It’s one of those things that happens when designing a room. You have found the perfect sofa or some other must have piece for your room. You have decided that this piece of furniture is exactly what you need for your space and that’s it. You plan your budget for the room and more often than not,  you have left off the art work for your space.

Sure, you could utilize that framed poster you have lying around. I know, it’s already paid for, it’s already here and it’s already framed. Think about it, though. If you are going to invest your time and money into your newly  designed room, do you really want to have one important detail look like it was an afterthought?

When you think of artwork, think of it as something that will be a daily feast for your eyes and your guest’s eyes. How many times have you been touched by a piece of art?  You know, that feeling of being awestruck by a creation that really becomes meaningful to you. That is what I want you to look for when selecting a piece of artwork for your space. Not just something that works with the colors or theme of your space, although you certainly can do just that, but wouldn’t you rather invest in something that touches your heart and brings a smile?

Before you just go out and buy a piece of art, you need to first figure out where you are going to place it and from what place in the room it will be looked at. If this is going to be a part of your focal wall, consider the size. If you have a space that is 7 feet wide by 6 feet high, a dinky 4 inch by 6 inch art piece isn’t really going to do it. You want to cover about two-thirds of your wall space. An easy solution to figuring out what size artwork to look for is to cut out some cardboard and play with different sizes on the wall.

Finding artwork for your space can be another stumbling block. What kind of artwork? You can quickly find out if you don’t know. A free solution to exploring art is to go to museums. Look around and see what types of pieces really intrigue you. Take notes about the types of art and artists you enjoy while at the museum and use those to help you find art.

If you are looking to buy original artwork, think of it as an investment but not one where you would want to resell it later. Art is personal and selling artwork at a profit is pretty tough. So, when investing in original art, find something that you really love.

You can find some original artwork on Etsy. I love Etsy. Artists create paintings and it isn’t the type of art a first grader would do.There are many different styles and price points. I have found many pieces of art on Etsy for my clients and it is one of a kind and affordable.

If you are looking for a classic piece of art but you can’t afford a real Van Gogh, fear not. You can still get a Van Gogh for your home. A really popular site is Art.com. There you can select a Van Gogh and have the option of placing it in a wide selection of frames or have it mounted on canvas. The great part about  this site is that you can select the color and type of frame, the number and color of the mats, the quality of acrylic glass and pick a color similar to your wall to see how it will look in your home. They also have hand painted art which gives you another option if you like art that has a great textural quality.

(above art found on Art.com)

When you find that piece that makes your heart sing, you can then use it as the base to finding the color scheme for your room. While looking at the artwork, take notice of the color proportions. If the main color is blue and is used for 80% of the picture, see what the next largest use of color is and so on. You can get as many as four colors out of a picture to use as your color scheme. You will also be able to figure out what other complimentary pieces of art you can use by figuring this out. 

Selecting artwork is a very personal decision and should be made by the decision makers in your home collectively. Find a piece of art that everyone loves and try to find something that is timeless. If you select something that is trendy, you may have to reselect another piece of artwork in a few years when it has become apparent that your original painting of the burly man in a tutu just isn’t cutting it anymore.

Many Blessings!

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