Art can be the prize decor element that can enliven your home (if it is the right choice). Alternatively, it can also be a decorative piece that will just blend in. As an interior paint consultant, color expert, artist, and art enthusiast, I’ve worked for decades to hone the skills needed to curate art for the home and understand what will work and what will not.
There’s no standardized formula to follow when selecting art pieces for your home. Just as selecting color schemes for a home is a balancing act of taste and function, so is selecting art pieces for the home. In this article, I will be discussing some techniques and ideologies that have helped me and my clients source art pieces that work with home color palettes and not against them.
There are many different directions to take when choosing decorative pieces for your walls. To start, are you trying to decorate your space or make a statement? Do you want to see something that will inspire you? Or remind you of good times and fond memories on your walls?
Here is a brief list of the kinds of things you can decorate your walls with, and believe me, there are many more options than this!
Are you surprised? I thought you would be. There are many ways of adding color, design, and style to your home. I’m not going to discuss each of these choices in detail, but it shows you how many options there are and how much fun you can have, whether you want to make a statement or show off your style! Let me give you some direction, though; read on to see where to start!
In an ideal world, all of us would love to select our art first, then design the interior around it to highlight its best features. Now, this is not always the case, and much of the time, we aren’t working with a brand new construction or total home renovation. It is worth considering that choosing the creative pieces for your home first, whether they be artwork, photography, or sculpture, is a great way to jumpstart a new design! Ideally, when the art is selected first, the colors and design choices are made to complement the artwork you have committed to using.
Starting with art already selected for the space gives tremendous focus to the rest of the design and color selection. Think of it as knowing the ending to the detective novel and working backward to flesh out the story. By understanding the piece’s mood, intention, and colors, you can select interior color palettes, furniture, and decor to enhance and honor those attributes. Again, I realize that this isn’t always possible unless, but if you fall in love with a piece of art first, whether that’s an oil painting or even a retro original 1930’s movie print, the curation of every design element around it will come much more naturally.
Ok, so if you’re not building a new home or renovating a space but still want some art to help bring life to the area, there are ways to hunt for pieces that will enhance your space without jeopardizing a clash with the colors, textures, and design choices already established.
Before you buy something from a gallery or even online, you’ll need to take a close examination of the colors and tones in your space and ask yourself, “what emotions do I want the art to elicit?” Why do this? Well, it will help you narrow down your search. Understanding whether you want to create a sense of calmness and harmony or something exciting with brilliant colors and contrasts to enliven the space, perhaps something in between, is the first step in preparing for your art hunt.
Once you know how you want people to feel when they view art in the space, narrow your art search by having colors and textures in mind that will help evoke those intended emotions. Suppose it’s your goal to add some excitement to a neutral and quiet study. The study has creamy eggshell white walls, stark white window trim, and light oak wood floors. Overall it’s established a sense of quiet serenity. You’ve got your eye on an abstract oil painting of a seascape that is dressed in rich purples, hazy greens, and soft blues. This piece would work because it adds accent colors to draw focus and generate energy. Still, the color selections aren’t so loud as to completely throw the space into emotional disarray. The soft and cool colors of the painting play into the quiet harmony of the base neutrals already in the room.
The concept to keep in mind here is that the colors of your desired art piece can create a sense of contrast or harmony in the space. Whatever your intention is, whether dramatic or serene, be aware that the color of your art will play a big role in the energy of the space.
For people new to the art scene, I always recommend researching what types of art bring them joy. Don’t collect art based on what someone says you should like; collect art based on what calls to you! If you have a predisposition to sweeping landscape paintings, then, by all means, curate artwork that fills that need. If you love 1950’s science fiction films, then collect retro-futuristic prints for your den! Remember, you’re buying art to make yourself happy, add to the emotional intention of the space, and display what your interests are! Don’t buy based on name, price, or what’s currently popular; collect based on what you love. I guarantee there’s something out there for you that will be the perfect balance between your tastes and functioning well in the space.
If you discover an artist, medium, decade of work, or theme you love, then see if you can expand beyond one piece and collect more pieces for adjacent rooms in the home. This strategy will help create a visual theme or even throughout different spaces in the home that feel cohesive and not disjointed or selected without intention.
So, how do you pick out works of art for spaces in your home? Do you wait until a renovation is happening, or do you work with the colors and design of your space and choose art to match? Please, tell me about the favorite pieces of art in your home and your emotions when you walk into the room after a long day.
