One of my theories is that when you move to a new place, you should let the place influence you at least as much as you try to leave your influence on the place. In other words, it's a delightful thing to move to a new area and acquire some of its customs and aesthetics. That's why I'm fond of Asheville's many Mountain Lodges and their traditional décor of animals, fish, and forests.

For example, we've hung faux-taxidermy deer heads in the past, including a beautiful carved wooden version from Germany, and I really like them because deer are so much a part of the local culture. Recently we had the pleasure of encountering a new variety. This one used naturally shed antlers combined with a mount covered in repurposed Pendleton blankets.

This was created by artist Chase Halland of Faraway Lovely, whose work has been featured in several national shelter magazine, including House Beautiful.

We snapped these photos pretty quickly, so here are some better examples from his website. He really has an eye for color and pattern placement.

We also installed some classic fish prints in the same home.

While I enjoy contemporary art, I must admit that I have a special place in my heart for classic styles like this. They're perfect in a mountain retreat where you want something restful and undemanding to look at.

With traditional pictures like this, it's nice to hang them in a traditional layout; but hanging pictures in a perfect row like this can be surprisingly tricky if you haven't done it before. Fortunately we do it all the time!

In the same room, we added a heavy round mirror which reflected the fish and reminded me of a porthole.

The homeowners also had an interesting print by mountaineer Jimmy Chin. Of course, this wasn't taken in the rolling terrain of our Asheville hills, but it felt on-theme nevertheless. I like the way the snow is blowing off the side of that splendid peak.

The challenge of installing art in a lodge like this is that the ceilings can be very high, and you often find yourself placing art on stone chimneys or other difficult spots. Luckily we have the ladders and know-how to make installation a breeze.

We recently worked with a client who had pretty much settled in at his brand new Asheville home, but there was still one thing missing... all of the beautiful art and decorative touches that bring a room together.

He had several pieces that were just a bit too heavy to hang on his own, starting with this big modern mirror.

We were able to install it without moving the large dresser below it, which was a nice bonus. Having this handsome piece on the wall instantly transformed the room.

We also helped him solve the problem of the "TV outlets." They're really useful when you have a TV to hang over your fireplace, but kind of an eyesore otherwise. He was grateful to have us cover them up with a favorite vintage photo.

These chunky modern wood sculptures were also a job for the pros, for three reasons:

• You'll often find that the hangers on something like this are located in odd places, which makes them difficult to hang on the level if you're not used to doing this.
• It's unlikely that you'll have studs in the right place, which means that you'll need special hardware to install them safely.
• Even if you can lift them easily on your own, it can be hard to set them on the hangers by yourself without scratching the wall. In other words, it's better to have two people to hang them. Luckily, we often work in pairs!

Identical pictures like these two can also be challenging to install at exactly the same height, simply because the wires are never quite aligned.

And while you're at it, you might as well have us hang the rest of your collection, too!

If you've just relocated to Asheville and have a few tricky pieces to hang, give us a call. Our job is to help you turn your "house" into a "home."

If you've ever wondered how artists decorate their own homes, then this is the post for you.

We recently had the opportunity to help a local artist named Sharon Murphy move into her new digs not far from downtown Asheville. Sharon creates lovely pieces which focus on vibrant color used with transparency. Although she sometimes uses painted media such as alcohol inks, her first love is clearly glasswork. (No pun intended).

Check out this lively lobster from her Instagram:

This is one of the pieces she has for sale, but like many artists, she keeps a little of her work back for her own enjoyment.

That's what we were hanging on our visit to her home: a collage layout which she had designed in cream and black. This was a somewhat tricky layout because the pieces were fairly heavy, yet she didn't want to leave big holes in the wall of her home. It also required careful measuring and spacing to make sure the collage was laid out correctly.

It was also tricky because the house was built out of level and out of square, so we had to make some judgment calls about what counted as "straight." As Arthur hung the last piece, Sharon and I stepped back to admire the effect.

She explained that a big part of her design process is the choice of frame. Here she's added a turquoise background and copper surround to set off the cool white of the stained-glass panels.

The effect was striking with her vintage console and lamps. Altogether, it created a very glamorous corner.

If you have fragile pieces that need to be hung securely with as few holes as possible, give us a call. We've got special hardware that can hold heavy artwork without needing to go into a stud.