06 Oct Should Artwork Match Your Walls?
It’s an age-old question that keeps designers up at night: should you match your décor, or contrast it? Style choices are highly subjective, but when it comes down to it, there’s a fine line between pleasing variation and an unappealing clash. How do you balance the two and design a room that’s both relaxing and artistic? Settling on the right piece of artwork is a difficult choice: you’ll see it on your walls every day. If you’re mulling over what to do, we’ve put together some design insights that can help you decide:
One important consideration is whether your walls are coloured or plain. Do they have wallpaper or decals? If so, you may want to choose paintings that are cohesive with the flow of your existing designs. White walls go with almost anything; neutral colours allow you to create an interesting contrast. If your artwork matches your white walls too closely, you’ll hardly notice it! Try to add an unexpected visual element to make your space more exciting.
Rather than match your artwork to your walls, you can also choose to match your artworks to each other. Purchase sets that are cohesive. Groups of paintings that have running motifs of green will give the room a nature-like feel. Art can serve as a complementary addition to your walls – if your home features pale orange walls, why not accentuate them with a cobalt blue piece of art?
You can bring out other accents in your décor by picking artwork that has highlights of colour. A piece with streaks of purple can match your throw pillows or kitchen appliances. Or ignore the colour altogether and try to get matching patterns. Select a painting with ocean-like waves to match your beach-themed duvet cover. You might want to match your artwork to select elements of your interior – for example, a landscape with subtle hints of blue that matches your eggshell walls.
Have you recently remodeled your home? If so, you may have a cohesive colour scheme that runs throughout the house. The temptation to match your art to your walls becomes stronger when you’ve created a consistent theme in every room. But if you limit yourself to a few selected colours, you may land on a few pieces that you don’t like. You may have picked them only because they match. Find a painting that you fall in love with and worry about the details afterward; you can always repaint your walls to suit it better.
One final consideration is whether you plan to sell your home soon. When you’re staging it for guests, you might regret buying that extravagant abstract piece – artwork that clashes too much can make it hard for buyers to envision themselves in your home. If you’re decorating your house to prepare it for a showing, stick to neutral paintings that will add flair without being overwhelming.
At the end of the day, the artwork you choose should reflect what you love. That being said, it isn’t always clear what will make you happiest to see on your walls every day – sometimes, it’s best to consult an expert when you are redecorating. An outsider’s perspective may be exactly what you need. Pinnacle Painting offers painting and decorating services in Winnipeg. We’re here to help you make your space beautiful to you and your visitors.