Commissioning Art for a Corporate Space: A Guide for Designers and Procurement Teams

By Simon Kenny | 9 min read

Commissioning art for a corporate space follows a defined sequence: settle the site’s structural and environmental requirements first, then write a brief that fixes the practical limits while leaving room for creative judgement, budget realistically, secure the copyright position in writing, and plan installation and long-term conservation from the outset. Skipping any stage tends to cost more later.

I have spent two decades placing paintings into hotels, restaurants, boardrooms and reception halls, and the commissions that go smoothly share one trait: someone did the groundwork before the first sketch appeared. I have written before about the psychology behind hospitality art and about placing work in the boardroom and the lobby. This is the practical companion to both: the brief, the budget, the copyright and the years of care that follow.

What do you need to establish before approaching an artist?

Before contacting an artist, gather the architectural drawings, confirm the load-bearing capacity of the intended wall, and document the lighting, humidity and foot-traffic conditions of the site. The British Institute of Interior Design and the RIBA Plan of Work 2020 both place this groundwork at Stage 0 and Stage 1, well before any creative conversation begins.

Wait until construction is nearly finished and the best options disappear. Reinforced backing behind drywall and a dedicated lighting circuit both need to go in before the walls close, not afterwards. The two costliest mistakes are underestimating the weight and scale of a large canvas, and hanging it where cleaning carts or luggage will scuff it within weeks.

The brief changes with the setting. A hotel lobby needs durability and enough scale, roughly sixty to eighty per cent of the wall, to command a soaring space. An office prioritises brand alignment. A restaurant kitchen exposes work to grease and steam, and healthcare sites must meet NHS infection control standards.

Claim: Art specification should begin at RIBA Stage 0 (Strategic Definition) and Stage 1 (Preparation and Briefing); leaving it until Stage 4 or 5 removes the option of reinforced wall backing and dedicated lighting circuits.
Source: RIBA Plan of Work 2020, via British Institute of Interior Design guidance, accessed 2026.

How do you brief an artist so the commission actually works?

A working brief fixes the non-negotiables, dimensions, weight limits, medium restrictions and safety codes, then describes the mood and function of the space and leaves the resolution to the artist. That balance between fixed constraints and creative freedom decides the outcome more than any other factor in a commercial commission.

Poor briefs fail in one of two directions. Over-specification treats the artist as a fabricator, dictating every colour and mark, and produces flat, generic decor rather than the signature style the client wanted. Under-specification, a vague request for “something vibrant” with no scale or palette, sends the project into endless revision and drains the budget.

An effective brief invites a proposal and a methodology rather than a finished image, so a panel can judge whether the artist’s thinking suits the project before committing to production. My own practice sits inside lyrical abstraction, an intuitive, emotionally driven approach, and reducing that to a colour matching exercise strips away the quality worth commissioning.

To start a project at the right stage, send drawings and a brief through my commission enquiries page as early in the design programme as possible.

How long does a corporate art commission take?

A single large canvas for a reception or lobby typically takes twelve to twenty weeks from brief to installation. A multi-work suite for a hotel development or a multi-floor headquarters can run from six months to two years, depending on scale and the number of pieces involved.

Original art is bespoke work, and procurement teams used to order furniture consistently misjudge this. When a steering committee takes three extra weeks approving a sketch, the production schedule shifts with it, and experienced project managers guard against that with firm approval windows and a defined cost for late changes.

Installation belongs near the very end of the fit-out programme, after construction dust has settled and the lighting rig and climate control are stable, but before the space opens to the public. Sequence the artwork with the same care given to structural glazing or bespoke millwork and it arrives safely and on schedule.

Claim: A single large-scale commercial commission generally requires 12 to 20 weeks from initial brief to installation, while an integrated multi-work suite for a hotel or headquarters can extend to 6 to 18 months.
Source: International art advisory project timeline data, aligned with the RIBA Plan of Work 2020, accessed 2026.

What does commissioning art for a corporate space actually cost?

In the UK in 2026, a single large-scale original for a reception desk or hotel lobby typically ranges from £12,000 to £40,000. Multi-work suites for boardrooms or private dining generally fall between £25,000 and £80,000, and full site-specific installations across a development scale from £100,000 to well over £500,000.

