How to choose art and prints for your home
Choosing art for your home is a really personal thing, and it’s important that you choose art which speaks to you, either because you love it or because it means something to you.
That being said, choosing art which fits in with your home aesthetic can be tricky, so I’ve put together a guide on how to pick the right art for your room.
How do you want to feel in the room?
This is the first question you should ask yourself, how do you want to feel? Do you want the room to be a calming sanctuary, or do you want it to feel energetic? Do you want to feel inspired, or do you want to feel cosy?
Once you know how you want the room to feel you can try and pick art which brings out that feeling for you. If you want your room to be calming, then maybe minimalist art or natural photography will complement that feeling. If you want to feel uplifted and energetic, then bright typography might contribute to that.
The art perfectly matches the natural, minimalist and calming feeling of the room.
What’s the colour scheme?
Muted greys, white and the odd pop of colour is mirrored in the art that we chose for this room.
Look at the colours you have in the room already - in your furniture, walls and rugs and be guided by this. If your room is full of pastel colours then look for art and prints with pastel hues to fit in with your scheme.
To make the art really feel like part of the room it helps to ground the colours that are in the art, by making sure they are also featured elsewhere in the room.
The art in this room (not designed by me) is grounded by mirroring the bright orange cushion.
What’s the style of the room?
This room is playful and colourful, so we mirrored that in the two Matisse prints.
The next thing you can be guided by when choosing art, is the style of the room. If you’ve got a calm coastal style room, something dark with bold colours won’t fit. Likewise if you’ve got a mid-century style room with deep colours, something beachy and pale might not fit.
For example if you have a period property with a very classic style throughout, look for art which is in keeping with that style. If it’s a contemporary and modern room then a vintage traditional painting might not look in keeping with the rest of the space.
The traditional and classic style of this room is mirrored in the art used as well as the frames.
Practical tips
Once you’ve picked your art there are a few practical tips to make sure it looks as good as possible in your space.
Firstly; size matters. Art that is too small can easily make the entire room look off balance and out of scale. As a rule of thumb your art should cover at least half of the space that it’s in. If you do have a small piece of art consider grouping it with other prints.
Secondly; don’t forget the frame! If your art isn’t working in a space then try switching up the frame, or adding a mount.
Finally: consider lighting and where you are hanging your art. A really dark print might not work so well in a dark corner but could look great next to a lamp.
Consider the frame and how it ties in with the colours and style of not only the art, but the rest of the room.
As I said at the beginning, art is a very personal choice and the most important thing is that you love it. Hopefully you’ve picked up some tips to help you choose your next piece.
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