Decorating
Styling: How to Choose and Display Art
Bring colour, personality and vibrancy to your space with the perfect piece of art
The right artwork can make a room scheme, lifting it out of the ordinary to become something truly special. A piece that resonates with you not only gives your space soul, it can raise a smile or calm your mood every time you look at it. Choose a painting you love and you won’t go far wrong, but if you’re looking for ways to make your art fit harmoniously with the rest of your décor, these ideas should help.
Play around with proportion
If you’ve found the perfect piece but it just isn’t big enough for the wall you had in mind, a large frame could be the answer. This artwork could easily look lost here, but the oversized frame makes sure it holds its own as the room’s focal point.
If you’ve found the perfect piece but it just isn’t big enough for the wall you had in mind, a large frame could be the answer. This artwork could easily look lost here, but the oversized frame makes sure it holds its own as the room’s focal point.
Use it to define a space
In an open-plan room, you can use art to create distinct areas, each with their own vibe. This painting incorporates the same colours as the furniture, in similar proportions, and, at just a fraction wider than the table, it helps differentiate this space from the rest of the room.
In an open-plan room, you can use art to create distinct areas, each with their own vibe. This painting incorporates the same colours as the furniture, in similar proportions, and, at just a fraction wider than the table, it helps differentiate this space from the rest of the room.
Try a triptych
If you have a bare expanse, hanging several pictures close together can be more effective than spacing them out in an attempt to fill the whole space. This triptych lines up with the trio of sofa cushions for a beautifully symmetrical look.
If you have a bare expanse, hanging several pictures close together can be more effective than spacing them out in an attempt to fill the whole space. This triptych lines up with the trio of sofa cushions for a beautifully symmetrical look.
Double the effect
Get twice as much joy from an artwork by mounting mirrors on an adjacent wall so you see it from every part of the room.
Find more ideas for mirrors
Get twice as much joy from an artwork by mounting mirrors on an adjacent wall so you see it from every part of the room.
Find more ideas for mirrors
Mix frames
If you’re creating a gallery wall, don’t feel all your frames have to match. Mix colours and materials for an eclectic look. Hanging these pictures above and below the beam is a masterstroke that really draws attention to this beautiful architectural feature.
If you’re creating a gallery wall, don’t feel all your frames have to match. Mix colours and materials for an eclectic look. Hanging these pictures above and below the beam is a masterstroke that really draws attention to this beautiful architectural feature.
Make your own
Art can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s easy to make your own and you don’t even have to be handy with a paintbrush. This piece was created from a stack of paint charts. Simply cut circles out of your favourite colours, then glue them to a board or canvas in overlapping rows for a gorgeous fish-scale effect.
Art can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s easy to make your own and you don’t even have to be handy with a paintbrush. This piece was created from a stack of paint charts. Simply cut circles out of your favourite colours, then glue them to a board or canvas in overlapping rows for a gorgeous fish-scale effect.
Embrace the unexpected
It can be more effective to choose art that stands out from the rest of your décor, rather than a piece that blends in. Try a bold, bright painting in a neutral room, or an ultra-contemporary piece in a traditional scheme.
See more ideas for mixing decorating styles
It can be more effective to choose art that stands out from the rest of your décor, rather than a piece that blends in. Try a bold, bright painting in a neutral room, or an ultra-contemporary piece in a traditional scheme.
See more ideas for mixing decorating styles
Incorporate an element of surprise
A painting over the sofa or above the bed? Sure. But above the bath? That’s something you don’t often see. Positioning artwork in unusual places where you least expect it ensures maximum impact. Remember to protect a painting with glass if you’re hanging it in a steamy area, such as a bathroom or kitchen.
Tell us about the art you’ve chosen for your home in the Comments below.
A painting over the sofa or above the bed? Sure. But above the bath? That’s something you don’t often see. Positioning artwork in unusual places where you least expect it ensures maximum impact. Remember to protect a painting with glass if you’re hanging it in a steamy area, such as a bathroom or kitchen.
Tell us about the art you’ve chosen for your home in the Comments below.
Art is often an afterthought – the last thing we come to after the rest of the decorating is finished – but turning this process on its head and picking a painting first can pay dividends. Next time you’re planning a new scheme, find a piece you love and use its colours as the inspiration for the room’s palette.