The Artists’ Union England sets a baseline minimum of £352.01 a day, rising to £387.21 for a lead artist, covering labour alone, before materials, studio overheads, insurance and shipping enter the equation. A properly structured fee separates the concept design charge from fabrication and any licence for commercial display.

Procurement teams routinely overlook the ancillary costs. Stretching an oversized canvas, specialist fine art transit, bespoke insurance and a trained installation crew all add to the base price. Choose the lowest bid and the likely outcome is inferior material that fades under commercial lighting, and the repair bill usually outstrips whatever was saved.

Claim: The Artists’ Union England recommends a minimum day rate of £352.01 for an artist with more than five years’ professional experience, rising to £387.21 for a lead artist, excluding materials, overheads, insurance and shipping.
Source: Artists’ Union England, Rates of Pay 2025 to 2026, accessed 2026.

Who owns the copyright on a commissioned piece?

Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, the artist retains copyright by default even after the client has paid in full. A corporate client buys the physical object, not the right to reproduce the image, unless a separate written agreement assigns or licenses that right, usually for an additional fee.

This catches procurement teams out more often than any other point in the process. A clear contract states plainly whether the client has a narrow licence, say an internal portfolio or a background social post, or broader reproduction rights. The Design and Artists Copyright Society advises artists to retain copyright and grant specific licences instead.

UK law also grants artists moral rights that cannot be signed away: the right to be identified as the creator, and the right to object to changes that damage the integrity of the work. A client cannot legally crop, recolour or paint over a commissioned canvas to suit a later rebrand without the artist’s consent.

The Artist’s Resale Right adds a further royalty, capped at £12,500 per qualifying sale, whenever the work is resold through an art market professional. Accurate provenance records protect the client’s own position here too, since resale royalties are traced back through the original commission paperwork.

For a plain-language overview of copyright and licensing for artists, the Design and Artists Copyright Society is the authoritative UK source.

How should a commissioned artwork be installed and cared for?

Large-scale commercial art should be installed last, by specialist art handlers, on a wall that a structural engineer has already approved for weight. After installation, long-term care means dry dusting only, an accredited conservator for any damage, and a specialist fine art insurance policy reappraised every three to five years.

The environment does most of the damage over time. Vibration from lifts and foot traffic loosens fixings, humidity fluctuations near a hotel’s revolving doors slacken and crack a canvas, grease and steam in a working kitchen call for UV filtering acrylic glazing, and a healthcare setting needs the work sealed behind a wipeable, non-porous surface.

The single most avoidable failure is a general building contractor hanging a valuable canvas with domestic hardware, lifting it by the fabric rather than the stretcher. Standard commercial insurance rarely covers fine art properly, since it depreciates assets that specialist insurers value on an agreed basis instead. Browse Simon Kenny’s original paintings to see how different scales settle into a finished space.

Bringing it together

A commercial commission rewards teams who treat it as engineering and law in equal measure with art. Finalise the wall, the light and the brief before the first phone call to an artist, build a realistic budget and timeline into the wider programme, get the copyright position in writing, and plan for the painting’s care in advance. I have been a part of a commission that came together beautifully because a client did this early, and I have watched a promising piece struggle on a wall that was not tested for weight. Get the groundwork right, and the painting becomes the one thing in the finished building people still talk about after the furniture has changed twice over.

To discuss a corporate or hospitality commission, get in touch directly, or browse the full collection of available originals at simonkennyart.com.

Frequently asked questions about corporate art commissions

Can a company reproduce a commissioned painting in its own marketing?

Only if the contract grants that right. By default, the artist keeps copyright under UK law, so reproducing the image on marketing or collateral requires a written licence or assignment, usually for an additional fee.

Who should install a large, commissioned artwork in an office or hotel?

Specialist art handlers, not the general building contractor. The wall needs a structural engineer’s sign-off first, and the piece should go up near the end of the fit-out, after dust-generating work is finished and the lighting is in place.

How early should art be specified in a fit-out programme?

At RIBA Stage 0 or Stage 1, before an artist is even chosen. Early specification allows for reinforced wall backing and a dedicated lighting circuit, and keeps the commission timeline aligned with the wider construction schedule.