Believing that art should be displayed and not stored away, Phyllis Mescon has filled her Signal Mountain home with eye-catching pieces in every room.

Nearly two dozen pieces are exhibited in the kitchen, including a colorful folk art dragon that hangs over a doorway; stained glass made by a friend suspended in a window above the kitchen sink; groupings of paintings hanging on the walls and pieces of colorful pottery tucked into nooks and crannies on countertops and cabinets.

"There's no rhyme or reason to my collection," said Mrs. Mescon, an employee at Chattanooga State Community College. "I have many different interests, and it shows in the art I purchase. I love every piece, and I enjoy looking at it over and over again. It's never boring."

Though she dabbles in art, creating interesting whimsical collages, she insists she's not an artist.

"I did take art history classes when I was in college, and I made good grades because I enjoyed it," she said. "My background in art developed as a child, because my parents taught me to appreciate it. My parents had art displayed in our home, but it was by no means extravagant."

Mrs. Mescon said her interest in art deepened when she worked at Hunter Museum of American Art from 1984-1989.

"I had access to incredible art and wonderful people who taught me so much," she said. "I started understanding art and developed a deep enjoyment for it. That's when I started collecting. I still consider myself a very unsophisticated collector, but I collect what I like. I don't match anything. It's unplanned chaos, but it works."

While art collecting can be a costly hobby, Mrs. Mescon said her collection is very modest.

"We don't have a lot of money, so my husband and I buy only what we can afford," she said.

Mrs. Mescon offers the following tips on displaying art at home:

* Remember that art is more than a painting. It can be pottery, hand-blown glass pieces, woodcarvings, collages, sculptures, photographs, drawings. "Pottery, for example, is functional art," Mrs. Mescon said. "Why have it if you're not going to use it? Display your favorite pieces, and use them often."

* Put colorful glass pieces in front of a window. The natural light will enhance the colors and cast colorful shadows throughout the room.

* Buy what you like. If you see a piece of art you enjoy that's priced within your budget, buy it. "The beauty of art is in the eye of the beholder," she said. "You don't have to have a scholarly background in art to be qualified to make a purchase."

* Let glass bowls or pottery bowls serve multiple purposes. Display where they can be seen and used. "They can be used to serve food or filled with water for floating candles," she said.

* Buy from local artists. "It's great when you can meet and develop a friendship with the artist," she said. "The majority of my art is locally made."

* Think of your home as your personal art gallery. "I walk around most every day and admire the pieces I've bought," Mrs. Mescon said. "To make it more interesting, I change the displays around. Just because I put a nail in the wall and hang a piece there, it doesn't mean that's where it will stay. The only ones I don't mess with are the larger pieces because they're too hard to move."

* Look for unique pieces. "I prefer original art -- one-of-a-kind pieces."

* Be wary of added costs, such as framing, which can be very expensive. "I like simple frames with no matting," she said.

* Display family photographs. "One of my favorite places to display pictures of my family is on the piano in the living room. I have dozens of photographs of my daughter from the time she was a baby to today (she's now in college). The piano is a prominent piece of furniture, and I love to personalize it with photographs."

* Think in three dimensions. In addition to hanging on walls, art can be displayed on stacks of books, propped on tables and leaned against walls.

* Display pieces throughout the house. "My favorite room to display my art is in a small guest bathroom near the front door. There are about a dozen pieces in this small room that has only a sink and toilet."

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