Choosing the kind of decor that best fits your home design may be challenging without knowing the right place to start. Department stores tend to carry many of the same pieces, many lacking creativity and depth, making your home look just like everyone else's.
Instead of shopping at your local home design warehouse, try visiting art museum stores that offer limited-edition decor to make your space stand out.
Located in the Arts District, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art store is full of bold and funky artwork from local and prestigious artists. Museum store manager Richard Bruner oversees multiple artist vendors to help curate a customer’s individual space.
“I think that any time that you choose an artist’s work, whether it be a local or national, it's going to brighten up your home because you don't want it to look like a furniture catalog,” Richard said.
“You want it to reflect your style. You want it to be full of one-of-a-kind pieces. I believe that's how you begin your collection, and we in the museum store have the rare opportunity to help you become an art collector.”
The OKC Museum of Art store offers limited-edition prints, paintings, books, sculptures and various glass pieces to elevate your home into a gallery space. One of their biggest vendors is Jonathan Adler; the museum store is one of the few places in Oklahoma where you can purchase his entire line.
Outside of his paintings and unglazed pottery, the store carries his furniture, which mixes architectural and artistic elements, unlike any old couch or table. The OKC Museum store offers white glove service as well, with the option to drop ship anything from their online catalog straight to the customer.
While visiting the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, you may notice Dale Chihuly’s permanent collection on the main floor of the galleries. The museum store offers his new prints and glass at a discounted price so that the public can potentially acquire these limited pieces.
The works of Washington glassblower Preston Singletary will also be found in the museum’s galleries in October. The store will then offer his bronzes, glass and print for a chance to get your hands on your own corner of the museum.
“Not only will you be able to see the pieces in the galleries from all of these artists, you're going to be able to go into the store and actually be able to acquire pieces for your home,” Richard said.
As the buyer for the museum store, one of the things Richard considers before purchasing a line of artwork is to see who else in Oklahoma may be carrying it. Through this process, he believes it is more than likely that the Oklahoma City Museum of Art store is the only place offering these pieces across the entire state. In this way, your home design cannot be replicated as it pertains to your individual collection.
Big box retailers offer multiples of basic decor, and whether it be a painting, glass or sculpture, you can expect to see it in stores across the nation. With local artists, the price point aligns with receiving one-of-a-kind works to build a gallery within your home.
“When you're dealing with fine art, it’s just a beautiful experience because you get to meet the artists and work with them,” Richard said. “Even though we have local artists that are in other galleries here in Oklahoma City, what they are offering in the museum store is not.
"When you're able to purchase from here, you're going to be supporting a national or a local artist, and I think it’s so important to support local art no matter where you are. In that way, you're not only helping your home, you're helping an artist get their career moving forward.”
"When you're able to purchase from here, you're going to be supporting a national or a local artist, and I think it’s so important to support local art no matter where you are."