Breathe life to your living space and give it more personality with pieces of art
Displaying art all throughout the home can really breathe life into your living spaces and infuse them with plenty of character. And now that work from home has become the default for many of us, investing in some signature pieces of art is starting to look more appealing by the day.
If you love the idea of bedazzling your walls with one-of-a-kind art pieces (or prints for that matter) but haven’t the faintest clue of where to begin, we’ve made it easy for you with this quick checklist of art acquisition. And if all else fails, you could always let expert art consultants and buyers do the sourcing for you!
#1 Buy art that you love
Art like music is very instinctive and mood driven. So, we don’t expect you to appreciate every single genre or medium. That’s why it’s good to spend some time on Pinterest or art galleries to see what you’re drawn to. From there you can start filtering your searches based on budget. Some collectors like to focus on art that has a special meaning for them such as pop art images from their childhood, black and white photography, natural landscapes or even artists with inspiring back stories. Whatever the case may be, buying art always gives us that philanthropic feeling knowing that we are supporting the artists’ rice bowls to help keep their careers going.
#2 Decide on your art spaces
The relationship between the artwork and its surroundings plays a central role when creating the overall ambience. For example, the most common spaces for entertaining are the living and dining rooms which is why people choose to hang their statement pieces there. But don’t neglect smaller awkward spaces like dry bathrooms, entryways and of stretches of staircase which could all benefit with a pop of colour and character from some wall art.
#3 Match the theme not the colours
A common misconception is that art has to match. Although the idea of a wall-full of black-and-white photos of your family taken at the same photoshoot seems like a well-laid plan, it might come across looking contrived and catalog-like. Instead, the choice of art should play off the theme of your interiors and the mood you’re trying to convey. For example, if you enjoy the tranquility of a green room, having some prints of tropical foliage will complement your growing collection of indoor plants.
A coastal, beachy home or country-styled abode might not suit bold contemporary pieces or funky street art, but instead, prefers light, neutral or white-washed elements with touches of cool hues like blue and green.
For the bedrooms, you can choose more calming and intimate pieces that promote restful sleep like mountain-scapes, tropical flora or beach sunsets with soothing tones, or desaturated photography.
#4 It’s all about and proportion and placement
Just like how you measure your walls before purchasing furniture, it’s also important to measure the space that you want to fill with art. It would be weird to have an over-sized painting lord over a small sofa, and vice versa.
As a rule of thumb, the art should span the length of the furniture that it sits above, whether it’s the sofa, sideboard, dining table or bed. Also keep wall art a forearm’s length above the edge of your furniture, where the focal point of the image is at eye level. Placing your art off-centre also adds dimension to your space and gives it more personality.
Also, when choosing art, do ensure that it doesn’t end up “fighting” with your furniture. There should be one focal point — either the art or the furniture, but not both, unless you’re into maximalism!
If you feel a large canvas might be too big of an investment, you could line up smaller pieces of matching wall art (ideally as a trendy set of three), or a salon-style gallery of mismatched frames — both of which ooze personality and tell a story.
You don’t even have to mount every art piece on the wall (good news for those who hate drilling holes). Sometimes just having them rest on a side table or bedside leaning against the wall looks just as inviting and refreshingly novel.
#5 Don’t limit art to just paintings
Art doesn’t always have to be an oil painting on a sheet of canvas, sometimes it can take the form of a metal sculpture, a glass vase, pottery, textile art or even a collection of clocks! It’s very possible to look beyond a 2D image to find a unique piece that best reflects you and your homely surroundings.
#6 Consider the lighting
While sculptures or other mixed-media installations will benefit from more illumination from lights, do take extra care of paintings whether acrylic or watercolour. Experts always advise keeping the artwork away from natural light as this can cause the colours to fade over time. You can request for paintings and photographs to be framed up with UV-protective anti-reflective glass or Perspex. If your art wall happens to be near a window, then consider prints that are less expensive and less likely to fade.
Where to buy art
Art Loft | 14 Keong Saik Rd | 6521 6690 | artloftasia.com
Carré d’artistes | #04-08 Paragon | 6962 3550 | www.carredartistes.com
LivingwithArt | #02-05 Tan Boon Liat Building | 6917 6503 | www.livingwithart.com.sg
Ode to Art | #01-36E/F Raffles City Shopping Centre | 6250 1901 | www.odetoart.com
Taksu Gallery | 43 Jln Merah Saga #01-72 | 6476 4788 | taksu.com
The Artling | 91B Tg Pagar Rd | 6223 0037 | theartling.com
MAIN PHOTO: Unsplash/Nathan Oakley
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