How to Shop for … Wall Art
Master the gallery wall with five tips to help you pick the right pieces for your space.
For me, a home is not complete until there’s art hanging up. Whenever we travel, my husband likes to tease me that all I ever buy is “something for the wall.” I spent six months interning at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and my favorite way to spend my breaks was to wander and sit in the galleries before the museum opened and the crowds descended. Having something I can look at that inspires me, sparks my imagination or reminds me of a place I’ve been keeps me grounded and happy, wherever I’m living.
Finding the right pieces for your place makes all the difference. Art can change not just the look of a room, but the feel of it as well. It can encourage conversation and bring humor or emotion to visitors who interact with it. When you’re ready to switch up or add to your wall art collection, these five tips can help you choose the best pieces for your space:
1. Map it out.
Whether you’re looking to add one new piece of wall art or an entire gallery wall, you want to first assess your space and the exact area you have to fill. Think about the placement of your furniture and any other features you have to work with like molding, or a fireplace. If you’re going for a gallery wall, plan out the arrangement in advance if you can with painter’s tape to avoid collecting pieces that won’t fit.
2. Think about scale.
Size is important when choosing any artwork for a space. Make note of your ceiling height when shopping for a larger piece so it will adequately fill the space instead of making it shrink. Depending on the design, some pieces will look better smaller—a photograph or portrait—whereas a vintage poster or magazine cover looks best in a bigger size.
3. Make a plan.
If you’re shopping for multiple pieces at once or adding to your existing collection, think about how this new addition will play off the other pieces around it. Are they of similar tones or textures? Is there a particular theme you’re going for or a mood you want to set? They don’t have to match, but there should be a method to the madness. For example, all the pieces surrounding our fireplace are watercolors or have more fluid designs with soft edges and curves. In our bedroom, the pieces I chose are more romantic, like silhouettes, or have soothing hues.
4. Choose your format.
There are many types of wall art to choose from. A giclée is a digital print paper, but it’s thicker than a standard poster and will need to be framed. A canvas print can add some additional dimension without being framed, but the quality needs to be good. If the artwork is too flat, it can look cheap. The same is true of an image that has been blown up too much and becomes blurry.
5. Don’t rush to hang it.
The biggest mistake I’ve made when hanging art in any of our homes is placing everything too quickly. Instead, try a less permanent solution like Command™ Hooks & Strips so you can see how a piece will look in your space for a day or more before committing to it with nails. Once it’s on the wall, step back and look at it from different directions and in various states of lighting. I also like to take photos of the entire space to see how my chosen pieces work with my furniture, linens and other decor elements.
Want more tips? Learn how to shop for an overcoat here.
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