In case you missed it, here’s Part 1 of this home tour.

This visit to the Mitchells’ home was partly prompted by the fact that they have, as you’re about to find out, wicked awesome amounts of artwork in their collection! We’re initiating a program in which we identify a number of pieces that may need updated matting, glass, or perhaps even the entire frame package, and throughout the course of a year, those pieces are redone at greatly discounted prices. This was actually Barre’s brilliant idea, born of the fact that everything in their collection was already framed, but much of which was acquired before quality conservation materials were used as common practice in the framing industry.

The large amount of natural light coming into the home sets a beautiful mood throughout. To reduce the glare this causes on the artwork framed under glass, we are going to be replacing the current standard, clear glass with museum glass. This glazing option solves the problems of trying to both protect and view the artwork, as it is 99% UV protective (to keep colors from fading) and eliminates glare while maintaining absolute clarity. Unlike the non-glare glass you may be familiar with, museum glass appears as if there is nothing even there.

If you look closely at the artwork in this next photo, you might be able to see why the conservation aspect of these products is so important…

Curved walls can’t even stop them from displaying their art!

They’ve used every available surface of their home to display artwork, but managed to do so without making the place feel crowded. I believe all the windows helped create this balance, allowing the beautiful view of the lake to break up the space nicely. 

Barre created the design for their doors himself, then commissioned a local glass artist to make them. 

This view of their downstairs captures their extensive collection of Catawba pottery, as well as many other local ceramists.

As Barre gave us the tour of the home, he was able to tell us about every single artist, and where each piece was acquired. Through these stories I learned a lot about their past travels, passions, and aesthetic tastes. A very large portion of the work was by local artists, thus extending a great amount support to the local art community, for which we are all appreciative.

Here are some fun extras from around the home:

I fell in love with the gorgeous old frame on the right. It’s so extravagant, yet somehow perfect for the print housed within it.

A huge thank you to Barre and Gilda for kindly sharing their home with us and inspiring us all to demand more art!

As always, a big thanks to Zan Maddox and Matt Barcus of Social Design House for the fabulous photography.