Suzanne Lovell’s eponymous Chicago-based firm isn’t just about architecture and design. She’s also created an art consulting business that integrates a client’s collection into the design process. For Lovell, art is just as critical in creating an ideal three-dimensional experience as the architecture, furnishings, and fabrics.
As the creator of beautifully layered homes, Lovell understands that what she’s really offering her clients isn’t just a place to live; she says the story is critical to the space as well. As part of that, the designer offers a vision for each of the firm’s clients to grow their collections with pieces from both the primary and secondary markets of fine art, design furniture, and objects.
“The second a furniture plan happens I highlight moments for the fine art to happen,” Lovell tells Galerie. “I talk to each of those groups in my studio—architecture, interiors, and art—at the same time because they need to understand who is doing what. Architecture, for instance, has to know where a large work will be hung in order to integrate the lighting.”
For the clients, the process doesn’t end when the project is complete. “Our past clients know that I’m going to call them when I find something at auction or an art fair, and have an idea of where it could go,” she says. “Since these are longstanding relationships, we’re always looking for the right piece for the right client.”
Here, Lovell shares how art and design work together in some of her most incredible projects.