Beautiful objects need to have their own personal space so you can always see and admire them. Of course, anyone living in today’s compact homes knows the value of every surface – you can’t have an ongoing battle between your newly acquired sculpture and somewhere to eat your supper. Even in larger spaces, finding the right place to display your treasures can be tricky, so however much you’ve fallen in love with that Chinese ceramic pot, make sure you know where it will live before you splash the cash.

And speaking of falling in love, you’re going to have to live cheek-by-jowl with this object for a long time, so it might be best to walk away for a while and view it again later before finally making up your mind.

Colour, size and shape are also important factors. You might have room for a tall narrow piece, but not for a shorter, more bulbous one. Here’s an example:-

Gorgeous ceramics

One of the amazing artists I came across at the recent Affordable Art Fair was Texan ceramicist Debra Steidel – that’s one of her pots at the top left of the post, and there’s another in the center of the gallery.. Her designs  and glazes are quite unique with echoes of Tiffany, Japan and ancient Egypt. I’m sure she will become very well known here by collectors. If you fell in love with her work, you would need to choose a shape you can easily – and safely! – display.

Beautiful bronzes

Bronze is a timeless material that lends a kind of authority to a sculpture. You only have to think of some of those amazing Greek or Roman sculptures, or say Rodin or Giacometti to have a sense of connection to history. But back in your 21^st Century flat, a small bronze, casting of a horse by Ans Zondag on the right in the picture gallery above, would look great on any surface. It has a life and lightness about it like a young foal and, of course, being bronze wouldn’t be in danger of breaking if it got knocked off your coffee table!

The First Wish

My favorite bronze was a tall thin sculpture of Alladin’s genie coming out of the bottle – just as I’ve always imagined it. Tall and narrow  with hands expressively raised it would fit beautifully against a wall or in a corner. Called The First Wish by sculptor David Strickland it was exhibited by Woodbine Contemporary Arts. Definitely worth a look if you’re into bronzes – and wishes!  Unfortunately, this thumbnail only shows part of the piece which detracts a bit from its elegance.

Shimmering glassware

If you’re a lover of glassware, Createdbespoke gallery had a lovely small greenish blue piece, by artist Laura Smith. Inspired by bouys in the water and made of blown glass with copper and gold leaf inclusions, this piece is part of her ‘Submerged’ collection and also comes in fuschia.

If  you can position a piece of glass somewhere with a light source behind it, you will get the best out of its colours and translucence. Again, it goes without saying that glass is fragile, so you don’t want to put it somewhere where it might come to grief.

So that’s the end of AAF London for this year. Next year perhaps you’ll trot along yourself and find something beautiful to take home.