10 Questions to Help you Find the Right Art for your Home

The Right work of Art can make a room and the wrong piece of art can ruin it. We’ve all been to places with art that makes us cringe due to it’s inappropriateness. Art needs to set the right tone for the space it’s in.

There’s a lot of art available so

It pays to narrow down the choice of Art before heading out.

Consider what you want or need before going to buy any art. Here are some suggestions of things that are worth considering before you part with your hard earned cash.

10 Questions to ask when deciding on art for a room

1. What is the room used for?

   What type of atmosphere are you trying to create?

2. Do you want the art to stand out or blend in?

   This is related to the first question and will influence your final decision

3. Are there colours you want to focus on or even avoid altogether?

   Whilst I would personally never advise choosing colours just to match the decor, if you are trying to create a certain mood then it’s best to avoid some colours or shades. A room intended for meditation or sleep will benefit from muted colours in the artwork. A room you entertain or party in will cope with a much bolder use of colour. White and neutral walls can stand colourful work better than brightly coloured walls. You can still have bright colour but you have to choose the colour more carefully.

   

4. If you are planning to redecorate choose the art first!

   Find something you fall in love with and find colours within the picture to use within the room, or go for white walls if you want to keep your options open.

5. Is there a theme you need to follow?

   You don’t need to have a theme, a color scheme can be sufficient, but, if you do, it might alter the choice of work. For example, if you’re going for a Shaker style room then an Andy Warhol “Marylin” print will look out of place.

6. Is there something already in the room that the art must work with?

   Anything from distinctive paneling to existing furniture and art will influence the choice of painting or sculpture. Try not to limit yourself by thinking it’s an old room so it must have traditional painting. It’s a question of balancing colours and styles. Old and new can work beautifully together when carefully selected.

   

7. Does it have to appeal to more than one Person?

   If so establish areas you all love, whether it’s two of you or a Waltons sized family. Create a mood board or find pictures online that you all love and research the artists you come across to find more.

8. Where can you see the art in the flesh?

   With the growth in online sales more an more people are buying online. Whilst it’s great and can save you money by cutting out the gallery fees, there is nothing like seeing artworks in reality. If it’s possible, get to a gallery, exhibition or an Open Studio event so you can check out how the art looks. If that’s not possible check out the online returns options before you buy. If you go to a gallery having the answers to the previous questions will help them to guide you to the right work.

9. Do I want to buy framed or unframed?

   Buying a painting framed can seem like the easy option but it might be worth buying an unframed work and getting it framed to suit your home. Framing tastes vary widely and a good framer can make all the difference. It might seem like extra hassle but it can be worth buying unframed work, especially if you’re buying online when frames can bump up the shipping costs and can get damaged in transit.

10. Do you love it?

    Don’t settle for anything less. If you’re going to live with it, it’s important you love it (as well as everyone else you considered in question 7)T

There you have it?

What would you ask? Let me know in the comments?

Save

Save

Save