Where Art Meets Home

BERNAY FINE ART’S UNIQUE APPROACH TO CURATING LIVING SPACES 

By Samantha Anderson

Walk through the doors of Bernay Fine Art on the corner of Main Street and Railroad Street in Great Barrington, and you’ll notice that this is not just a gallery but a living, breathing extension of the community it serves. The walls are alive with color and texture, and the air is charged with creativity. Brother and sister gallery owners Lou Friedman and Paula Bernay are united with their artists and clients by a shared belief that art is not just for looking at, but for living with. Their approach goes beyond exhibiting artwork; they specialize in helping clients curate art for their homes, working closely with individuals to select, place, and install pieces that transform living spaces into personal expressions of style and meaning. 

Bernay Fine Art in Great Barrington specializes in helping clients curate art for their homes. (Nat Rea and Pavlides Studio.

Paula and Lou’s journey to becoming gallerists is a story of return and reinvention. Raised in the Berkshires by artist parents, their father, Warner Friedman, lives in Great Barrington and still paints daily in his studio in Sheffield at age 90; their mother, who died in 2012, was a potter and arts advocate. The two siblings grew up surrounded by creativity, but their careers took divergent paths. Lou spent decades as a foreign currency trader on Wall Street, and Paula became a molecular biologist in Chicago. 

This beautiful living room is made complete by the Karin Schaefer artwork. (Nat Rea and Pavlides Studio.)

After long careers in their respective fields, both were considering their next steps when they decided to open Bernay Fine Art in 2019—a choice that was both a homecoming and a leap of faith. For Lou, it was a chance to get back to his roots and build something lasting. “When you work for a big bank, you don’t really have much control over your life,” he says. “I wanted to have some sort of business I could really shape." Paula, with her deep love of art, brought a creative vision to match her brother’s business acumen. They have different but perfectly matched strengths to their partnership. Lou’s analytical, client-focused approach, shaped by his years in finance, blends seamlessly with Paula’s intuitive, artist-centered sensibility. Together, they have built a gallery that feels both cosmopolitan and very local, and a place where New York quality art meets Berkshire warmth and accessibility.

Beyond the Traditional Gallery Space: Curating for Real Lives 

What sets Bernay Fine Art apart from many other galleries is its willingness to step outside the traditional model. Most galleries showcase and represent artists, but many expect their clients to select works on their own. Bernay Fine Art uniquely offers a bespoke service, helping homeowners with the curation of an artistic vision. They will bring pieces to a client’s home and even install the artwork in living spaces. Their hands-on, deeply personal approach is rare in the industry and has become the gallery’s signature offering. Lou traces the inspiration for this service back to his finance days, where understanding the needs of clients was key to standing out in a commoditized market. “Everybody could pretty much execute at the same level, but you have to make yourself special,” he explains. As a gallerist, that means demystifying the art-buying process, making it accessible and enjoyable, and helping clients find pieces that truly resonate in their homes. 

Homeowners Sharissa Jones and Daniel Medwed with a piece by Warner Friedman. (Bernay Fine Art)

Some clients know exactly what they want; others need time to live with a piece before committing. Bernay Fine Art accommodates both, offering painting loans and ongoing artistic advice. The result is a gallery that is a creative partner in what is a very personal and long-lasting decision. Paula echoes this ethos: “A lot of people who come into the gallery really like what they see. But many people haven’t had much exposure to art, so making decisions can feel challenging.” 

She and Lou delight in helping clients discover what moves them, whether that means bringing a van full of paintings to a home for a “try-on” session, or sending a quick snapshot of a new work to a collector who might love it. Their approach is flexible, personal, and always focused on the client’s comfort and satisfaction. 

“Why should you feel intimidated to come into an art gallery?” Lou says. “You should be able to say, ‘I like this, and I want to see it in my home.’” Paula agrees, noting that even seasoned collectors appreciate the chance to see how a piece fits with their existing collection. “Sometimes, it helps just for people to get a sense of art in their own space,” she says. 

This philosophy extends to their relationships with artists, designers, and the broader community. Bernay’s roster includes both local and regional talent, and the gallery frequently hosts collaborative shows and community events. Paula, who spends part of the year on Sanibel Island, Florida, also offers advisory services and supports local art initiatives there, further expanding the gallery’s reach and impact. 

Art by Joy Taylor adds beauty and color to Jones and Medwed's home. (Bernay Fine Art)

Artist Noah Post, who has exhibited with Bernay Fine Art multiple times, describes the gallery’s approach as welcoming for both artists and collectors. He notes that the gallery’s willingness to bring artwork directly into clients’ homes is not only rare but also builds trust between all who are involved. 

