture maker Valentine Woodworks took when it decorated its headquarters with antique office furniture.
The company, which generates $5 million in yearly sales making office furniture for dealers, decorated its office with a collection of chairs and tables by Zeeland, Mich.-based Herman Miller Inc., one of the original makers of office furniture.
The furniture pieces are original prototypes from the 1950s and include the iconic George Nelson coconut chair.
Valentine Woodworks founder and Chief Executive Ben Valentine said the furniture, which is worth millions of dollars, was handed down to him from his great uncle Harlan Moore, who worked with Herman Miller in the 1950s and 1960s.
“We wanted to show off the furniture as pieces of art,” Valentine said. “These pieces are priceless.”
Creating Art
Some companies like to create their own artwork, Koutavas said.
That’s what Santa Ana-based Specialized Marketing Services Inc. did when it designed its 100,000-square-foot headquarters.
The direct response marketing company, which generates about $10 million a year creating and fulfilling marketing campaigns, opts to decorate its headquarters with pictures of past projects.
SMS has a photography studio at its headquarters and takes high-resolution pictures of its past projects and prints them on canvases, which then are framed like paintings.
“The technique makes the photograph look like an oil painting,” SMS founder Gloria Robbins said.
The company has about 15 portraits hanging on its walls.
“Art in our industry always has to be fresh and creative,” Robbins said. “We want to show what we’re about.”
Lake Forest-based graphic design company Digital Eye decorates its office space with abstract paintings and framed photographs of past design projects.
Illustrations and photographs of trade show booths and products decorated and designed by the company hang on its walls.
“More companies are showcasing their own work as art,” Chief Executive Gary Brewer said. “It gives us an opportunity to show off the projects we’ve done in the past and gives our clients a chance to see what we do.”
For businesses that are less creative, Koutavas said looking to buy or rent art rather than creating it themselves is a good way to create a specific working environment.
Investment and insurance companies usually opt for contemporary abstracts including metal wall sculptures, she said.
“A bright-colored organized abstract is known to be very stimulating in a competitive sales environment,” Koutavas said. “They can jog the creative mind.”
Healthcare facilities lean toward nature photography or paintings of water scenes, mountain ranges and other natural landscapes, Koutavas said.
“A landscape with a calm body of water can really help the stress level of a hospital patient or a customer representative in a company,” she said.
Hotels and resorts often include a medley of artwork since they cater to an assortment of people, she said.
The Westin Hotel in Costa Mesa completed a $30 million renovation last year. It painted its walls with neutral and earth tones and decked out its lobby and rooms with abstract paintings, contemporary pottery and modern furniture and light fixtures.
“We wanted to give our hotel a luxurious modern feel that would appeal to everyone,” said Karen Fromson, senior sales manager.
Sometimes the art is designed to appeal to a very specific group.
A few years ago, Koutavas was tapped to decorate four floors of the Corona office of Centex Homes, a brand of Dallas-based Centex, with different styles of art.
One floor had a golf theme because a good chunk of the employees at the company enjoyed playing golf while another floor had paintings of natural landscapes, she said.
“You want the personalities of your employees to shine through,” Koutavas said.
Companies that are on a budget can frame photographs or prints, which are less expensive than the original art pieces, she said.
Art Placement
Original paintings, sculptures, photographs and pottery should be used to decorate areas such as lobbies or conference rooms,areas that customers and visitors see.
“If a company is on a budget they should spend more money on the artwork that will go into their lobby or an important conference room because those are the places that customers see,” she said. “They can spend less money on prints that will decorate a hallway or an office.”
Even with a limited budget, poster companies have good quality images at reasonable prices, Koutavas said.
“When it’s done thoughtfully, they can become the company’s identity even with a limited budget,” she said.
Companies that want to rent or buy original pieces of museum quality work need to make sure that they have the proper conditions for such priceless works, Koutavas said.
Businesses that do have priceless works need to make sure that their rooms are set to a certain temperature with specific lighting so that their works won’t get damaged. They also need to have an employee monitor the art, she said.
Most museums don’t rent out art pieces because they’re too delicate and valuable to lend to outsiders, she said.
The Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach doesn’t have a rental program. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art do.
The Artists Gallery at Fort Mason, part of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, gives customers an opportunity to rent or buy affordable, original art pieces made by Northern California artists. Rental fees and prices vary.
LACMA’s rental program is exclusive to members. Art pieces are rented in three-month spans with monthly fees ranging from $17 to $149, according to its Web site.
