How Interior Designers Can Source Local Art: A Guide to Working With an Art Advisor

The Smarter Way for Interior Designers to Source Art — Straight from an Art Advisor

Everything Interior Designers Need to Know About Working With Seattle Art Source, Featured on Medium

Sourcing art for a client is one of those tasks that sounds straightforward until you’re actually doing it.

You need to understand their taste, find pieces in the right size and color, hit the right price point, and do it all without spending your entire project budget on legwork. Gallery hopping is time-consuming. In addition, building direct relationships with artists takes months. Meanwhile, retail options like Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrel will leave your client with the same art as everyone else on their block.

There’s a better way — and it starts with working with an art advisor.

Seattle Art Source founder Sarah Hurt sat down with interior design educator Rebecca Hay for her Medium series, Stuff Interior Designers Need to Know. She walked through exactly how the process works. The conversation covers everything designers need to know — from how early to bring art into the conversation, to how budgeting and commissions work. Moreover, it addresses practical questions clients ask most often.

A few standout takeaways: the best designers treat art as a line item from day one, not an afterthought once the furniture is in. Including real, available art images in early mood boards sets client expectations and makes for much better after photos. For designers who’d rather hand off the art process entirely, Seattle Art Source offers a seamless client handoff option. This service covers an in-person site visit and multiple rounds of art submissions and mock-ups. So we take care of your client while you focus on wrapping up the rest of the project.


Furthermore, there are also built-in benefits for designers who bring Seattle Art Source into their projects regularly. Therefore, it makes a partnership that works for everyone involved.

Perhaps the most important thing Sarah wants designers to know? Art is for everyone. Quality original art is more accessible than most clients realize. Additionally, the right piece can be the single most transformative element in a finished space. As Sarah puts it — the room simply isn’t done until the art is in place. It’s as essential as the rug or the occasional tables. Thus, it deserves to be treated that way from the very beginning.

Read the full interview on Medium here.