“There’s something special about seeing a painting in the actual light and space where it might live,” Noah explains. While he’s experienced the occasional disappointment when a piece didn’t quite fit, these moments often lead to deeper conversations and new opportunities. For Noah, participating in these home visits feels like he’s “hanging out with Lou, meeting someone new, and sharing the story behind the work.” This spirit of openness and collaboration is what makes Bernay Fine Art feel like a true creative partner for artists and clients alike.

The Designer’s Eye: Collaboration and Transformation

Other players in this process are interior designers and architects, such as Stephanie Pavlides of Pavlides Studio based in Providence, Rhode Island. Tasked with staging a newly completed home in New Marlborough for a photo shoot that appeared in a national publication, Stephanie turned to the gallerists for help. “Art was the thing that was really needed to just bring the house alive,” she says. “Art is how you can express more about the house or the inhabitants and enliven a space because it just looks more lived-in with art.” 

Art by Janet Rickus in the home of Margo and Kevin Mercer. (Bernay Fine Art)

Paula and Lou visited the home, assessed the light and layout, and brought a selection of art to try in different rooms. They installed the pieces on the walls and helped Stephanie see how each work interacted with the architecture and furnishings. “A lot of people, when they think of art and a gallery, it can be intimidating. But they are very approachable,” Stephanie recalls.

She continues to follow Bernay’s artists, recommending the gallery to clients, praising Lou and Paula’s thoughtfulness and attention to detail. Their ability to match shows and artists to her design sensibility, she says, is rare and invaluable.

Homeowners’ Stories: Art as Identity, Memory, and Joy

For Sharissa Jones and her husband, Daniel Medwed, their experience working with Bernay Fine Art has been transformative. The couple, who split their time between Cambridge and a second home in Sheffield, discovered the gallery one day walking down Main Street in Great Barrington. What began as an impromptu visit turned into a purposeful, collaborative journey, with Paula and Lou helping them select large-scale works by artists such as Joy Taylor and their father Warner Friedman. Warner even joined Lou when the painting was installed in the home because, Sharissa says, “he really wanted it hung a certain way. It was a collaborative effort, and they’re just so delightful and lovely. I trust them so much.” 

Gallerists and siblings Paula Bernay and Lou Friedman with art by Janet Rickus. (Bernay Fine Art)

“Living with these pieces has changed our sense of home,” she continues. “I loved the house before, but now, I’m really happy when we come here.” The art brings color, scale, and personality to their modern architecture, transforming blank walls into vibrant expressions of taste and style. 

Sharissa also addresses the psychological barriers that often keep people from collecting art. “People feel unsophisticated, and it’s often a financial investment, and that’s scary,” she says. “I also think people don’t trust their taste. But if you like the giant portrait of a monkey, get the giant portrait of a monkey!” Her advice, and Bernay’s ethos, is simple: Trust your instincts, and let your home reflect who you are. 

Margo and Kevin Mercer

For Margo and Kevin Mercer, working with Bernay Fine Art was about more than just acquiring art; it also was about building a relationship. Though they live full-time in Concord, Kevin grew up in Great Barrington and feels a deep connection to the Berkshires. “We always pop into the gallery when we visit,” says Kevin. “We expressed some interest in an artist, but the pieces they had didn’t quite fit our style.” When the gallery received new art by an artist that the Mercers liked, Paula and Lou curated the selection, figured out what they liked, and then sent them the new pieces. 

Artist Noah Post installs one of his pieces in a New Marlborough home. (Bernay Fine Art)

Because the Mercers aren’t always able to visit the gallery in person, the gallerists’ willingness to deliver works to their home was invaluable. 

“It’s hard to know if something’s really going to look good in your space, so it was really nice to be able to see it,” says Margo. The couple has acquired pieces by Stephanie Anderson, Janet Rickus, and Francis Lipari, all central to their home’s most lived-in spaces. 

For the Mercers, the gallery’s personalized approach made all the difference. “They do a good job finding pieces that align with what we enjoy,” says Margo. 

As Bernay Fine Art approaches its sixth year in the heart of downtown Great Barrington, Lou and Paula continue to deepen their roots in the Berkshires while expanding their reach through art fairs, advisory services, and community partnerships. Their greatest reward is seeing their clients’ homes transformed. 

“We think our art looks really good on the wall in the gallery,” says Lou, “but it always looks better in someone’s home.”