{"id":342710,"date":"2024-09-26T14:00:33","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T18:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/blog-api\/?p=342710"},"modified":"2024-09-26T14:00:33","modified_gmt":"2024-09-26T18:00:33","slug":"dali-decor-how-to-curate-a-surrealist-interior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/dali-decor-how-to-curate-a-surrealist-interior\/","title":{"rendered":"Dal\u00ed Decor: How to Curate a Surrealist Interior"},"content":{"rendered":"

Embrace surrealism\u2019s dreamlike aesthetic in your home with unconventional mixes of color, proportion and inspiration, says Jessica Klingelfuss<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>Palisades, New York<\/a> | <\/span>Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSurrealism is based on the belief in the omnipotence of dreams, in the undirected play of thought,\u201d declared French writer and poet Andr\u00e9 Breton in the \u201cSurrealist Manifesto,\u201d first issued in October 1924. The artists, writers and philosophers involved in the movement championed the poetic and the mysterious\u2014a liberation of imaginations and inner worlds expressed through literature, art, objects and interiors. Now, the centenary of the seminal publication has brought the dreamlike aesthetics of the movement back into sharp relief through a host of special exhibitions and events being staged internationally, including a <\/span>vast retrospective at the Centre Pompidou<\/span><\/a> in Paris, open until 13 January 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThink of surrealist interior design as like creating a stage set within your own home. It\u2019s intended to have a very strong impact on your imaginative and creative life,\u201d says Kathryn Johnson, head of exhibitions at British art museum RWA and curator of the Design Museum\u2019s 2022 exhibition \u201cObjects of Desire: Surrealism and Design 1924 \u2013 Today.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s an aesthetic characterized by unlikely juxtapositions, visual discontinuities and surprises around every corner. And it often\u00a0seems to me that many surrealist designs\u2014think of Salvador Dal\u00ed\u2019s \u201cMae West Lips Sofa\u201d\u2014are only completed in use. They invite you to sit on them, and by doing so, you complete the piece.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>London, England<\/a> | <\/span>United Kingdom Sotheby’s International Realty<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

A surrealist interior should evoke a sense of fantasy and curiosity, and color is a useful tool in establishing that ambiance. Opt for vivid, unnatural hues or unusual combinations: deep purples, neon greens and metallics, for example, can create a dreamlike atmosphere. <\/span>Meadow Wood<\/span><\/a>, an elegant family home on a secluded reach of Massachusetts\u2019 Green River, features walls painted in unexpected colors and fantastically patterned wallpaper to create a backdrop that feels otherworldly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Elsewhere at <\/span>Niederhurst<\/span><\/a>\u2014a Gilded Age-era estate perched above the Hudson River in Snedens Landing, New York\u2014surrealist elements are subtly threaded throughout the eclectic residence. The property has been thoughtfully restored and reimagined by its current owner Sara Story, a Manhattan-based interior designer with a penchant for \u201csophisticated, timeless spaces with an air of whimsy.\u201d The dining room is an immersive artwork in itself, with a bold black-and-white mural by Austrian artist Otto Zitko envisioned especially for the space.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Great Barrington, Massachusetts<\/a> | <\/span>William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The surrealists placed emphasis on creating new narratives through unusual combinations of materials and objects. In the 1920s and 1930s they began making \u201cassemblages,\u201d such as Meret Oppenheim\u2019s fur-covered bracelet, or Dal\u00ed\u2019s \u201cLobster Telephone.\u201d Similarly, juxtaposing the functional with the fantastical creates a sense of disorientation and surprise in a space. For instance, a traditional armchair might be placed next to a modern sculpture or a classical chandelier paired with avant-garde furniture. \u201cIt\u2019s no accident that the early surrealist\u2019s ideal of beauty was expressed as a meeting of unexpected objects, in an unexpected place,\u201d says Johnson.<\/span><\/p>\n

The essence of the movement remains unchanged today. \u201cSurrealism is not just an aesthetic\u2014it is an attitude that transcends the time period in which it was born,\u201d says Johnson. \u201cBy thinking differently, you can make things differently, and change the material world around you. Surrealism created a lookbook\u00a0of bold and swaggering imagery that still appeals..\u201d Blending these elements\u2014unconventional materials, dreamlike colors, enhanced scale and proportions as well as surprising juxtapositions\u2014can create a surrealist interior that makes the ordinary extraordinary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Berlin, Germany<\/a> | <\/span>Berlin Sotheby’s International Realty<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n


\nReady to step into a fantasy land? Find out about the <\/span><\/i><\/a>architectural style inspiring movie director Tim Burton<\/span><\/i><\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Embrace surrealism\u2019s dreamlike aesthetic in your home with unconventional mixes of color, proportion and inspiration, says Jessica Klingelfuss\u00a0 Palisades, New York | Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty \u201cSurrealism is based on the belief in the omnipotence of dreams, in the undirected play of thought,\u201d declared French writer and poet Andr\u00e9 Breton in the \u201cSurrealist Manifesto,\u201d first […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64295786,"featured_media":342711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1399],"tags":[1437,1444,1461,1472,1505],"class_list":["post-342710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-and-design","tag-england","tag-germany","tag-massachusetts","tag-new-york","tag-united-kingdom"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pf4gbL-1r9A","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":387,"url":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/significant-sales-2024-highlights\/","url_meta":{"origin":342710,"position":0},"title":"Significant Sales: 2024 Highlights","author":"Procurement Admin","date":"January 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"From a US$74.25M sale in Palm Beach Florida, to a \u00a315.5M sale in London, England, here are ten of the top sales represented by the Sotheby\u2019s International Realty global network in 2024. 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