Design by Kathleen Matthews | Photo by Karen Palmer
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
Thomas Merton
When it comes to making a house a home, art can play a huge part in adding personality and style. We love when clients have art collections to include in our designs. But we also love finding special pieces that they’ll love for a lifetime. Art comes in many shapes and sizes. It can be a painting, a sculpture, a collection of favorite pieces–even a beautiful scarf. Art is really anything that speaks to you and brings you joy.
Here are 6 tips for adding art to your home.
1. CHOOSE WHAT YOU LOVE
This is my number one tip for choosing art for your home. Choose what you love. Art is something you look at every day — it needs to make you smile. You need to listen to your gut when purchasing art. If you choose something that speaks to you, it will stand the test of time. Don’t worry about trends or even style. Art has to be something meaningful to you and you alone. All of the photos I’m sharing below spoke to our clients…were pieces that they loved.
Have a traditional home but prefer contemporary art? Cool! Go for it. In fact a nice piece of contemporary art can really enhance a more classic interior. Same goes for traditional art in a more modern space. Love that portrait of great aunt Mabel but your living room is midcentury modern? Put her on the wall! Yep, it really can work and could be a fun focal point. Maybe take her out of the gilded gold frame and choose a sleek glossy frame instead. There are lots of ways to make it work.
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2. MAKE IT PERSONAL
Someone once said, “art is anything the artist calls art.” I believe this is true for the collector or homeowner, too. Art can be anything — a cherished photograph, a memento from vacation, a collection of special objets d’ art. Anything! Here are a few ways we took our clients’ special somethings and made them the star of the show!
(left): Our baseball loving clients wanted to display their vintage baseball photos in their apartment overlooking St. Louis’ Busch stadium, home to the baseball Cardinals. We love how this gallery wall turned out.
(right): Our client had this wonderful drawing of his children done when they were young and wanted to have it hung somewhere that he would see it a lot. We love it above his desk.
Design by Kathleen Matthews | Photo by Karen Palmer
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Karen Palmer
For this coastal home, we displayed the homeowner’s collection of white shells and coral in an unexpected Asian-inspired cabinet.
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Michael Jacob
We filled our client’s built-in bookshelves flanking the fireplace with a collection of their favorite pieces.
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Karen Palmer
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Karen Palmer
3. MAKE IT BIG
You can’t go wrong with big, beautiful art that literally jumps off the wall. One large piece of art can make a dramatic style statement in your home. And you don’t have to worry about curating all those individual pieces for a gallery wall! Sometimes bigger really is better, at least when it comes to art. So think BIG, really big! That one standout piece, whether it’s a painting, photo, sculpture or something cool and out of the box, can put the exclamation point on your room. Here are some awesome examples of art that takes center stage.
Notice how this water landscape draws you into the scene, in effect creating an extension to the size of the room.
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Karen Palmer
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Karen Palmer
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Karen Palmer
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Suzy Gorman
You may think the black and white swirled piece behind the breakfast table is wallpaper, but in reality, it’s a huge painted canvas. (For cool wallpaper ideas, click here).
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Alise O’Brien
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Karen Palmer
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Karen Palmer
4. MAKE IT YOU
As I’ve said before, art should speak to you. It should grab your soul and fly away. The art you choose for your home should inspire you. It should be an extension of your personality and an expression of your thoughts, emotions and desires. It really doesn’t matter if anyone else likes it. As long as you do, it’s perfect. And if you’re reading this and are thinking, hmmm I don’t know about all that, but I sure do like this piece of art, well then it’s the right choice. Here are some paintings that spoke to our clients. Do any of them speak to you?
In my own dining room, I have a gallery wall of art I’ve collected over the years — all of which I still love and enjoy every time I walk by or sit at my table. (Click here to take a tour of my entire townhouse).
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Karen Palmer
On the adjacent right wall in this space are three old signed baseball gloves we framed for our client. Then we selected the abstract painting above the sofa to complement the colors in the room.
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Karen Palmer
That flower “painting” above the fireplace actually disguises our client’s TV, so there’s something nice to look at all the time. There are many ways to turn your TV into a work of art. We can help find the perfect solution for you.
Design by Kathleen Matthews | Photo by Karen Palmer
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Karen Palmer
5. MAKE IT GO
Does your home or a room in your home have a theme? The art you choose can really put the finishing touch on the look you’re trying to achieve. Check out how the art in this coastal-inspired home puts the exclamation point on the beachy vibe.
A gallery wall draws your eye away from the unsightly but necessary doorbell box and light switch plates.
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Michael Jacob
Everything about this dining room is ART! The seaweed prints, glass console table with mermaid corbels, Ibis lamp, shell chandelier, shell and coastal floral centerpiece and accessories are what make this room sing. (Click here to take a tour of this entire coastal-inspired home).
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Michael Jacob
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Michael Jacob
This is a photo I took on a trip to Folly Beach that I had blown up and framed for my client.
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Karen Palmer
Note the driftwood sculpture above the bed and cast driftwood lamp bases beside the bed. Art comes in all forms!
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Michael Jacob
6. MAKE IT UNIQUE
Art can be so many things. Make sure to think beyond the canvas when choosing special pieces for your home.
We think these tall statues of a man and a woman are the perfect touch in the golden niches in our client’s living room.
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Michael Jacob
Four our cat-loving client, we designed this whimsical and unique wire cat sculpture and had a local artist create it. We love working with local artists and artisans to make wonderful, one-of-a-kind pieces for our clients.
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Suzy Gorman
Here’s a closeup.
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Suzy Gorman
Metal sailboats frame a contemporary coastal painting in this hearth room. The sailboats are an example of bold, Brutalist metal artwork that was popular in the 1950s-1970s and is making a comeback in home décor today.
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Michael Jacob
(left): We added interesting wainscoting to this plain wall that is in our client’s mudroom, but it wasn’t quite enough. So we topped it with the client’s existing contemporary art, and voila!
(right): This plain Jane hallway came alive as a gallery space and supported the coastal theme in our client’s home. The “art underfoot” was one of those great finds–runners that look like swirls of water on a beach!
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Suzy Gorman
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Michael Jacob
The simplicity of the metal sculpture paired with a dried gourd on the mantel is a sophisticated way to add a finishing touch to the fireplace in this midcentury modern dining room. (Click here to see more of this beautiful midcentury modern ranch home).
Design by Marcia Moore | Photo by Suzy Gorman
And last but not least….art can be functional, too. This gorgeous, live-edge floating console turned a boring blank wall in our client’s home into a showpiece. This console is a true work of art.
I hope you’ve learned a few things today about choosing art for your home. The biggest takeaway is that art is truly personal. If you love it, buy it. You can always find a way to make it work. And if you need help choosing art for your home, give us a call at 314. 395.1114 or email us. We’d love to help!
Until next time,
