The most common thing I see in Bergen County is a beautiful house, finished to the last detail, with art bought in a hurry during the final month because the walls looked bare at the walkthrough. The house deserved better, and so did the owners. The fix is simple: decide early that art is part of the plan, and give it a place in the schedule and the budget from the start.

The three moments when art comes in

While the architect is still drawing

This is the moment most people miss, and it is the cheapest one. When walls, ceilings, stairs and the lighting plan are being fixed, a few decisions cost almost nothing: which walls are for art and which are for windows and millwork, where a large work will need support inside the wall, where picture lights or adjustable spots go, whether the stair hall wants one tall piece or a sequence. Made now, these are pencil lines. Made after the drywall, they are an electrician and a patch.

When finishes and furniture are chosen

Once the palette is locked and the furniture is selected, I know what the rooms will feel like. This is when I do the research and the curatorial development: a concept for the house as a whole, a shortlist per room, a budget plan you can approve. It is also when commissions start, because an artist making a work for a specific wall needs time, and a new build gives us that time if we use it.

After the dust has settled

Installation comes last, with the furniture in place, so heights are set to how the rooms are lived in and not to an empty shell. I manage production, framing and installation with printmakers, framers and installers I work with regularly. The work is not complete until every piece is on the wall and you are fully satisfied.

If your house is already finished, it is not too late. There are simply fewer options for lighting and hanging structure, and I work with what is there.

A new house in Closter

The Closter residence was newly built when I was brought in. The commission was to curate a collection that would strengthen the architectural character of the house and bring depth to the interior design. I worked closely with leading New York City galleries, and the collection brings together works by Jewish and Israeli artists alongside other contemporary voices. For many families in this part of New Jersey, that mix is not a theme. It is who they are, and the art is where it shows without a word being said.

The result transforms a well designed house into a space with soul, where art and architecture speak the same language.

Working alongside your architect and designer

I work alongside architects and interior designers, not around them. In a new build that means I read the drawings, join the site meetings that matter, and put my requests into the same schedule everyone else is working from. The designer keeps the house. I bring the art, and I make sure it lands where the design already made room for it.

I have spent years building art collections for hotels and cruise ships, where the opening date does not move and every piece for every room is produced and installed to it. A house with a move-in date is familiar ground.

The process is the same seven steps on every project: discovery, research, curatorial development, budget planning, art procurement and selection, logistics, installation. You see a shortlist, not a flood. I assess market value and negotiate on your behalf, and because many works come through direct relationships with the artists, the cost of the art itself is often lower than the price on a gallery wall.

Fees

Art advisors in the industry typically charge by the hour, a flat project fee, or a percentage of acquisitions. I do not publish a rate. I quote each project after a first conversation, based on scope, and on a new build I would rather see the plans before I say a number.

Where I work

I am based in Tenafly and serve New York City, New Jersey and Tel Aviv. Bergen County projects are a short drive, which matters when a site meeting is called on a Tuesday morning. Write to Stav@stavtheodor.com or use the contact form, and send the floor plans if you have them. If your project is an apartment in the city, read what an art advisor does for a Manhattan apartment. If you also own a home in Israel, I handle those from here as well.