Choosing Artwork for Your Home

No matter how gorgeous the furnishings, a room with bare walls often feels incomplete. "For me, art to a room is like punctuation to a sentence; it is that all-important ingredient and without it a space lacks the layers and attitude that a significant piece can bring," says designer Tara Bernerd. Artwork can make or break an interior space, adding a pop of colour or inspiring the room’s colour scheme. These are some of our property styling tips for choosing the perfect art for your home.

Art is the beautiful icing on the cake in any home

1. CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

What’s the overall effect you’re going for in your home? How do you want it to feel? Would you like to see neat rows of similar works, or do you want to arrange eclectic gallery walls that showcase a variety of works? Either approach can work with any style of art and decor – you can create a breathtaking gallery wall with antique paintings or choose a refined collection of modern art prints to display in a clean grid.

What kind of adventure do you want?

2 FIND YOUR STARTING POINT

Do you have a painting, print or photograph that you absolutely love? If you have some treasured pieces in hand, you’re already off to a great start. If not, find something that speaks to you, something that encapsulates how you want the rest of the room to feel, or even something that brings a smile to your face. Whatever you choose, this piece can be the anchor point that you can use as the foundation for your new collection. You can coordinate any new art and decor you pick out with your existing artwork. Whether you want to make an eclectic or a cohesive display, an anchor piece ensures a cohesive end result that speaks to your unique personal style. If you need a little guidance to create a cohesive group of works, just pick an element from your anchor piece and look for artwork that carry that through. Another great way to tie your pieces together is to frame them in the same materials. A cluster of geometric lithographs feels more united when framed in uniform stainless steel frames, for example.

Find a starting point

3 GO SOLO

You can also make a big impact in your home by choosing one large statement piece to display in a prominent area. From the space above your sofa to the wall immediately facing the entrance to the room, there are lots of great places to put a single, large work of art. Whether it’s a photograph, painting or wall sculpture, the large piece you choose can also be one that reflects your design priorities in terms of color, presentation and style. Consider leaving the other walls bare and bring in plenty of textured decorative objects to display on shelves and tables to maximize your statement piece’s impact.

One for all

4 PRACTICAL AND PERFECT

Sometimes, the best art ideas balance form and function to create stylish, comfortable spaces that make the most of each room. For example, if your room is a little bit dark because it doesn’t get as much natural light, you can use mirrors and sculptural lamps to add both decor and brightness to the room. If your room is on the smaller side, you might focus on picking out small, impactful pieces that add a lot of decoration and still look great scaled into the space. No matter what you’re working with, staying practical can make the finished artwork layout fit seamlessly.

Be practical

5 FOLLOW YOUR HEART

Ultimately, it’s your happiness that matters most. However you choose to go about selecting wall art for your home, focus on the decorative objects and artwork that bring you joy. If you love the look of a simple black and white photograph, use that as a jumping-off point to find a collection of gorgeous pictures for your walls. If you want to create a fun, vibrant feel in a room that you intend to use for parties and cozy gatherings of friends, you might want to pick out some colorful prints with a sense of humor. It’s all about what you want – feel free to follow your heart!

Ultimately, follow your heart!