You know the moment. The house is nearly done, the walls are ready, and the client turns to you and asks what should go on them. I take that question. You keep the client, the credit and the design language; I bring the art, on your schedule and inside the budget you and the client have already agreed.

What I take off your plate

Art is usually the last line item and the first thing a guest sees. I run it as its own project, in parallel with yours:

• Research and sourcing. Galleries in New York and Tel Aviv, artists I work with directly, and access to works that are often exclusive.
• Budget and negotiation. I assess market value and negotiate on the client's behalf. Because I buy from many artists directly, the cost of the work itself often comes down.
• Commissions. When the wall needs a piece that does not exist yet, I brief the artist and manage the work from concept to delivery. For a sea view villa in Caesarea that meant a 3.5 meter triptych by an Italian artist, three storks at its center, because the owner had come to Israel as a new immigrant and storks pass through the country every season.
• Production and framing. Printmakers, framers and installers, matched to your finishes, within the timeline and the approved budget.
• Installation. I manage the installation. The work is not done until the piece is on the wall and the client is happy.

The client stays yours

Your drawings, your palette and your intent lead; the art answers them. The way I see the job is to bridge between a deep knowledge of art history, a sharp eye for what is current, and your creative vision, and bring the three into one dialogue on the wall. I present to the client with you or through you, whichever you prefer, and the project is credited to your studio.

What it looks like on a real project

In Closter, New Jersey, the house was new construction and I was brought in to curate a collection that would give the architecture depth. Working with leading New York City galleries, I placed works by Jewish and Israeli artists alongside other contemporary voices. A well designed house became a space with soul, where art and architecture speak the same language.

In Herzliya Pituach, a sea view apartment asked for one decisive work near the entrance. A large scale painting by Yigal Ozeri, an aged and textured window, now hangs in dialogue with the sea facing windows, with sculptural elements and organic textures carried through the rest of the rooms. In Hod Hasharon, an open, light saturated villa where concrete and nature meet got a single large scale figurative digital work, chosen to define the emotional center of the space.

Alongside private homes, I have spent years building art concepts and collections with luxury hospitality groups, among them the Waldorf Astoria Chengdu, the St. Regis Amman and Holland America Line. Those projects run on drawings, schedules and approved budgets. So do mine.

Working together over time

I would rather build a long working relationship with a handful of studios than take one off projects. If you want a referral arrangement, we agree its mechanics together, in writing, at the start of the first project and before any client is involved, so both of us know exactly where we stand.

How to start

Send me the plans, or even a photo of one wall, and a line about the client. I will tell you what I see and how I would work inside your scheme. The best time to bring me in is when the finishes are chosen and the furniture plan exists, before the walls are painted, so a commissioned work has time to be made. Late is also fine.

Write to me at Stav@stavtheodor.com or through the contact form. You can read how the seven step process runs, and what I do for brokers and developers. If your client wants to see this from their side, send them the page written for them.