Three places designers actually look
When an interior designer needs original artwork for a project, the search almost always lands in one of three places: an artist's own website, a trade platform built for commissioning rather than browsing finished stock, or a referral from a colleague who has done this before. Understanding the difference between these three routes -- and what each is actually good for -- saves a lot of wasted time on the wrong one.
Direct artist websites
Going straight to an artist is the most direct route and, for a lot of designers, the preferred one. You see the real body of work, you read about how the artist actually works to a brief, and you enquire without a gallery or a marketplace sitting between you and the person who will paint the piece. The only thing to watch for here is whether the site shows genuine commissioned work -- pieces made to someone else's brief -- rather than only gallery work made entirely on the artist's own terms. The two are not the same test of capability.
Trade platforms built for commissioning
Platforms built specifically for the design and commercial trade, like Solene Haus, exist for a different situation: when you need more than one artist, a wider range of styles than any single practice offers, or simply a brief desk that matches your project to the right fit rather than requiring you to evaluate every artist individually. This is the better route for larger, more varied projects -- a mixed-use development, a hospitality group with several distinct properties, a portfolio of apartments each needing a different mood.
Referrals
Ask other designers. A referral tells you something a portfolio cannot -- whether the artist actually delivered on time, whether the finished work matched the brief, and what it was like to work with them under a real deadline. If you know a designer who has commissioned original art for a project, that conversation is worth more than an afternoon of searching.
What separates a real commission artist from a portfolio
Whichever route you use, the same checks apply. Ask to see commissioned work specifically. Ask what volume they can deliver and in what timeframe -- a single piece and a forty-piece fit-out are different jobs. Confirm whether framing and delivery are included in the quote. And confirm there is a palette and style sign-off step before painting starts, so you are not trusting the result to match the brief with no checkpoint along the way.
About Leah Justyce
I am a degree-qualified Australian fine artist with 26 years of experience commissioning original work directly for interior designers, hotels, and property developers -- no gallery, transparent pricing, framed and delivered ready to hang. I also founded Solene Haus, a trade platform for projects that need more than one artist.
Read the full guide on where to find an artist for your project, or go straight to the commission enquiry form -- I respond within 48 hours.