Widell + Boschetti

The fashion-minded Philadelphia DESIGN duo on STATEMENT PIECES,
the secreT best room for art, and their broken-record advice.

It’s hard to imagine household chores or ho-hum morning routines happening between the walls of a Widell Boschetti home. This is where stone surfaces are psychedelic-swirly, furniture doubles as sculpture, and nearly every element is downright tempting to touch. These interiors don’t signal “working parents” so much as maybe pro athletes or professional partiers. The truth is, the young Philadelphia design firm caters to both those audiences and more, cranking up or down the neon touches as needed. What’s constant is the duo’s commitment to fun at home—albeit with a heaping dose of elegance.

Q: A home without art is like...?

A superhero without its cape! Or, a superhero without its
powers! Because some don’t have capes.

Christina Boschetti and Barette Widell met in a Philly park as parents; the former a fashion designer and entrepreneur, the latter a professional ballet dancer. At the moment both were undertaking their own “forever home” renovations and trading notes. Now the duo outfits new builds and top-to-bottom renovations with their signature aesthetic, which is not unlike the hotel lobby you never want to leave—all luxe finishes and visual feasts. Unsurprisingly the duo have a passionate and varied taste for art, roping it into rooms as statement pieces and finishing touches, and always on the hunt for new ways to heighten the sizzle impact of a space.

Artwork Shown: “Around the Corner” & “Black Arches” in size L

I love the oversize options — the fact that it has curves and angles, it’s a lot like my home. And my den has two adjacent walls. It pulls the whole space together.

-Christina

SHOP ABSTRACTS

Artwork Shown: “Around the Corner” & “Black Arches” in size L

Q: What does art do that furnishings can’t?

Barette: Art brings conversation to a space. Since choosing art is so subjective, what you pick really communicates your personality in the space.

Christina: And life! We might design a room with primarily neutral tones, and then rely on the art to really bring it to life.

Q: Which spaces in a home simply must have something on the walls?

Christina: We love to see a statement in a foyer—that’s the first thing you see. Placing art there gives you the opportunity to tell the story of a home before you see all of it. Here, it has to be meaningful, to set the tone for your space.

Artwork Shown: “Extra Crispy” in size S

Q: Where isn’t traditionally thought of as a spot for hanging art but should be?

Barette: Bathrooms! This is the final touch to really set it on fire!

Christina: Yes, you can do pretty much anything in a powder room. You can be eclectic, this is a room for guests, so it welcomes a fun, unexpected pop. The powder room can have a completely different tone than the rest of the house.

Q: What are you always telling friends and family about buying and hanging art? Any broken-record advice?

Barette: People hang art too high! All the time! You want it at eye level. You want to be looking at the middle of the piece. And consider scale—try to avoid a huge wall with a tiny piece. Or squeezing a frame into a cramped space where it doesn’t feel well proportioned.

Artwork Shown: “Pink Matchbox” in size L

Q: Some people find it hard to commit to a specific work.
How do you encourage clients to go for it?

Christina: We ask our clients to trust the vision — not just to love the individual piece, but to envision it altogether in a room.

Barette: Oh, we were in love with a piece for one client, it made so much sense in the room, which had navy millwork and walls. It needed that pop! To us, it made the room, but the homeowner couldn’t make up her mind. We ended up photographing the project for our portfolio, with the art and when she saw it in the photos— and she fell in love with it and went for it.

Q: Why was ARTSAKE a game-changer for you?

Barette: Not only is the website easy to navigate for the type of art we were looking for, but the sizing selection is also super efficient.

Christina: The hanging kits! Once we received the art works, the hanging kit was a breeze to use.