Art & the Artist Bespoke Living

Five Luxury Homes with Stellar Spaces to Showcase Art

Paintings and sculptures look right at home in these exceptional luxury homes with museum-quality art galleries.

Maybe it’s a dynamic Matisse painting, vase from Ancient Greece, or exquisitely printed Edward Weston photograph. Whatever the masterpiece, every work of art needs to be displayed in a well-lit, properly scaled setting in which it can shine. Luxury estates are often home to museum-quality collections, so it follows that they should have world-class gallery space, too. These need not be “white box” spaces like those found in a Chelsea gallery, either. Vibrant color can be the perfect foil for a subtle print or drawing, and a room flooded with natural light can provide a brilliant place for displaying studio glass or ceramics. These five exceptional luxury homes all have thoughtfully designed areas in which to display their own personal art gallery.

Southwestern Sublime
Scottsdale, Arizona: 

This contemporary four-bedroom estate in Scottsdale has a flexible, open floor plan and plenty of unobstructed wall space for displaying large paintings and prints. Each room has a fireplace, and doorways are large, giving the home a natural sense of movement from one space to the next. In addition to display areas in the living and dining rooms, a gallery room is located on the second floor near the master suite. Hardwood floors, walls painted a deep plum color, and museum-quality lighting create a dramatic setting for works of art. Meanwhile, a sky-lit atrium surrounding the central staircase provides a wonderful place for sculpture to shine. And for works of art that can weather a storm or two, the lush grounds with koi pond and tea house are ideal for large outdoor sculptures.

Mountainside Modern
Vira-Gambarogno, Switzerland: 

This extraordinary modern estate in Vira-Gambarogno looks like a work of sculpture in its own right; a collection of contemporary art would be right at home here. Vira-Gambarogno is situated on Lake Maggiore in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland just north of Milan. The façade of this home features cast concrete that bears the impression of natural wood. Inside, breathtaking views of the lake and mountains are framed elegantly by enormous picture windows, and smooth white walls blend dramatically with rustic concrete.
This luxury estate showcases spacious, light-filled rooms, optimal for displaying artwork.
This luxury estate showcases spacious, light-filled rooms, optimal for displaying artwork.
Large niches, each with its own internal lighting, are ideal for displaying sculptures or ceramics, while an outdoor sculpture can be installed on the grounds just in front of the lake for a majestic effect.

Biscayne Bay Beauty
Miami, Florida: 

1930s glamour abounds in this waterfront Miami villa, an ideal setting for a fabulous art collection in one of the world’s hottest art and culture meccas. This home, which enjoys 100 feet of waterfront overlooking Biscayne Bay, was designed to evoke the luxurious tropical setting of a Mediterranean estate complete with palm trees and colonnades.
This waterfront Miami villa showcases elegant rooms highlighted by stunning art displays.
This waterfront Miami villa showcases elegant rooms highlighted by stunning art displays.
The interior has been fully updated while retaining its historic charm, and clean, white walls stand ready to display a stellar art collection. With impressive ceiling heights and large Palladian windows, the living spaces are ideal for exhibiting large-scale works and even ceiling-mounted sculptures.

Museum Mile
Fifth Avenue, New York: 

The iconic Pierre Hotel sits at the foot of Central Park along the first steps of New York’s Museum Mile. Uptown, the Metropolitan Museum, Neue Galerie, Guggenheim, and Cooper Hewitt house peerless collections in art and design, while the residences along Fifth Avenue contain masterworks, too. This 14-room duplex in the Pierre Hotel featuring 360-degree views of Manhattan offers the ideal setting for a diverse collection of art and antiques. Its vast library spanning 42 feet supplies ample room for a collection of rare books as well. Clean white walls and dark herringbone floors in the entertaining areas provide a gallery-like setting for substantial paintings or prints, while warm color and textured walls in the smaller rooms and master suite are perfect for small works with intriguing textures or surfaces. With this home’s abundance of natural light and spectacular views, a collection of metal and glass sculptures that glint in the sun could also be displayed to full effect on a dramatic windowsill perch.

Fin de Siècle
Paris, France: 

Nestled in the chic Quai d’Orsay, this three-bedroom residence in a classic Beaux Arts building dating from 1900 is prime territory for a collection of Impressionist or Modern art—a natural fit for the city where so many of the leading lights of those movements lived and worked. With ceilings over 16 feet in height, this dramatic residence has the atmosphere of a prestigious museum.
Sumptuous and refined while equally warm and inviting, this luxury residence boasts an ideal layout for showcasing artwork.
Sumptuous and refined while equally warm and inviting, this luxury residence boasts an ideal layout for showcasing artwork.
Each surface is embellished with ornate plasterwork painted in a warm palette of pinks and golds, while intricate woodwork frames the doors and windows. Each room is slightly different; while the formal entertaining areas are period-appropriate in style, the informal rooms are more contemporary. A Jean Cocteau-inspired mural graces one of the bedrooms. With a library, gallery space, formal dining room, and living room, this impressive apartment offers room for works of art from different cultures, decades, and even centuries.