Hanging art in your home is essential for making that jump from house to home, but it can seem overwhelming given the variety of pieces available. Prints, portrait frames, and plaques are more accessible than ever before. It’s also never been easier and cheaper to hang art in your home, so how do you make a start?
There's no such thing as a wrong choice when it comes to art. It’s your space, your wall, your decision. Don’t let the idea of choosing the ‘wrong kind’ of art bother you. The only function the piece needs to serve is making the space more enjoyable to live in.
One way to start choosing art is to start with a theme. Here are a few examples of themes and the colours and subjects they use.
Rustic – A rustic theme celebrates natural materials, strong lines, and the beauty of the imperfect.
• Natural muted colours and unfinished wood, stone, and ceramics
• Slightly imperfect or damaged objects
• Bare metallic fittings such as brass, pewter, copper
• Naturalistic subjects like animals and woodland scenes.
Nautical – A nautical theme evokes the adventurous spirit of the sea and fresh colours of the coast.
• Muted blues and whites
• Coastal-inspired materials – driftwood, distressed wood, and rope
• Maritime subjects like seascapes, harbour scenes, and sea creatures
Abstract/Contemporary – A contemporary theme features post-modern elegance and simplicity in colour, line, or composition.
• Neutral colours such as grey, white, and pastels
• Modern materials such as steel, painted wood
• Abstract subjects, shapes, and lines that are simple or chaotic
Natural/Botanical – A naturalistic or botanical theme combines natural colours, materials, and subject matter.
• Organic colours such as greens, whites, and cream
• Plant and animal subjects, especially flowers, trees, and birds
• Natural materials such as ceramics and wood
Picking artwork for a theme is a way to keep a cohesive look. However, not everyone has a specific theme in mind, and not every space needs a solid theme. When in doubt, you should fall back on your reaction to a piece of art.
When we say choosing by feel, we mean considering the nature of the space. What is this room for? Is it a relaxing and cosy living room or a busy, bustling kitchen?
Living Rooms – The living room is the most popular place to hang art - it’s where you can express yourself. It’s usually the largest room in the home, meaning there's often more wall space to work with. Breaking up large stretches of wall, such as above the sofa, is best. Remember that living rooms are inviting, relaxing spaces. Something too bold or distracting will detract from that feeling of ease, so subtlety is the watchword in the living room.
Kitchens – These are high traffic spaces dominated by practical objects made for practical purposes. At first, it might not seem the best place to hang artwork, but this sense of utility can make the space more unique or aesthetically pleasing.
Bathrooms and Toilets – Because of the nature of bathrooms, your options for art are limited. Water vapour and heat can quickly damage prints, canvases, and other pieces without protection. However, frames can give you some protection from wear. Smaller prints, cluster frames, and other small pieces are best for toilets as they're small spaces that clutter quickly.
The colour of your walls, fixtures and other furniture will influence how a print feels in the space. If a colour is out of place, the overall feel becomes chaotic. Your own instincts of colour are usually enough to make that call.
Repainting Frames – is an excellent way to rework a piece for your palette. This might not be possible with some canvas pieces, but it's easy to repaint the frames of prints to make them fit with your colour scheme.
Complementary Colours – Colours naturally have complements and opposites. Complementary colours are more cohesive and appear more harmonious, but use a colour wheel if you want to check your colours look right together.
Bring a Sample – If you have any of your room paint left, try bringing a homemade swatch with you when shopping. If you don’t have any paint, a clear and bright picture of the wall in daylight works just as well.
One crucial aspect of selecting art is the relation between the size of a piece and the wall it hangs on.
Don’t Crowd - Make sure you have clearance between pieces and other features such as sofas, door jambs, windows, and other fittings. This helps avoid a ‘crowded’ feeling on walls. Cluster frames are an exception as they're more coherent.
Rule of Odds - Keep in mind the ‘rule of odds’ for artwork. Many pieces are sold as ‘triptychs’, related artworks of the same size and dimension, designed to be hung together. Even numbers of pieces together don’t always look right, so hang them in ones or threes.
No matter what you want from artwork in your home, a few simple concepts can take guesswork out of the equation. Though it can seem confusing, your own experience with the space is what matters. Now that you know your stuff, we're sure you'll find the perfect piece in our wide selection of frames and wall art.
