The Secret to Choosing Art for Your Home

Take the stress out of acquiring your next piece of art.

Follow Your HeART!

The first rule in art collecting is that there are no rules! As a gallery owner, I have learned that if you ask 10 people for their opinions about art you will get 20 different answers. Art is personal and everyone likes to look at different things. I always tell clients, “The only criteria in choosing art for your home is that you like it.” So many people spend too much time looking for art with so many requirements that they never seem to make any progress. The process becomes torturous.

I’ve seen countless shoppers over the years driving themselves crazy looking for the one piece on the planet that is the perfect size with just the certain shade of whatever color appears in the sofa or drapes. Then, the wife loves a piece but the husband can’t deal with the hint of purple over in “that corner.” It makes it feel too “feminine” for him. Or, the style is too modern to live in the same room as the demilune inherited from Grandma. The list goes on and on…

Here’s your get out of jail free card: The artwork does NOT have to talk to the rug or the sofa or anything else! You’re free!

Do You Love It?

Once you start looking for something solely based on how much you love looking at it, without all of the prerequisites, the search for that special piece becomes a joy and an adventure! Once you are released of the heavy burdens, you can really focus on choosing art for your home by how it affects you. How it makes you feel. If this artwork is something you want in your life and something that you desire to look at every day, then congratulations! You have found the right piece!

Don’t Go All Matchy-Matchy

In my opinion, some of the most striking rooms have artwork that stands out. I’ve found on some projects that if the work is too “matchy,” or looks too expected, the magic of the work can get lost in the space, or it can disappear altogether. I will sometimes purposefully add art outside of the room’s color scheme to really showcase the work. Artwork that doesn’t look like it was hand-picked for the space starts to create the feel that the pieces have been “collected” and not selected.

When a piece of art draws you in and demands your attention, then, the piece has succeeded and so has your room!