When I sent out last week’s newsletter and asked the question ‘Should your Art Coordinate with your Home?’ I received a pile of great comments from my lovely readers!
Laura Jens from Developing Designs sent me some rooms with art that she was inspired by (below):
My favourite answer (and others said the same thing but this was the best one) was this one; ‘No, your art should not coordinate with your home. Your home should coordinate with your art.’
Photography by Blayne Beecham
I also loved this comment from Life in the 2nd Half Century; ‘Art is considered an investment, why would I want to de-value my investment by not giving it the very best showing…..?’
Thanks also to Beth Burns at Beyond White for sending me some images from her website (below) as well!
Colors by Beyond White
I had asked (in my newsletter) if anyone had any images of beautiful images with art that did not appear to coordinate with the room and so far these are the ones I received so I’m thinking maybe it proves the first point that Your Home Should Coordinate with your Art! Love that!
Thanks everyone for your always interesting and thoughtful comments!
If you would like to transform the way you see colour, become a True Colour Expert.
Related posts:
Do you need an Accent Wall? Take this Test
How a Smart Colour choice can Save you Money
What I learned about Design while Decorating for my Mother
If you are new to this blog, click here to see the Best of Colour Me Happy
While you’re here, subscribe to this feed so you don’t miss out!
This is a great post! I'll have to send it to my sister who is decorating her new house with my artwork. We're now discussing nurseries 🙂
http://hopechella.blogspot.com/
I so agree with how you put the emphasis on the decorating coordinating and enhancing the art, not that they should match. I also think if there is a lot of art in the room, more neutral decorating looks better. I love that first photo at the top of your post. I could be very happy in that room.
Love the photos & love the question… I find that I seem to be drawn to art that fits my home & style… Nothing priceless of course so nothing to rearrange around 😉
also great post about "what do you think?" so insightful
LOVE your new pic- gorgeous as usual!!
xoxo,
lauren
Thank you…..smiles.
Great post, I love the second picture, that room is gorgeous! I have always said that it is one of my life goals to own pieces of original art, you can't go wrong!!
Just a question, do you have a guess as to what the paint color might be in that second photo (or something close to it)? I just love how soft and subtle a grey it is.
Beautiful images. I love helping clients find art they love.
This is a fabulous post… Love how the arts & homes are soooooooooo coordinated..
Art dealers have a term for people who buy a piece of artwork for decorative use: over-the people. They buy a piece to put "over the sofa" or "over the table." Mind you, there is nothing wrong with buy art for decorative use, but there is a big difference between that and buying at the connoisseur level. The latter is often difficult to do when a person is starting out, because it takes time to learn about the medium.
I love that comment… "Your home should coordinate with your art." I also loved seeing the pics of how your readers live with art. Everyone has a different take on this but generally I find that if you truly love a piece of art you find a way to make it work. Personally I'd rather get rid of my couch than my art. Thanks for the interview & great tips Maria!
Karen
My favorite quote is: Why wouldn't you give your art the very best showing? Of course. Spending a nice sum of money on your art and then putting it somewhere that doesn't show it beautifully would not be right.
Hi Nancy,
I'm guessing that that gray is something like HC-173 Edgecomb Gray.
Maria
I was in a painting class last summer and the instructor made an arrogant comment (I wish I can remember the exact words) about people who buy art for decorating purposes and that it’s an insult to artists. Some people agreed with the comment but I kept quiet because I buy art that would look great in my room and because I love it. If I can’t find the right art for my room, I make it myself.
Did you see this video over at House & Home? A homeowner put bold art/wallpaper in her living room. She says that art should stand alone.
http://www.houseandhome.com/tv/episode/whats-hot-2010
A good painting can easily inspire one's choice of interior direction and that's great. However, there are so MANY good paintings and awesome original art available for every need on any budget. The average (casual) collector of art can easily find art to compliment any variety of interiors. I always tell people I'm not mad at 'em if my painting matches their sofa. Buying art shouldn't be intimidating. This idea of letting the art dictate everything else in the room is unrealistc for most people. There's enough art to go around, just make sure the room has some in it!
Thanks Maria! I'll write that one down!
what a great post! 🙂
love, love, love this post!
As usual, brilliant post, I am glad the pictures worked.
Art gives a room a sense of emotion, it adds balance, depth, interest and certainly warmth to a space. Blank walls, they feel can feel empty, cold and boring, why would you want that? 🙂 So go ahead, add that art. Even framing art by children, is, well, art and can add that special touch the space:) xo
I do most of my own paintings for our house and I want them to pop out from the rooms, not blend.
Mind you, I keep the location in mind as I am painting, but that is really secondary.
I always want the art to have it's own voice, not just blend in to mush. What would be the point?
Thanks so much for using my image! (the green painting)!! I am honored. I would love it if you linked back to my blog 🙂
I was looking for something else on Elle Decor's website, but came across this old Metropolitan Home blog entry … and thought it was perfectly suited for this topic. It's a fun exercise!!
http://www.pointclickhome.com/blogs/i_design/go_ahead_match_art_furniture
I love these posts about art in your living space. I agree totally with Developing Designs comment. I was so inspired by this that I wrote a post myself around this subject and linked to you. Merci!