Too many people are scared of purchasing artwork for their home because they don’t think they have the know-how to make it work.
While there is certainly a method of choosing and hanging premium wall art, the best advice is to simply follow your instincts. However, to help you curate your perfect art collection, read on for the top tips for styling fine art prints in your home.
1. Choose the right artwork
First and foremost, you want to ensure that you are choosing the right artwork for your home. After all, your art is one of the most effective ways to bring personality into your home, and therefore you want to ensure you are choosing pieces that work together to form a particular character. For this reason, you may approach choosing artwork differently depending on which room in the house it is going to be displayed in.
Ultimately, when it comes to choosing artwork, you want to go with your gut instinct and gravitate towards works, artists, styles, and materials that you genuinely love.
While you may be more inclined (and advised) to stay neutral with other home decor items when it comes to art, you don’t need to be as practical. Using your walls to bring in an eclectic touch to your abode is a fantastic way to express yourself.
In other words, don’t be scared of color. You don’t always need to find artwork that matches perfectly with the other colours in your room. In fact, in some cases, the space may look better if you are choosing colors that are the direct opposite of those colors or are complementary shades. More important than matching colours is finding artwork that fits the space – this may be through color, but often it is through texture, composition, or feeling.
2. Understand scale and space
One of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to choosing artwork for their home is that they opt for art that is too small for the space.
For example, if you are looking to hang a piece of artwork above your bed or living room sofa, you want to make sure that it is at least 2/3 the width of the sofa; otherwise, it is not going to flow with the room.
In other areas of your home, you want the artwork to fill at least half of the wall space.
If you are incorporating contemporary art in your home, then you probably want to go even bigger, as this art style is supposed to make a bold statement.
In almost every case, going bigger is better – unless you are looking to combine a number of prints into a gallery wall. If this is the case, you still want the gallery wall to occupy the majority of the space.
To put together a gallery wall, make sure you space the frames 1½″ to 2″ apart as this will ensure that the collection looks cohesive while also giving each piece space to shine. Don’t hang them too high, but instead have them around eye level so that everyone can see their beauty.
If you are hanging the art above a piece of furniture, you want to have the bottom of the frame at least 6″ above the tip or highest part of the furniture.
3. Purchase art from different locations
Art is personal, and you should personally choose the pieces in your home because they mean something. Therefore, you want to make sure that you are purchasing your art from different locations to ensure that your home vibe is as unique as you are.
For example, you may want to curate a combination of new and old prints, art that is local to your hometown as well as pieces that you have picked up on your travels such as travel destination prints.
Browsing online is a fantastic way to open your eyes (and walls) to a wide array of different artists, mediums, and sellers which means that you don’t have to settle for anything until you find something that speaks to you.
While it may take some time and patience to curate your walls precisely the way you want them, this contrast is what will make your room exciting and different from anybody else’s collection.
4. Invest in frames
In many ways, frames are just as important as the artwork that is inside them. After all, think of the stunning frames that are at your local art museum! Just as those works deserve to be in a high-quality frame, so do the pieces of art that hang on your home’s walls.
Your first consideration is going to be the type of material you want your frames to have. Generally, you can find a broad array of frames made from wood or metal.
If you are framing contemporary pieces, then you may want to opt for metal frames as their simplicity will complement the vibe of the artwork well. Alternatively, wooden frames are an excellent fit for paintings, photographs, and other types of art that require a warmer or more traditional look.
The color is also a crucial consideration and might be the most challenging decision to make. Most of the time, you will want to choose a color by picking one that is included in the artwork; this enables you to emphasise a specific color while keeping everything cohesive.
Alternatively, you can opt for a frame that is the complete opposite coloring of the artwork in order to make a dramatic statement. This works well if the art is in black and white, as you can pair it well with a gold or red frame.
Finally, if you don’t want to accentuate any color or want to keep things looking simple and clean, opt for a neutral-colored frame. Whether you choose a natural wooden frame or a white frame, you can be assured that they will work with any artwork and will continue to be classic and timeless.
What do you think are the most essential considerations when purchasing fine art for your home? From where do you generally like to buy your artwork? What do you look for in a new art piece?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
AUTHOR BIO
American artist Shea Winter Roggio is the CEO of Winter Museo. A documentary and fine art photographer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as well as a University of the Arts graduate and an Eddie Adams Workshop and Center for Emerging Visual Artists alumni, Shea aims to reinvent the gallery shop.