At-home art consulting

Choosing artwork for the home can befuddle even those with discerning eyes and an exceptional sense of style, especially when it comes to choosing pieces by emerging artists.

And for those who desire an art-filled home but might feel a bit of trepidation when it comes to the selection process, Karen Boltax, owner of Boltax Gallery on Shelter Island, has it all covered.

A former marketing creative director in the fashion industry, Ms. Boltax opened her gallery specializing in emerging artists approximately 10 years ago. She has been offering art consulting services for more than half of those years.

Ms. Boltax reported that she starting consulting when some clients asked her over to their home to make art suggestions. That first hands-on collaboration resulted in those clients becoming “serious collectors,” she said.

“I went to their house and looked at the space, then I brought over a few pieces by artists that I thought they’d like,” Ms. Boltax said. “The rest was just connecting the dots.”

Consulting on an entire home is different from curating a gallery exhibit, Ms. Boltax said, adding that the process is much more collaborative when she consults.

“I meet with the homeowner, usually for about an hour the first time, to determine their art goals. Do you want the art to be provocative, soothing, beautiful, collectable, an investment?” she said. “I really look at their home space to determine what is going to work in scale and with their lifestyle.”

Ms. Boltax also enjoys working with other professionals when the opportunity is right. She’s worked with real estate agents and stagers to make a house being offered for sale more palatable to would-be buyers, and she’s joined forces with several interior designers in selecting more permanent collections for a client’s home.

A few years ago, at the request of a home stager, she placed 43 paintings in an East Hampton house that was on the market. Many of the pieces she placed were kept by the eventual buyer, she reported.

Designer Fred Bernstein and Ms. Boltax are frequent collaborators. A few years ago, the two worked with Steve and Mimi Houston to select artwork for their Shelter Island home and Tribeca loft in Manhattan.

According to Mr. Bernstein, the collaboration between designer and curator makes perfect sense.

“I took her to the space and showed her my ideas. She then made suggestions where she thought your eye would go and started pulling things from the gallery,” he said. “Then we reviewed and agreed what we would hang.”

The Houstons’ 2,000-square-foot bungalow on Shelter Island was built in the 1920s. The couple modernized their summer and weekend home to make it livable year-round but they directed Ms. Bernstein and Ms. Boltax that they wanted to keep the “whimsical” and “fun and organic” feel of the structure, both inside and outside. The result is an art-filled home and outdoor sculpture garden.

The Houstons’ 3,000-square-foot Tribeca loft is, by Mr. Houston’s accounts, “a little more modern, a little more sophisticated.” Though the design palette differs from Manhattan to Shelter Island, the collaboration between Ms. Boltax and Mr. Bernstein yielded pleasing results for their clients, according to Mr. Houston.

“We wanted to be able to live with the art and Karen accomplished that. We were led by somebody who could understand our sensibilities,” Mr. Houston said. “Working with both of them has just been educational, fun and rewarding in many ways. They both taught me about design and art and helped me express myself in many ways.”

Though her services are available year-round, wintertime is the perfect time of the year for those who are in need of an experienced art consultant, Ms. Boltax said, adding that her North Ferry Road gallery is open by appointment in the wintertime, giving her more time and flexibility to focus on at-home curating.

“I have a collecting spirit, which doesn’t stop when there are no new shows in the gallery in January, February and March,” she said. “It makes this a great time to work with customers.”

To learn more, visit boltaxgallery.com.