Art 101

Gallery Walls: the Lowdown with Steven Miller

Steven Miller is an interior designer based in the US. He runs his own design company called Sub Folk Collective. He's a gallery wall enthusiast and hosts #gallerywallhashtag on Instagram.

By Rise Art

Gallery Walls are the ‘in thing’ in the world of interiors and design. Rather than spotlighting a single artwork, a gallery wall showcases a selection of pieces that have been hung together. Steven Miller is a fan. The young US based designer runs his own interiors company, Sub Folk Collective, and hosts #gallerywallhashtag on Instagram. Let's find out why Steven loves gallery walls and what he considers to be the role of art in the home.

Photo credit: Photographer Heath Herring

What is it about gallery walls that you like so much?

Gallery walls are amazing, obviously. Some pieces stand well by themselves, but grouping pieces together that complement each other is so exciting to me. It allows you to experience the work in a dialogue with eachother. To be done well, it has to be done with intent and there needs to be real thought put into it.

There's a story that I remember reading about John Cage curating an exhibit using a gallery wall technique along the lines of his "music of chance" - so a little haphazard - and in a way, it makes the work more accessible to free it from the formality of isolating pieces. Beyond that, people have small spaces and large collections, so it's a great way for people to display as much as possible.

Does art play an important role in the home?

Art is essential to a home. The art that you display not only conveys your personality, but it also brings you joy when you experience it. Design is all about elevating your quality of life through mindfulness as well as expressing your point of view through the things that you choose to display in your home, so art is always a priority for me when working with clients - and for my own home, especially.

What inspired you to start Sub Folk Collective and what makes it different from other interior design companies?

Sub Folk Collective was an idea that I had for a firm that could be a platform for artists working in multiple disciplines and mediums; I feel that good design is a collaborative process and that as a designer, my job is to bring together all of these different elements in a cohesive way. Instead of simply using various retailers as resources, I like to work directly with other creatives to create something special and unique.

If you were to choose 5 Rise Art pieces to create a gallery wall, which would they be? 1. Thought Catcher by Marianne Nix