Home Builder Jacksonville | Now that you’re a proud home owner, it’s time to deck your walls with art that reflects you. Your newfound soaring ceilings and open floor plan can feel a little empty without something to brighten the walls. Creating a cohesive feel is really important, so it could require purchasing some additional pieces to supplement the art you already own.
Here are five things to consider when choosing (or repurposing) art for your new large spaces, along with a couple of case-studies from my own home.
1. Think About Size
Smaller artwork is easier to come by, it’s easier to store and it’s generally cheaper – so most people have a lot more small stuff, which works great if you have a snug bedroom, or a cramped hallway. But in an expansive room with high ceilings? Not so much.
Think of the wall around a piece of art as part of the art. You want it to be a natural extension of what’s there. If the art’s too small, it will be overwhelmed by the emptiness and disappear – and it’ll give off a timid and helpless vibe. If it’s too big, it will feel like a giant wearing too-small pants – also not a good look.
For large spaces, there are several solutions: the first is simply looking for larger pieces of art. The second is to choose something that’s not a framed image (more about that below). And the third is to use several pieces of art in combination with each other, to make a larger piece.
As an example, in my home, the bedroom (pictured above) has vaulted ceilings that reach 17 feet in height. A little dinky framed thing above the bed simply wasn’t going to cut it. I needed something bigger.
2. Choose a Type of Art That Works
Art work isn’t just a framed print or poster. There are quite a few other decorative choices you can make. For example, buying a wall-mounted shelf and putting figurines or vases on it can be a great way to decorate a larger space using collectibles that you already have. Or, getting aggregate decorations to take up a larger space can work well.
Other choices include mounting decorative plates in a row, putting up a large mirror or using decals – which are surprisingly hip and often look good. Check out WallPops!, for some ideas.
When deciding what you want to put on a wall, it’s okay to think outside the box. A large framed picture is often the least interesting (and often most expensive) choice. (Though, for my bedroom example, I chose three 16”x20” framed prints – fairly orthodox.)
3. Keep Coloring in Mind
What color is the furniture in the room? What about the wall? How about accent pillows? All these things matter and the art (and framing) should match the coloring of the space around it. While this can be tricky, the results will be much better when everything is coordinated. Not matchy-matchy necessarily, but of the same color family and feel.
In my bedroom, for example, I chose three floral prints with softer hues that are brought out by the Wythe Blue of the wall, while the frames are dark wood, matching the color of the headboard and lampshades.
4. Don’t Forget the Frame
If you choose to hang an image, the frame should complement both the décor of the room and the coloring and style of the piece itself. You’ll also need to decide if you want matting or not – while matting can increase the wall size of a smaller piece, be wary of allowing a print to drown in its border. Generally speaking, smaller pieces with very large matting only succeed if the image is very simple and visible from afar. If someone needs to peer up close at a piece to appreciate it, extensive matting is a no-no.
As for the frame material, there are several choices. A wood frame with a carved design can have a nice shabby-chic feel, particularly if it’s been painted. For a straight vintage look, plain dark wood frames work great. If you want a modernist or contemporary vibe, metal or black frames are the way to go.
Also, if you like vibrant décor, don’t be afraid to go with a bright-colored frame, particularly if the room needs a pop and your color choice matches another accent in the space.
5. Keep Costs Down Where You Can
If you’re going with a print, framing can be expensive. Keep costs down by only using prints that fit in standard-sized frames, which are far cheaper than custom frames. You can also look for vintage frames at garage and estate sales and then work backward, filling in the photo after you have the frame.
Or, one of the advantages of a wall-mounted shelf or other unorthodox decoration is the lack of frame – that can often be a big cost savings. There are often creative workarounds. The company Wellmade offers Gallery STiiCKs that can frame any poster on two sides for a fraction of what traditional framing costs – that’s what I chose for my three prints above the bed.
There are also companies that print photographs onto canvas or wood – and that don’t need a frame at all. If you’re a shutterbug and have some great pics you’d like to hang, this might be your chance. Shutterfly offers this service, for example, and you can often find half-off deals.
For my dining room (pictured above), which also has high ceilings and blends right into the living room, I had two prints made and chose a custom size for each that fit the wall-space perfectly. Because I’m a deal-hunter, the combined pair cost less than $100 – about the price of getting one large-ish poster custom framed.
Choosing the right art for a large space isn’t easy – but it can be done if you take the time to really plan out what you need. Think through the size, type, coloring, framing and cost of what you want. And get inspiration from the internet and beyond – sites like Houzz can give you great ideas, as can home décor magazines, or even just shopping at home goods stores and seeing how they have their showrooms set up.
The key is visualizing what you need before you have it and then patiently working toward finding the right art at the right cost for your space. Don’t rush things – Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your home won’t be decorated in a day. But when your home is fully decorated, it will look fabulous! - Redfin
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