Buy What You Love!

Choosing art for your home can be an adventure and an intimidating experience. Your home says a lot about you. Finding the right art is all about what you like and how it will fit in with your home’s interior design.

Look at as much art as possible before you make your selection. You probably have a good idea of what you like. In addition to museums and galleries, consider local outdoor exhibitions, local artist studios and art in public spaces such as banks, restaurants and libraries. The Internet is another great way to find a large variety of fine art available worldwide. One advantage of using the Internet is that you can search for the specific kind of art you’re interested in, whether it’s painting, photography or sculpture.

Just like buying a home, search for art that you love. The internet is a good place to search. Check out the self-representing artists for your best values. A good site is Saatchi Online. There are many artists who represent themselves at a savings to you. Read about the artist and ask questions before you buy.

[Check out Tom Tomek’s Saatchi page: https://www.saatchiart.com/account/profile/89521]

Visit local art galleries. They always have a new artist showing current works. In a city like Chicago, find out when the many art school students are going to exhibit their work and attend their show. You will be buying cheaper than at a commercial gallery.

Select art by size to fit a particular space. Art that is too large will overwhelm and art that is too small will be lost and look out of proportion. The bolder the art, the more room it needs to breathe. Measure the space you want to hang the art and leave enough “white space” so that the painting will not feel crowded. On the flip side hang several smaller works in a grouping similar to ‘Salon-Style’ showings.

Look for art that works with the colors of your room. When choosing artwork to match color, go with one or two of the dominant colors in your room, and look for art that contains those colors. Buy furniture that matches the palette of a favorite painting. Another option is to commission art that matches the colors you prefer. Select art that matches the decor of the room. If your house is filled with antiques, for example, you’ll want to use antique-style frames on the paintings you hang there. If you have modern furniture in spacious rooms you’ll want to hang large modern paintings. Modern art can add a lot of color and style to a bland and simple living space.

Well-known pieces such as those by Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, or Jackson Pollack will complement modern furnishings and decor. Less well known modern art that you’ll be able to find on any modern furniture or accessory website can just as easily personalize your home and you may find there are appropriate pieces for every room – for a much lower cost. You should bear in mind that you may be able to buy original modern art from local galleries and artists if it’s well-known art that you’re interested in.

Position and hang art wisely. Paintings should be hung so that the painting is centered in your field of vision. For a different solution, one art lover hung two same-sized paintings, back to back from clear fishing line above a couch in the middle of the room. The paintings, visible from two sides, became the center of attraction. A room crowded with too much visual activity will steal the attention away from the art.

Selecting art for your home can be complicated. By considering the type of art that will enhance the space in your home you will be able to choose pieces that will work with your decor and be of interest to everyone. Traditional, famous pieces may work well with old-fashioned decor and equally well in Bohemian or more modern settings and modern art will complement most contemporary style homes so this mix and match of art and style is something that you should also bear in mind.

Be creative and search for what art you like to be surrounded by. Selecting and displaying art is a talent of its own. Good art that you enjoy will pay dividends over and over again. Just like buying art, purchasing a home is a process with technical details to understand, but most importantly to buy what you love is key. When you first get interested in finding a home, follow your passion. When you become real estate savvy you discover it’s easy to get caught up in all the details like square feet, taxes, assessments, homeowners associations, neighborhood groups, etc. However, it’s when you get comfortable with the process and you know the details are not as important as how you feel in the space.

Although all my tips above are sound, following good art principles will also apply to finding a home. The most important tip is buy what you love and what makes you happy!