Art brings with it a certain life force and elegance to your living spaces. This festive season, bring home a piece of art, and add an extra room to your house!

Here are a few tips that will help you choose art for your home.

#1

Trust your instinct. If you love it, buy it!

The first reason you should buy art is that you are in love with the piece of artwork you are looking at! Remember, the art is for you.

#2

Content matters

“Art is the only way to run away without leaving home” ~ Twyla Tharp.

Make sure it is the place where you would love to go! Figure out what is the feeling that you get when you see a piece of art, how does it affect your soul.

#3

Harmonize

Choose the spot where you wish to place the artwork, now look at the surroundings. Consider the colour of your wall, furnishings, rugs, etc. to know what kind of colour palette would compliment the look. While a piece with similar colours can blend well and further enhance the look of it, a colour palette that is contrasting can look stunning too.

#4

Colours

Colours are very important, they have the ability to affect your mood. Bright colours add joy, some add serenity and there are some that add warmth. So, choose your colours according to your preferences.

#5

Explore different mediums

Indulge in various kinds of art for your room. While a painting can bring a major dash of arty cheer to your space, a mixture of sculpture, mixed media, textured art, or visual elements can further enhance the arty-ness of your decor. For instance, if you have a canvas art, on the wall next to your favourite chair, you may want to choose a piece of art for the coffee table adjacent to it. Variety is good to create artsy spaces!

#6

Choose the right size

Have a fair idea of what kind of art are you looking at and in which room. Better still measure the dimensions of the wall you want to hang your artwork on. That way, when you are out looking at a piece of art, you will have a better idea of how the art will look in your home. Don’t be afraid to fill your wall with the art, many people think they can’t handle a big piece of art, when actually they can. At the same time, you don’t always have to invest in big art, try and fill your house with small beautiful pieces that can uplift the look of the house.

#7

The focal point

Usually rooms have those few points that draw attention. Identify them. Do you want one of those points to be the dominant one, that will define the look or the room, or you wish to add a few no. of décor pieces that complement the overall look and feel of the room. Whatever you do, make sure there is always some breathing space, to avoid a cluttered look.

#8

Hang it right

Make sure the artwork is hung at the correct height.  Hang your paintings so the centre is at eye level. However, feel free to experiment. One collector hung an acrylic painting on her bedroom ceiling so she could get a better view while lying down.

#9

Lighting

Play with the lighting around the piece of art. A picture light accentuates the beauty of the painting that hangs on the wall. If it is an artsy element, try moving the glow of the lamp towards it, and then see it look more charming than ever. A well-lit piece of art can multifold the joy of having art in your vicinity.

Buying art is not that complicated. In fact, you don’t need to know a lot about art, you just need to enjoy it, and that is all that matters. Once you start cultivating art in your house, it will nourish your soul, and as you go along buying more art, you will have a better knowledge and understanding about the same.

Hope you find this useful! If you have any thoughts, do comment away!

Warm wishes for the festive season!

Ana.