Are you staring at a blank wall, having no idea how to decorate it? How about creating a gallery wall, putting some decorative shelves up, or hanging some beautiful wall art? As you can see, we got lots of ideas for you! But for this post, we are going to talk about decorating your walls with wall art.
It can definitely be intimidating to walk into an art gallery and choose a piece of art. And if you’re like most of us, you probably don’t have the kind of budget that is needed for many of the pieces that are typically sold in a high end gallery you’re thinking of. That does not mean, all is lost.
So long as you are not a fine art collector, then you will find this guide useful. Our focus here is to guide you to choose artwork that works with your home’s decor and not really amass a collection of Fine Art that might become an investment over time.
You can find art at all different price points at furniture retailers, art galleries, and on online platforms.
So why are we so intimidated? Mostly, it comes from overthinking and lack of familiarity and experience in buying wall art rather than affordability of it.
That’s why we put together this guide on how to choose wall art for your home. We will take out the overwhelm and break it down for you step by step. By the end of it, we’ll have you walking into local art events like you do this every day!
Images via Pinterest
Let the location inspire you
The first thing you have to do is to determine where you want to hang wall art. Is it going in a bedroom, in your living room, or in your kitchen?
What type of wall art you choose will depend on where you’re going to hang it. For example, you may choose a serene landscape for your bedroom and botanical prints for your kitchen and something completely different for your hallway.
The location where you will be hanging your art will also dictate the size of the artwork, as well as the number of pieces of artwork you may need. For example, do you have room for a large, oversized piece of art or are you looking for 2 – 3 pieces that might go over a sofa?
One thing I will tell you is that most people get intimidated and choose artwork that is too small for their space. Don’t be afraid to go big and bold. Like everything else in interior design, scale plays a big role in getting this right.
What’s your design style
Your design style whether that is Coastal, Mid-Century Modern, Eclectic, Modern Farmhouse, or something else entirely, will to a good extent dictate what type of artwork will work in your space.
For example, a beautiful black and white photograph framed with a black metal frame and a white mat is not going to look great in a room that is decorated in the French Country style. Likewise, a gorgeous watercolor Seascape framed in natural wood is not going to feel at home in an Urban Modern or Industrial space.
Images via Pinterest
Decide on your color palette
When you are choosing art for the purpose of decorating your home, it’s important to decide on a colour palette first. The artwork you choose has to work with the rest of the decor in the room and should work seamlessly into the overall design.
You could choose the artwork first and let that dictate the colour palette for your space. We often get inspired by a piece of art a client might have on a project and we will build a colour palette for the room, drawing inspiration from that piece of art.
Make it personal
We are not necessarily fans of saying that artwork you have in your home should have some sort of grand meaning but we firmly believe that your home should reflect who you are.
While the art you choose doesn’t have to mean something grand necessarily, it should be something you like. And perhaps, it might have a story about how you chose it.
For example, you might choose a piece of art because you came across the artist on Instagram, and you decided to visit an exhibition of their work and decided you really liked their work. And one day you met the artist in person at a local, outdoor Art Fair and had an interesting conversation about the piece you ended up choosing for your home, while at the fair.
Or, it could be that you chose a piece of abstract art because you like the colours or that it reminded you of something when you looked at it.
It’s totally acceptable to walk into a HomseSense and find something you love as well.
I often collect pieces of Art on my travels and have had a Gallery wall or two that incorporate such art in my home. Every time I glance at a piece, it reminds me of where I was or who I was with or something memorable about that trip.
Images via Pinterest
Original vs. Mass Produced
This seems like a great debate and often where people get stuck. Should you buy mass-produced art? My friends who are artists will overwhelmingly disagree with me on this.
I see no issue with buying mass produced art when you are decorating your home and you are on a budget, and especially so, if your objective is solely to find a piece of art that works in favour of your home’s decor.
However, I also think it is my responsibility to share that original art does not automatically mean costly. There are many talented, local artists that you can purchase art from at a reasonable price, and even hire for a commissioned piece for a reasonable cost.
You can find a local artist on Facebook or on Instagram or by attending local art events. The latter might be a great way to overcome the intimidation of buying original art. Artists are people just like you and me, and they would love to create something special just for you!
Get the hang of it
Finally, now that you have a piece of art, you need to hang it properly in its place. In general, your artwork should hang at eye level. That means the centre point of your artwork should be around 57 – 60 inches from the ground.
Hanging art is much more than just where the nail goes on the wall. Consider what kind of frame is required, whether you need a mat to make the artwork stand out, etc.
We are planning a dedicated blog post on this very topic, how to hang wall art, in the coming weeks. Check back again or sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop.
