Art, A Remedy For Lifeless Walls.

Art, A Remedy For Lifeless Walls.  A Guide To Choosing Artwork

and The Value Of Artwork in Interior Design and Property Staging.

September 2023

 

Art, A Remedy For Lifeless Walls.

Fine, But Which Artwork and Where ?

A guide to choosing artwork and the value of artwork in interior design and property staging.

 

Whether it’s a passive, reassuring backdrop or a punchy, commanding feature in the space,  art is

important and is often the key effector of ambience in a property.  Whether you are  tailoring your

home or staging a property for sale, the presence, style and placement of artworks are

considerations worth your time and investment.

 

By leaving thoughtful clues on how to dress each space with art when property staging, you are not only presenting a property in its best dressed form, you are helping the potential purchaser minimize the mind task of having to dress a blank space by offering them a visualization of how they might easily and comfortably live in that space.

Art can immediately change the feeling in a room. It has the ability to elevate a property, bring cohesion to seemingly conflicting décor and to set a mood.  Whether it's artwork for the living room, the bedroom, study or artwork for the bathroom, it is worth spending a little time on selecting the right art piece for your room.

Each room, no matter its size or function, is an opportunity to create interest and a sense of identity through décor pieces such as artwork. Little nooks with small surprises in the form of tiny wall hangings, or large walls with bold statement pieces, are spaces for you to express your personality by choosing art that speaks to you.

 

Which

Artwork?

There are many

styles and subjects

to choose from, but to

help guide you in your decision

process when selecting an art piece,

a few things you might want to consider are:

 

1. Who are you choosing the artwork for?

Art selection can be highly personalized and can become overwhelming, with self-doubt influencing  more than it should. It is important to think about the art piece's practicable suitability of course, but one of the first things you should ask yourself, especially if the piece is for you, is: do you like it?

The art choices you make may be influenced by the meaning that the art piece holds, or it may be the colour of the artwork that resonates with you, but whatever the driving force behind your artwork choices, embrace what appeals to you. These choices, like all décor decisions, are what make your home individual, authentic and unique.

If the artwork is for a client, consider the purpose for their art and if possible, explore examples of artwork with them prior to creating a shortlist. This will help you formulate targeted themes or subject matter and styles of art that chime with your client's preferences.

Whether the artwork is for you or for a client, sit with your shortlisted art piece options for a little while and then lean into your gut.

 

2. Where is the Artwork intended for and what kind of response do you hope to evoke?

This question in itself can be difficult to answer, but tuning in to the purpose of a space and the people it is intended for, will give you the answer. 

Consider the age of the people who will use the space and tailor the subject matter to be age appropriate. Consider the purpose of the room or building. In an office, for example, you might want to provide reprieve for tired eyes in the form of some calming landscapes or, conversely you might want to invigorate in the form of dramatic scenes. You might require a commanding artwork to form a reception area backdrop or a delicate drawing for a small waiting room. The subject matter, the colour and the size of an artwork will contribute to what the artwork will convey to the onlooker.

It isn't often that an artwork is the driver in design, many times you must pick an artwork that compliments existing décor. Identify the main neutral colour in the existing décor: the dominant colour. Sometimes details can be distracting, so if you are struggling to identify the dominant colour, take a photograph and blur the image, the dominant colour will emerge. This will usually (but not exclusively) fall into the black, brown, white or grey realm, however there are some daring interior spaces and so it is important to take time to absorb the existing colour palette in the room. The dominant colour will likely sit alongside smaller accent colours in the room, like colours found on the cushions, rugs, drapes, or on the more permanent items in the room such as the larger furniture pieces or light fixtures.

Selecting the colour of an artwork for a pre-decorated room is something that will heavily depend on your own tastes and preferences but the room will feel more considered and harmonious if you choose to either adopt and embrace the dominant existing décor colour or identify it and then completely contrast it. Add to either option with a nod to one of the existing but more permanent accent colours in the room and some complimenting colours to that accent colour. This strategy can help you make artwork choices that will be agreeable with your existing interior design.

This is not the only approach of course. If you are confident in creating colour combinations and contrasts, there is a strong reward in adding new colours to an existing interior design scheme through artwork. New, colourful or bold artworks will add a new vibe to your décor and help your space feel updated with the minimum of fuss.

Take some time to consider the feeling you would like to achieve by introducing artwork to your home or venue and consider how you, yourself feel when you view it. If these two answers align, then you should take this as a good indication you have selected a suitable art piece.

 

3. What Size Should The Artwork Be?

Once you have established the venue or room where the art will be hung, think about the available walls in the space and select which walls you might want to dress.  Many factors can affect this decision alone, but consider your overall interior style to help you determine your artwork approach.

