How to Choose the Right Type of Art to Match Your House

If you love looking at art but have never formally studied it or created art on your own, you may find it difficult knowing how to choose art for your home.

The right art can do wonders for your space, whether by working as a focal point in a room or by bringing some gorgeous colour and quirkiness to your space.

To choose the right art for your home, try the following tips:

Visit art galleries

To start your journey into the art world, try visiting a local gallery and browsing their works. In the beginning, just look around and note what catches your eye, what makes you think ‘wow!’ and which pieces make you feel positive or relaxed.  

You might find yourself drawn to works by a particular artist.

If so, you can ask for further information from a staff member, and perhaps even contact the artist yourself to browse more of their projects. Many galleries offer informative tours, too, so you can learn more about what you’re looking at from an expert.

Browse online sites

If you don’t have a gallery nearby, you can easily browse works of art online.

Take your time and make lists of your favourite pieces, and try to envision which colours and styles would look great in your home.

Choose something that reflects your personality

Whether via purposeful choice or subconsciously, the décor that you already have in your home likely reflects your personality. Art should also match your personality.

By choosing pieces that speak to you, you’ll likely match the feel of your other décor without too much effort.

Try your favourite pieces out

Once you have an idea of what might suit your home, why not try out your favourite pieces?

You could rent the pieces you have in mind and hang them in your lounge or office for a week or two.

If you truly love a piece, you won’t feel tired of looking at it – in fact, you’ll feel quite the opposite, finding more to love every time you see it.

Contrast

To create interesting, colourful, and even playful looks in a room, you could try contrasting bold pieces of art with subtler décor colours.

Contrasting can be a great way to draw attention to your new piece and complement the room it’s hanging in.

Commission an artist to design something for you

If you can already visualise the perfect piece for your home but are having trouble finding it in real life, why not commission an artist to design something especially for you?

By providing a talented artist with your ideas and colour preferences, you’ll end up with a unique piece that’ll be sure to impress your visitors and make your space look fantastic.

If you have the means, you could even hire a local artist to visit your home and design a painting or portrait based on your colour scheme and existing furniture.

Choose art that you love

You’re the one who will be gazing adoringly at your new art every day, so choose something you love above all other considerations!

Some galleries allow payment plans, so if a particular piece of art truly speaks to you but seems to be out of your price range, you could ask about the possibility of paying over several months. A decent piece of art will be with you for life, so it may well be worth the investment if you truly love it. Having the right art in your house will help it feel more like a home.

Ultimately, what constitutes the right art for your home will depend on what feels right for you, but as long as it brings positivity to your life, it’s likely to stand the test of time.

About the author: One of Cloe’s favourite childhood memories is a school trip to one of the local art galleries in her hometown of Dunedin, New Zealand. Fascinated by the intricate detail and painstaking work put into each piece, Cloe’s school trip started her love affair with arts and crafts. Discover more of Cloe’s articles here.