How to transform your home with art

Many designer homes, while stunningly decorated and renovated, seem to lack personality. A collection of art, can really transform your home in to a place that really tells your story.

Art creates a two-way dialogue between the artwork and its surroundings in a way that decorative objects do not.

Here’s some thoughts on how to collect art and see it transform your home:

Originals not copies

Always collect original artworks, not mass-produced copies or posters. Budget is not a barrier to buying original artwork – there are artists working in different mediums at different price points.

Collect what you like

Define your taste and educate your eye, but only buy pieces that are meaningful to you and that you enjoy looking at. If you follow your taste, your collection will always make sense.

Develop relationships

Relationships with galleries, artists and curators will make your art collecting much more enjoyable and social. Over time, you will also benefit from their insider knowledge and advice.

Hero piece or Salon hang

There are many ways and means of hanging art to show it to its best advantage. Salon hangs can have an amazing impact. However a major piece requires space to breath.

Commissioning Art

While you might go looking for a piece for a particular spot, I don’t recommend buying art just by size, or to fit a pre-determined colour scheme. Remember – a first-rate art collection will set the tone or mood for a room, not the other way around. However commissioning a piece can be a solution when there are constraints.

Personal touches

With some creative framing and a good eye you can display your children’s pre-school masterpieces, family photos and thrift shop finds. Stairways and entrance halls are great spaces to to do this.

Final thoughts

Set aside a budget and start to think about how and where you would like to incorporate some art in your home. If you are nervous about a purchase, ask if the gallery or dealer will let you have the work on loan so you can see it in in situ.

See my other blog on how to get started. You might make a few mistakes on the journey but the beauty of art collecting is that you can usually resell pieces that you have fallen out of love with.