What kind of art suits an office?
Work that can be seen every day without tiring. A reception area is read in seconds by visitors, so a clear image with confident colour tends to work. A boardroom or a consulting room asks for something calmer, a painting that holds attention in a pause but does not compete with the meeting.
Think about who walks past. A law firm or clinic receives people who may be anxious, so avoid subjects that could distress or divide. Then think about scale. A small painting on a large wall looks lost, and a very large one in a narrow corridor cannot be seen. Measure the wall and the viewing distance before you choose.
Be honest about taste across the firm. Not everyone will love every work, and that is fine. What matters is that nothing in the room feels careless, and that a visitor can tell a person chose it with thought.
Who decides, and how do we set a budget?
Name one person with the authority to say yes, and a small group to advise. Large committees tend to choose the safest option, and the room then looks like every other office.
Set one figure for the whole project, not only the works. Include framing, installation and insurance. Printed prices, no buyer's premium and no deposit mean the figure you approve is the figure you pay, which makes it easier to put a single number in front of partners or directors.
Write the decision down. A short note of who approved which work, at what price and on what date, saves questions a year later when someone new asks why a painting hangs in reception.
How are the works recorded and insured?
Each work comes with an invoice, a certificate of authenticity, a condition report and a recorded ownership history. Keep them together in one file, in the company's name, with the works listed by title, artist, size and location in the building.
For insurance, Arts Bespoke provides written valuations. Give a copy to your insurer, tell them where each work hangs, and ask how often the valuation should be refreshed. How the purchase is treated in the company's books is a matter for your accountant, so confirm it with them before you buy rather than after.
What about installation, security and lighting?
Hang at a comfortable eye level and away from direct sun, which fades colour over time, and away from air conditioning outlets and damp walls. Avoid a hot spotlight placed close to the surface. Soft, even light is kinder to a painting and shows it better.
In reception and corridors, ask for secure fixings, since work in shared areas is passed by many people. Framing, installation and care advice are set out at /care/, and the house can talk you through your walls before delivery.
Check the wall itself before delivery. Plaster, glass partitions and thin boards each need a different fixing, and a heavy frame on the wrong wall is a risk to the work and to people below it. Ask for a condition check whenever a work is moved.
Can the works be rotated?
They need not all hang at once. Many workplaces move paintings between the boardroom, reception and corridors, so that familiar walls feel new and a work is not worn out by constant light.
Whenever a work is moved or stored, wrap it flat and clean and note the move in your file. If you add a work later, it follows the same record as the first.
A change of work is also a quiet way to mark an anniversary, a new partner or a refit, without a large new purchase.
Why does written provenance matter to a company?
A company outlasts the person who chose the art. Directors change, offices move, and auditors, insurers or future buyers will ask where each work came from. A written ownership history, with the certificate and condition report, answers that quickly and keeps the collection in good order.
Written by the house and last reviewed on 21 October 2026. General information only: for a decision about a particular work, write to the house or take professional advice.
