How to Choose the Right Paintings to Match Your Home Decor

Guest Blogger #538, Entry #1211, May 22, 2012

If you are decorating your home, it is important to think carefully about the artwork that you place on your walls. An unimpressive piece of art does not improve your interior design at all, however the perfect piece of art can bring together all of the elements of your interior design and give a room the finishing touch that it needs. Here are some tips for choosing the right paintings to coordinate with your home decor:

Helpful tips for hanging wall art

Image via: Bhg

Decide on a Colour Scheme

When you are putting together a design for a room, one of the most important aspects will be choosing the colours and making sure that they work well together. This applies to choosing artwork as well because if you choose a painting which is incongruent with your colour scheme it will look out of place and ruin the harmony of the room.

There are many different colour schemes that you could choose when designing a room. For example, you could go for a muted palette with neutral colours and the odd bold accent. You could also choose pastel colours for a bright and feminine design, or darker jewel tone for a more sophisticated look. Think carefully about your colour scheme as it will determine the look and feel of the entire design.

Choose an Era or a Theme

The next step is to choose what sort of theme or era you want your design to evoke, as this will also affect what sort of artwork you choose. Modern paintings would look out of place with vintage Victorian decor and ornate 18th century paintings would look strange amid sleek and futuristic furniture.

Once you have decided on your theme, read through some design magazines and books to get a better idea of the way that furniture and artwork looked during this period. You can also look online for inspiration in order to get a better idea what sort of paintings would fit.

Hang wall art like a pro!

Consider the Size

Another aspect to keep in mind when choosing artwork for your home is the size of the painting. You want the artwork to be large enough so that it strikes a balance with the furniture and the space, because a small painting on a large blank wall will look strange. However, you don’t want the artwork to be too big for the space or it will also look out of place. Measure the size of the wall and determine a size which will leave a moderate amount of blank wall around the painting.

Think About the Subject Matter

There are a few questions that you should ask yourself when deciding the subject matter of your artwork. First of all, is it appropriate for all of the people who might be visiting your home? For example, you might love a painting which has violent and gory or erotic imagery, but if you are going to invite your elderly neighbours or the family across the street with young children into your home you can expect that they might be offended or disturbed by the material.

Another aspect to consider is whether or not the subject matter reflects the theme of the rest of the design. For example, if your design has a chic French feeling to it with vintage furniture and accessories, a painting of the Eiffel tower or another Parisian landmark would fit perfectly. If your design has an outdoor theme to it with natural materials like wood and stone, a large landscape painting would add to it.

These are just a few of the important things that you should consider when you are choosing paintings to match your home décor.

Whether you are looking for modern paintings or classical artwork, here are some tips for matching a painting to your home décor.

For more home decor ideas on Stagetecture, click here.