What is art? I know a lot of people who will disagree – but to me, art is anything you want it to be. My children’s drawings are just as important to me as the “real” art in my home. Stay true to yourself and the rest is easy. (A beautiful frame can transcend a hand-made or inexpensive picture into fine art instantly.)
Art and accessories complete the decoration of a room. These items should be chosen with your heart and not your head. Once you have made your choices, look to the size and shape of the furniture you have in your room and the size and shape of any walls you need to address. Art should be hung in relation to the furnishings and not because there is an empty wall to fill. In fact, leaving one wall or area bare often highlights the other pieces in the room, so don’t worry about placing something on every wall.
If you’re decorating with items you already have, take stock in your collection and group items together that share the same feel – whether it’s the materials or theme of each piece – to create a more cohesive design. Arrange your compositions on the floor first to make sure you like the results.
If you’re planning on purchasing a few new pieces, consider buying several smaller pieces instead of the typical ‘one large picture over the sofa’ look. Not only will you have more flexibility when arranging art, you’ll be able to create different looks again and again. It is especially important to arrange a grouping on the floor first in order to save yourself the trouble of filling in nail holes and making your walls look like Swiss cheese. You can either trace your design onto craft paper and transfer the paper pieces to the wall or trace each picture with chalk directly onto the wall. (Use white chalk for colored walls and colored chalk for white walls.) This trick has saved me time again and again whenever I have to do an art installation.
If you’re using a lot of colorful or busy pieces like the ones picture on the left, unify the group with (similar or same) colored mats and frames. You could even choose to skip the headboard altogether and use a collage or one large piece of art on its own.
If you’re not inspired by anything you see, then begin collecting beautiful frames and hang these on their own. (As pictured above) The shapes and materials alone make a design statement.
Shake up your traditional decor with contemporary pieces and vice versa for more streamlined interiors.
Once you’re ready to begin hanging your art, make sure you have the proper tools. You can find many picture hanging kits at your local hardware or home improvement stores, so be sure to have a variety on hand. Different sized hangers are meant to hold different weights – don’t be tempted to hang something “for now” or from an ordinary nail. Follow all of the instructions that come with the kits to insure you have securely attached each piece to the wall.
Before you pick up that hammer; measure twice. Place each piece in relation to the furniture or space. That means each picture could be hung as low as 4″ over a smaller piece of furniture an no higher than 60″ to center on the wall. Here are some more tips to get you started…
•Let your favorite piece of art inspire the color and patterns in the room
•Use art to define a space and/or enhance a piece of furniture
•Choose frames that work with the art and not necessarily the room
•Mix mediums with ease by unifying materials, colors or themes
