Choosing art can be very overwhelming! There is so much out there. What colours and size? Framed or unframed? What style do I choose? Do I buy original or a print? Do I choose a statement piece or one that compliments the room?
Art is an incredibly personal thing and you can tell a lot about a person by the art they choose. Most people will go for the mass produced prints that you get from places like Ikea.....nothing wrong with that. Ikea produces some great pieces at very affordable prices. BUT, do you really want a mass produced Ikea print on your wall? I call it the 'that will do' mentality! Your all done with redecorating and have exhausted your time, energy and money on the refurb and so we go shopping for art with little thought behind it! We all do it! So below are some bullet points to help you buy art for your home.
Tips to buying Art
You're about to launch into that refurb. Plan ahead of time your art and accessory purchases! Do it like an interior designer! Sort out a mood board where all your colours and schemes are in one place, and then look for your art. Print out a picture of it and pop it on your mood board. Does it fit? Do the colours work? Maybe choose a few and pop them on to see, and then pick your favourite.
Do I be bold and choose a statement art piece, or one that compliments my room? That's entirely down to what you are trying to achieve. If you are trying to go for a cohesive, relaxing, gentle, neutral, cosy room, I would suggest you go for artwork that compliments a room. If you are going for an energetic, passionate, rich and decadent interior, then a statement piece is for you! Try and stick to the main colour of the room being the main colour in your artwork, but as the piece is statement, ie BOLD, then you can go for other colours in the piece too.
Size? You have a large wall. Do you need a large canvas or framed art piece to fill it? No. There are lots of tricks you can use to fill a wall. You could fill it with a variety of sizes of artwork maybe with similar colours, bit like a collage, or you could go with one large art piece but place it slightly off centre and add large plants or a lamp to fill the space, much like the photo above. Artwork can be pricey, especially if you are looking for large pieces, but there are other options around filling walls.
You're not sure about the style of art you want. Still life, landscape, portrait, abstract....... Again, everyone is unique, so your taste is something that will require some thought on your part. However, as I have been painting, I have seen a rather interesting trend in who buys which type of style of painting and they tend to fall into two categories:
The Creative Risk Taker/Entrepreneur/Explorer
These people are a bit out there. They tend to be a little creative, tend to like to take calculated risks, more often than not they are an extrovert, male and a bit of a leader type person. They are the ones that tend to go for abstract statement pieces. Obviously there are the exceptions, but I do find they like the world of the abstract!
The More Controlled Type/Like Structure/More Risk Averse.
This is definitely me. Slightly more introverted, don't like change, tend to be a homemaker, more often than not female. They like structure around them, bit of a fan of Hugge (google it) and just love home! We love art that compliments a room, bringing a scheme together! We tend to go for those comfy neutral colours, textures in the colder months, bit more into the whole interior design vibe with art to match! You love the slightly abstract landscapes, pretty colours, and we tend to mix and match our art, but it all matches perfectly!
Planning your interior around an art piece......lets turn this thing completely on its head. Rather than leaving your art choice to the last thing, trying to find colours that blend and match, why not start with a piece of art and plan your whole interior around it! Obviously you need to find that piece of art first, but when you do, picking up the colours and bringing that scheme together based on that one piece is actually a lot of fun!
Using a neutral colour on the walls and on the floor and picking up the colours from your art and using it in your accessories works really well!
So whatever your dilemma with art, try not to over think your decision. And if you can't find a piece that matches, why not think about having an artist commission a piece for you? Want to know more about commissioning art? Blog coming up very soon on that very subject!
Sara