Why You Need a Stranger In Your Home

I came across this amazing article from Architectural Digest the other day and I about jumped for joy when I saw it……because I’ve been trying to tell my husband the SAME thing: I need a stranger in our home.

Wait, what? I know, I know, it’s not what you think. (Wait, what DID you think I meant?!?)

Let me explain……

Remember my post a while back about my tendency toward a traditional, maximalist style, also known as Granny Chic? Yep, you hear that right, my house is Granny Chic. I’m (ALMOST) 35 years old, and I like my granny style. (Wanna hear more about my penchant for all things chinoiserie and chintz? Read the past blog post here.)

Ok, well, in addition to my granny tastes, I had been DYING for an old oil portrait of some woman or dude….you know, like from early colonial America or something. It’s NOT weird, I swear! Arch Digest proved it, and I quote:

While it is still practice in certain circles to commission original portraits of one's illustrious family members, and hang them in ye hallowed halls of one's illustrious family estate, the practice is surely not as common now as in the days of yore. And yet hanging portraiture remains as popular as ever. The good news for anyone without a photogenic aunt (or without the budget to commission original art) is that it's arguably trendier to hang a portrait of a complete stranger rather than to commission one yourself. They crop up all the time at auctions and estate sales and fleas, where they can be snatched up by any passing hipster with a shallow shelf to lean it on.

Pretty? Definitely. Weird? Yeah a little. (A.k.a. the perfect mix.) Here are some examples of portraiture from our archives—by both famous artists and artists unknown—to inspire the placement of your new stranger friend. And if you want to tell everyone it's a distant relative, be our guest.

See what I mean???

Here are some amazing inspirational photos from Arch Digest to get your inner granny grooving.

In a Pennsylvania farm kitchen's small office area, a 19th-century portrait in its original frame hangs above a desk made of pine and tiger maple. Durston Saylor

In the master bedroom of Brooke Shields's Manhattan townhouse, an Edwardian oil portrait that was purchased in London accents the wall. William Waldron

A Modigliani portrait hangs above an armchair in the living room of writer Neil Simon's New York pied-a-terre. Billy Cunningham

Painted chairs and "primitive portraits" at designer Elissa Cullman's Cedar Lodge Farm. Eric Piasecki

Want to read the full article? Check it out here at Architectural Digest!

And I want to hear if you have an awesome old portrait in your home - is it a family member or just a visiting stranger?! Bonus points if you tag us on Instagram with your awesomely amazing pretend-great-aunt-Alice! You might be featured!

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