Selecting art for your space can be a daunting thing when the world is full of visually inspiring things. I have put together my 5 top tips when choosing art to help guide you to the right piece, for you. Everyone's style is different so trust your gut. Art is about what speaks to you, what you are drawn to and what sparks joy within you.
Size matters - This is probably the most common topic when buying art. What size will work? Most of us are constrained by some sort of budget and opt for the frame that is maybe mid range in size, only to get it home and realise that we should have gone bigger! The key to making art work is to fill the space it was meant for. If the selected location is on a blank wall then oversized art creates a huge impact and can change the feel of your space in an instant. Check out the hallway below. When placing art behind a sofa, bed or table, be sure to create balance by filling the wall space accordingly and not pushing past the width of the furniture
When purchasing from a generic homewares/ furniture shop we don’t get the choice of size options. If the budget allows (it may actually be cheaper), head to a specialist art store, there are plenty online, or a local gallery, artist or photographer. These places will give you options and will stock, or be able to order, art in different sizes and formats.
Be careful not fall into the trap of 'on trend' art. It might look great for a year or so, but there’s a reason it’s called ‘on trend’…. It soon goes out. Instead select a piece that speaks to you. That you LOVE. Whether it be the colour, texture and/or the subject. Something that evokes a great memory or feeling is what you are looking for, not just something that fits the colour scheme.
Maybe you found the perfect piece but it’s smaller than you need. Have you thought about teaming pieces together. Maybe your favourite art is part of a set that matches - dyptrich (set of two), or tryptich (set of three) or a grouping of unrelated art. Again the specialists will be able to help guide you on what art could work well together. It may be an underlying colour tone or just a subject that connects them all. I usually find black and white images work well together if they are not part of a pre determined set. Groupings can often allow us to fill a space properly as mentioned in tip #1 but there’s a knack to it! Join the blog for more info coming on this and how to place and hang your art.
Invest in quality prints, frames and canvases. Bad quality products can be found everywhere these days and unfortunately they don't stand up to the test of time. Cheap canvases will begin to sag and have poor print quality and can often pixelated or blurry. Mass produced frames are flimsy, and easily broken. Great art can only be at its best when it is printed properly by professionals who know their trade, protected and presented with top quality workmanship. There are so many pieces that come together to make your art sing in the best way possible, the choice of beautiful archival quality papers and materials, the selection of glass as the perfect window, the depth size of frame etc. The list goes on.
I hope you found this helpful. There are heaps more tips to guide you on the free brochure 'THE ART OF SELECTING ART'. Just click the link below to view and grab your SPECIAL OFFER towards any large artworks on the cocoplumcreative.com.au shop.
Enjoy! Vikki x
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