Harris Strong was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, in 1920. His aunt owned a greeting card company, and that influenced him to become an artist. He also had a strong scientific bent, so he was meticulous about the engineering of his tiles, which featured many innovations, when competitors were creating pie plates, in his dismissive works. During World War II, Strong was a cryptographer, working directly under General Douglas MacArthur. Afterward, he studied ceramics and the chemistry of ceramic glazes at North Carolina State University. Then he worked in Brooklyn, New York, at Kelby Pottery. Later, his own business took off. Strong had showrooms in Chicago, New York and Tokyo. He created a 30' long free-standing ceramic tile mural for the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, which remains in place. One friend says he was the first to ever show art at a home furnishings show. He loved and sang Gilbert and Sullivan, collected stamps and played bridge. In 1970, Strong relocated to Trenton, Maine, but after a fire destroyed his glazes developed over 20 years, he shifted his focus to prints, serigraphs, woodcuts, etchings, engravings, collage and paintings. Strong died in 2006.
An empty wall in your home is a blank canvas, and that’s good news. Whether you’ve chosen to arrange a collage of paintings in a hallway or carefully position a handful of wall-mounted sculptures in your dining room, there are a lot of options for beautifying your space with the antique and vintage wall decor and decorations available on 1stDibs.
If you’re seeking inspiration for your wall decor, we’ve got some ideas (and we can show you how to arrange wall art, too).
“I recommend leaving enough space above the piece of furniture to allow for usable workspace and to protect the art from other items damaging it,” says Susana Simonpietri, of Brooklyn home design studio Chango & Co.
Hanging a single attention-grabbing large-scale print or poster over your bar or bar cart can prove intoxicating, but the maximalist approach of a salon-style hang, a practice rooted in 17th-century France, can help showcase works of various shapes, styles and sizes on a single wall or part of a wall.
If you’re planning on creating an accent wall — or just aiming to bring a variety of colors and textures into a bedroom — there is more than one way to decorate with wallpaper. Otherwise, don’t overlook what textiles can introduce to a space. A vintage tapestry can work wonders and will be easy to move when you’ve found that dream apartment in another borough.
Express your taste and personality with the right ornamental touch for the walls of your home or office — find a range of contemporary art, vintage photography, paintings and other wall decor and decorations on 1stDibs now.
