It is often said that our homes are a reflection of our personalities. Every design choice we make, be it the color of the walls or the material of the furniture, speaks volumes about us in one way or another. And there is no room where this is more evident than the living room. Since this is such an important room, it is no wonder that we want to put a lot of emphasis on getting the atmosphere right. But no matter what you do and how you design your room, without art, it will feel empty and incomplete. When it comes to adding artworks to your space, though, there are so many choices that you might feel overwhelmed. To help you out, here are a few tips on how to incorporate art into your living room design to get a glamorous, coherent result that will charm all your guests.
Decide what you want and need
First of all, before you head out to look for the perfect piece, you should look around your room and establish what you are looking for. Do you have a large, empty surface that begs for an oversized piece, or do you want to scatter smaller pieces all around the room? The design of your interior will play a huge role too. Is your living room more on the modern and minimalistic or warm and vintage side? Do you want to keep it subdued and neutral or do you want an eye-catching pop of color that will be the focal point of the entire space? It’s a good idea to think about these things as well as your own preferences and come to a compromise with your family members in order to keep it nice and coherent. Remember that there is no point in purchasing something that you don’t like. After all, you want the art in your living room to reflect your personality.
Modern shapes and colors
If your room is sleek and modern, it’s best to keep the art along the same lines. While some people might not agree, abstract, simplistic art pieces can make a huge impact if they are incorporated in the right way. It is a good idea to match the art with the rest of your interior. Look around the living room and try to come up with a color palette to look for in your art piece. For instance, you can match the color of the art to the pattern of your upholstery or even the color of your flower pots for a put-together look. While in this case, knowing a thing or two about color psychology is not a bad idea, the truth is that art is subjective so you are more than welcome to have your own interpretation of a piece and choose whichever color speaks to you personally.
Beautiful wall art to bring nature closer
If instead of loud and energetic colors, you are aiming for a more toned-down feel, you can bring life into your interior with natural motifs. For instance, if you want to preserve a pleasant pastel color palette throughout the room with a soft and charming vibe, you can go for wall art that features botanicals in relaxing hues. Bringing some nature inside is always a great way to make any space more inviting. According to biophilia, simply the sight of plants and the color green is relaxing for the human mind. It reminds us of where we belong, relieves stress and even helps us focus. Therefore, going for nature as a theme for your living room art is a great idea for several reasons. You can choose art prints of your favorite flowers or even go for a beautiful landscape and give a new dimension to your room.
Scout the flea markets
The truth is that art is expensive, but even if you cannot spare hundreds of dollars to purchase original pieces, you still have plenty of options. We already mentioned art prints which are a great alternative considering that thanks to today’s printing technology, they can look as good as the original. But you can also take an afternoon and scout the nearby flea markets to see if you can find something you like for cheap. While it’s certainly going to be more difficult and time-consuming than choosing out the perfect piece online, you never know what treasure you might find at someone’s yard sale. If you happen to come across an incredible piece, you might even decide to redesign your interior a bit to match the new focal point. The beautiful antique frames that old paintings usually come in are really just a bonus that will give a vintage touch to your space.
A piece of you
Since art is all about self-expression, if you cannot seem to find what you are looking for, you can also try your hand at creating it! The best thing about this idea is that it won’t even break the bank; nowadays, canvases and acrylic paint is affordable, so you have nothing to lose. You can look up tutorials on YouTube and create interesting pieces even if you have no experience with painting. For instance, simple shapes can become much more interesting if you spread them across multiple canvases – and a series of smaller canvases hung above your sofa will look very stylish, too. If you are handy at DIY projects, you might even try the acrylic pouring technique. While you need a bit more equipment for this one, the great thing about it is that no matter how it turns out, it will still look incredible.
Think outside the box
When you’re decorating your living room with art, remember that “art” does not only include pictures and paintings. It can be so much more and bringing in various media will make your room that much more interesting. Think about sculptures, vases, urns and the sort. They can be the perfect decoration for your bookshelf and provide a great conversation starter as they will all look unique. Instead of paintings, you can also opt to hang mirrors on your walls in ornate, golden frames. They can have a similarly great effect if you are going for a more sophisticated vibe, and mirrors have the added benefit of brightening up any room.
A display of your history
Finally, you can also make the process of decorating your living room a lifelong one. For instance, you may decide to bring home exactly one piece of art (a small painting, a sculpture, a mask or anything of the sort) from each of your travels and create a corner in your living room dedicated to this “gallery” of the world. It’s a great idea not only because it looks amazing but also because it will be extremely meaningful to you as you look at a piece and remember a trip you took years ago. Don’t worry about the different pieces not matching each other – that will be the beauty of this assortment, however, you can also make it more coherent by getting the same frame for each of the paintings, for instance.
Decorating a living room with art is a fun and satisfying process. You get to showcase your taste and personality through every single piece you choose and your interior will feel full of life thanks to the interesting colors and shapes art pieces bring in. While there are no rules when it comes to art, hopefully, the previous tips will help you make the right call and add a new dimension to your interior design.
