Why do some interiors immediately capture your attention?
Carole Vaudable, interior designer, in 2026 with Faces in a Crowd, George Condo, 2009 at Musée d’Art Moderne, Paris.
I have asked myself this question for years. I’ve walked into homes that were expensive and perfectly designed on paper and still felt nothing. Everything was correct, but nothing stayed with you. No tension. No presence. No feeling.
That’s where George Condo comes in for me.
In summary
A well-designed room can still feel flat if nothing actively engages your attention.
Art is a structural decision in my projects, not a finishing touch.
George Condo’s work appears chaotic but is built on strict composition, which makes it sustainable in a long-term interior.
When art is chosen correctly, it stabilizes a space instead of distracting from it.
Art is not the last step in my process
According to me, Carole Vaudable, an interior designer with more than 10 years of experience, art is never something I add at the end of a project.
In my work as an interior designer and art advisor, art comes early. Sometimes before the furniture. Sometimes before the layout is even fixed.
When I choose a painting, I am deciding how the room will behave. How long you stay. How alert you feel. How the space holds you. George Condo’s work does that immediately.
Why I’m drawn to George Condo
At first glance, his paintings can look messy or uncomfortable. Faces are distorted. Figures overlap. Nothing looks calm or polite.
But if you look closer, you see something else: everything is controlled.
He learned how to paint “the right way” first. He understands balance and structure. Then he chooses exactly where to break it. relate to this because I went to law school before becoming an interior designer, so learning structure and rules first is what allows me to design freely without losing control.
That discipline is why his work lasts in a home. It doesn’t get tiring. It doesn’t rely on charm. It holds.
A real moment with a client
I once worked with a client in New York who had just moved into a large apartment overlooking the city. The space was quiet, neutral, and almost too well-behaved.
They told me they wanted the home to feel alive but they were afraid of art that might feel too strong or overwhelming. Instead of softening the space, I introduced a strong painting.
The moment it was installed, the room changed. Furniture placement suddenly made sense. The space felt grounded. The client later told me they found themselves sitting in that room more than any other, even when they couldn’t explain why. That painting was doing the work.
Why this matters in a home
I think a lot about long-term living. Can you live with this every day? Will it still feel right five years from now?
George Condo’s work doesn’t depend on trends or decoration. It depends on truth. And truth doesn’t age quickly.
Many of his paintings are deeply connected to New York: the movement, the mental noise of shared space. When I place a work like that in a home, it doesn’t bring chaos. It brings recognition. People feel understood by it.
I don’t decorate rooms. I build environments where art, space and psychology work together.
George Condo remains one of my favorite artists because his paintings don’t ask to be liked. They ask to be lived with.
If you don’t want art just because it looks nice on a wall, we are probably aligned, reach out to me.
Written by Carole Vaudable, interior designer.