How to Select Artwork
Once you’ve installed flooring, chosen accent rugs and furniture, and painted or wallpapered your walls, make sure you tie your room together with carefully chosen and placed artwork. Bare walls can feel boring or unfinished, and artwork gives you the opportunity to add more of your personal touch to your home. Here are some general best practices to keep in mind when choosing and hanging artwork:
- Find artwork that’s personally significant or speaks to you in some way. This way you won’t get tired of it quickly or feel that it doesn’t truly express your style.
- Don’t skimp on frames. Using high-quality frames to display your art will protect and elevate your pieces.
- Choose the right size art for your space. In general, the size of your art should be proportional to the wall space you’re dealing with and the size of your room. For expansive rooms with high ceilings, large pieces will make more sense.
- Hang your artwork at the appropriate height. If your guests need to look up or stoop to take in the full effect of your artwork, it’s probably not hung at the optimal height.
- Use the correct hardware. The method and hardware you use to hang your artwork will depend on the size and weight of each piece. Our guide How to Display and Hang Wall Art or Pictures has useful information for when you’re ready to hang your art.
Soothing Art for the Bedroom
Your bedroom should be your private oasis and invoke the mood that you’re going for. If you want a calming vibe, it’s a good idea to choose artwork that isn’t too busy or distracting. Look for large-scale pieces with soothing color palettes or abstract designs. Want your bedroom to feel like an escape? Large black-and-white photos or prints that depict exotic locales or pieces of landscape art can evoke a faraway feel.
If you like the look of a headboard but your bed doesn’t have one, consider hanging an art piece where a headboard would be. The walls directly in front of and behind your bed are the best places for hanging art.
Inspirational Office Wall Art
For your office or home workspace, consider what inspires and motivates you. Since the office is a place for ideas, your choice of artwork can be a little more eclectic. Vary the shapes and sizes of your art pieces and think about arranging them on a gallery wall or floating ledge shelf. A shelf gives you the option of switching out your artwork when desired. For either of these options, you can choose to keep all of the frames the same for a minimalist look, or you can mix up colors, materials and textures.
If you’re frequently on video calls for work, you may want to keep the artwork that’ll be visible behind you simple so it’s not a distraction. Your office is also a great place to hang diplomas or awards that you’re proud of. If you need a place to organize your thoughts, a memo board can be a great addition to any office.
Decorative Art for the Living Room
The living room can be one of the most intimidating rooms in the house to decorate since it’s a space intended for hosting guests and spending time together. The right artwork can set the tone for your room and start conversations.
A single large-scale piece on a gallery wall can work well here. If you have a bare wall behind your couch or main seating area, a popular choice is to hang three coordinating panels that make up a single art piece and may depict landscapes or abstract forms. You could also hang a set of three coordinating photographs. Your wall art doesn’t need to be an exact match for the style or coloring of your furnishings, but the pieces should echo one another.
If your living room has a fireplace with a mantle, think carefully about what kind of decorations will complement your space. The mantle itself can be a piece of art on a large mosaic fireplace or one with beautiful masonry. Hang a single piece right above the mantle or position small sculptures or vases on top of it. Consider incorporating fresh flowers during the warmer months.
Personalized Dining Room Décor
The room where you gather with loved ones to eat and talk is a great place for artwork that sparks conversation. This is a space where wall décor that holds particular meaning or nostalgic value to you is key.
Consider photographs or landscapes depicting places that are meaningful to you, as they can become conversation starters if they pique the curiosity of your guests. This is also a great place to hang special works from artists you know, as well as your favorite pieces that you love to show off. Artwork depicting food is a straightforward choice that can give your dining room a homey feel.
Whimsical Kitchen Art
One room that often lacks artwork is the kitchen. This space is the heart of the home for many and deserves artistic accents just as much as any other part of your home. Choose artwork that matches your kitchen’s theme or coordinates with the color scheme. Consider small pieces that don’t overwhelm your space or get in the way of functional kitchen features.
Kitchens are a great place to incorporate graphic or tongue-in-cheek art prints that bring levity to the space. Many people choose typeset quotes or phrases or whimsical prints of mugs and wine bottles, especially for areas such as a coffee nook or bar. Use vintage kitchen implements as décor or frame a classic family recipe written in your grandmother’s handwriting. No matter what you place in the kitchen, ensure that it’s easy to clean in case of spills and splashes.
Bathroom Accents
Don’t neglect your bathroom when it comes to filling your home with art. Choose a few pieces that coordinate with your chosen décor and make sense in relation to where the bathroom is in your home. For example, you might choose some playful or colorful pieces for a powder room that’s frequently used by guests, but you might prefer softer, more atmospheric pieces for your master bathroom.
Consider choosing a pair of prints or paintings for your bathroom, preferably pieces that have a coordinating color palette or theme and are about the same size. You can hang the artwork side by side or one over the other. Ideal spots for the art include the wall behind your toilet or over a bathtub using wall hooks. Hardware or shelving can be decorative as well, so think about choosing styles that match your theme. Make sure anything you hang in your bathroom is moisture-resistant and can stand up to the humidity.