If you’re sick of staring at blank walls, or if you look longingly at style blogs wondering why your home looks nothing like the one they’re picturing, you’re about to be let in on a little secret.
Artwork can transform any space from the most sparse, bland box into a place worthy of your time and attention. Read on for six ways you can get artwork in your home which works for you – and for your space.
Strike A Match
One of the easier ways to incorporate art into your decor is to work with the existing colours and finishes of your furnishings. For example, find frames for any prints or artwork to match with furniture and fittings. A well-chosen picture or photo frame can enliven an entire room and transform a picture into a painting.
If you’re yet to purchase any feature bits of artwork, it can be handy to first create a palette of colours you’re fond of, or which will harmonise with your existing decor. Using colour cues can help to bring together diverse objects and elements into a more focused form.
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When creating a uniquely artistic space, try using your own photos and artwork to bring the space a sense of personal connection.
Find photos which express a certain mood or energy you connect with. Look for interesting compositions, colours and unusual depictions. You can also choose to play with the printing style, the frame, or opt for the drama of monochrome.
Fabric Fashions
While pictures and photos make easy, relatively versatile choices for artistic decoration, there’s no reason you can’t get a bit more creative.
Fabric is another wonderful way to add colour and drama into your living space, and there’s a variety of ways you can bring it it to your decor. Wall hangings, throw rugs, cross-stitch – select a style and a design which suits your personality and your furnishings.
Statement Piece
Take the hassle out of decoration and get double-duty furniture. Statement furniture pieces combine practicality and performance with artistic flair, allowing you to curate a room around their influence.
Chaise lounges, daybeds and armchairs all make excellent statement pieces, as do elaborate lamp shades and light fittings. The combination of usability and aesthetic value will mean you can be more sparing with decorative items.
No-Problems Neutrals
Another consideration when you’re looking to incorporate artwork into your decor is the overall colour styling of your home. A neutral furniture colour palette will allow you to take greater risks with your colour choices, and will ensure that your artwork is allowed to be the main focal point of a room.
To best facilitate this, select soft furnishings in shades of taupe, bone, cream, charcoal and grey. All of these choices work well with pops of colour across the spectrum, and will harmonise in a way which doesn’t distract from the effect that you’re trying to create.
Best Light
Lighting is another way to bring your artwork to life. Choosing the quality of light that helps accentuate your artwork is a process of testing different light sources and bulbs. Try both cool and warm sources of light (cooler lights are often fluorescent; warm lights are often tungsten), and vary the wattage until the lighting output suits your purpose.
Light diffusion is also important to consider. Smaller lights angled towards important focal points can create areas of interest in a room without overwhelming the area with light.
Lamps and lampshades are often great decorator accents in and of themselves. If your looking to add an extra object to your room, why not make it a stylish lamp? Select a shade and a base which fits with your overall aesthetic and watch the space light up.
Incorporating artwork into your decor can be simpler than buying the contents of a gallery. Look for artwork, photos and pieces which emphasise your existing decor and bring a sense of joy into your home – there’s no wrong way to do it.
Identity Magazine is all about guiding women to discover their powers of Self-Acceptance, Appreciation, and Personal Achievement. We ask that every contributor and expert answer the Identity 5 questions in keeping with our theme. Their answers can be random and in the moment or they can be aligned with the current article they have written. In that way, and as a team, we hope to encourage and motivate each other, thus inspiring you to Get All A’s.
1. What have you accepted within your life, physically and/or mentally? Additionally, what are you still working on accepting? Now, we’re talking about resignation, rather stepping into, embraced, and owned.
That not all will enjoy my writing.
2. What have you learned to appreciate about yourself and/or within your life, physically and mentally? On the other hand OR in contrast, are there elements of who you are that you’re still working on appreciating?
I appreciate my ability to be creative.
3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life? Tell us not only what makes YOU most proud but also share the goals and dreams that you still have.
Proud to have the writing skill.
4. Of course, we all have imperfections, or so we think. In truth, we are all perfectly imperfect. What are your not-so-perfect ways? Likewise, what imperfections and quirks create who you are–your Identity?
Ha, Many! I embrace them all.
5. “I Love My…” is an outlet for you to appreciate and express all the positive traits that make you…well…YOU! In fact, sharing what you love about yourself will make you smile, feel empowered, and uplift your spirit and soul. (We assure you!) Therefore, Identity challenges you to complete the phrase “I Love My…?”
I love my family.
Image via thinkstockphotos.com