If you like a minimalist design aesthetic, then a single large artwork may work well for you, or perhaps you are a maximalist and want to cluster many artworks and use many walls, or indeed, you might sit happily in-between, wherever you find yourself on the scale, begin with one wall and find your main art piece character.

This 'main character' artwork is your lead and you can leave it to hold the stage alone for a more minimal aesthetic, or you can build your artwork collection around this 'main character' art piece, whether it's with similar themed artworks, complementary colour palettes, similar sized artworks with coordinated frames, similar artistic styles, or any combination of the above.

 

Scale the artwork to the room scale.

Think about distance from your eye to the artwork too. If you want the artwork discernibly viewable from a distance, it must be large enough for the viewer to be able to see it of course.

For example, artwork on walls facing your entrance will potentially become the first thing that will greet your eyes, so when choosing artwork for greeting walls, consider distance to your artwork along with the wall dimensions upon which it will hang. If the wall is quite a distance from your entrance door, a larger art piece will usually have the potential gravity to draw the eye through the space or, at the least, subtly register with the user. Walls that are close to the entrance door and meet the user almost immediately, may be better served with smaller scaled artworks. These can be rich in detail and highly rewarding for the user when they choose to spend time with the artwork in the small space.

Large spaces usually need large artworks, small spaces usually need smaller artworks, however, as with everything in art, creativity can't be curtailed with hard rules; exciting spaces are created when scales and colours are played with, so unless you are trying to fit an oversized art piece on a wall smaller than it or that can practically fit into your room, don't make scale the deciding factor, in fact, you can even use contradicting scales as a design element. A large piece can occupy an entire wall in a small room, small pieces can be clustered on a large wall in a large room, or even a tiny, solitary art piece on an expansive wall can evoke a feeling akin to what you want to achieve in the space.

There are only a few obviously wrong answers when it comes to art work sizes, so once you pass the practicality test, the size selection in itself becomes part of the statement you want to make.

 

4. What’s your Artwork Budget?

Every artwork choice made, whether it is an original one-off art piece or from a budget poster range, will contribute to the feel of the room it will occupy.

The good news is that artwork is accessible to most budgets.  There are amazing pieces to suit a range of budgets, and its key to remember that the value of art can be inherently linked to what it means to you.

If you are dressing a high- end, luxury property, or a student bedroom, the approach to the selection shouldn't be compromised. There are many good art sites that provide artwork for all budgets. Our only appeal when selecting artwork is to consider enhancing the space with the art, not merely filling a blank space with it.

 

5. Which Art Frame?

Selecting an art frame is a decision that should be made in the context of ensuring it complements the style of the art piece and the space in which it will be hung.

Consider whether you require framing for your artwork and build this in to your budget.  Many Canvas paintings can be hung without framing and give a modern aesthetic, but framing can protect your artwork and add cohesion to an otherwise loosely related art collection. 

Minimalist frames can work in most spaces, but if you do decide to frame your artwork, don’t bypass the opportunity to go a little more ornate, even if your artwork is strikingly modern in style.  This can add another design element to your interior space.

Many artists will have informed opinions on what frames will work with their pieces, and can often provide some guidance to you if you ask. Similarly, many art galleries will assist you with the appropriate frame selection.

Frames can be personal choices, but it’s important to ensure that the frame does not detract from either the art piece itself, or the interior space. Neutrals such as black, white or grey are generally a good starting point when considering the colour of a frame, but if you have a local framing company, they will usually have a selection available for you to view in store, alongside your art piece. A physical visit to your local framing company, with your art piece in hand, can save you time and money. You can get a good impression of what will work with your art piece before you commit.

 

The Energy in Artwork

We create backdrops for our lives in the spaces we live and potentially work in, whether we are conscious of it or not, so surround yourself with items that make you feel good, endorsed and reflected.  They become meaningfully yours through deliberate, conscious choices. Whether you settle on a single, large wall hanging, or a thoughtful collection of smaller art pieces, each space will reward you for paying it some attention with artwork.

If you are dealing with a blank space, artwork can become the inspiration for the overall design. Once you find an art piece you love, it can be a great starting point for informing the rest of the décor you choose.

Artwork shouldn't be afterthought, its contribution to the overall look and feel of a room is too powerful. It can be a critical element in interior design and has the potential to become an immeasurable attribute in any space.

Here at MOTH+MInk, we are passionate about our art, décor and interior spaces, that’s why we strive to provide a range of artwork in the form of original paintings, limited edition and open edition fine art prints, framed and unframed, in an array of sizes, to give you a selection of high-end pieces that you can tether to your décor budget.

We approach art selection from our decades of artistic, architectural and interior design experience.  We believe artwork is for everyone and we will continue to build our collection and bring you pieces that we are more than happy to live with.

www.mothandmink.com