The living room is often the most used room in any home – it’s where you relax after a long day, entertain guests, and it’s usually used as a family room as well – so making sure it looks great is important. Because it needs to be versatile, functional, and pleasing to the eye, it’s also one of the toughest rooms to design, especially when it comes to decorating. However, there are a few simple things to keep in mind when it comes to choosing the right wall art for your living room that can help you give it the perfect finishing touch.
1. The Right Style
Considering the overall style of your room as is, should be among the first things you do when looking for suitable wall art. Going for something classic that still offers a lot of variety to suit your personal taste, such as original vintage art prints can be a good way to go. Whether you prefer abstract designs, art deco illustrations, or something else – going for something that withstood the test of time is always a safe choice. The wall art you choose can stand out from the rest of your design – so that it can accent it. This can be done through colors, art style, and even the way you frame it. On the other hand, you can use it to reaffirm the main design elements within the room. As a general rule, every element you introduce into your design should be repeated three times in order to become established. Whether that’s the materials you use – like wood, metal, or fabric, the colors in your palette, or a certain shape – all of those things can carry a message. In order to choose the right wall art for your living room, you might want to consider those aspects in order to create a cohesive look.
2. Proportions And Size
Depending on the size of your living room, you’ll want to consider different options when it comes to decor. When thinking about how to arrange wall art, the main thing you’re aiming for is to do it in a way that lets it anchor the wall it’s on as well as the surrounding furniture. There are two main ways to go about this – investing in one large statement piece, or creating a gallery wall. If you’re going for the first option, it needs to be large enough to hold its own against the rest of your design and bring something to the table. If it’s standing behind two armchairs, or above a console table, for example, it simply needs to be large enough to look proportional. If it’s supposed to go above a couch, or another large piece of furniture, then it should be big enough to anchor the piece and not the other way around. You can also do this with two equal-sized art pieces that go well together. This can be especially effective in smaller rooms. On the other hand, creating a gallery wall means that you can play with different styles, colors, and shapes. The trick to creating a well-thought-out gallery wall is to play with asymmetry. Not every piece needs to be in the same height, and you don’t even have to make the entire thing in the form of a rectangle, however, you do need to ensure that the space between the pieces is even throughout.
3. Create A Story
You want to pick the artwork that will help you tell a story through your design. In other words, you want to use it to create a focal point by either contrasting it with the rest of your design or complementing it. For example, you can put a large painting on a bare wall as a statement piece that will draw attention. In that same room, however, if you have a striking window frame, you might want to highlight it instead and place smaller art pieces around it to tell a story instead. Again, you need to consider your room layout as well as the architectural elements and see where the focal point – or the place that draws the eye the most, is located. Once you do that, you want to use decor around it so that it accentuates it, and directs the eye toward it. It should be a visual starting point that will introduce different design elements throughout the room in the way you want it to.
4. The Pieces You Love
Finally, the most important thing about choosing any kind of art for your room is to pick something you’re in love with. As obvious as it sounds, choosing wall art for your living room doesn’t need to be complicated. As long as you can find a way it ties in with the rest of the design and complements the main focal point – or anchor piece – you’re good to go. You don’t have to match colors one-to-one, and even if the style you like isn’t something that really matches the rest of the room, try using the rule of three previously mentioned to ensure it still has a place in your design.
The style, size, and placement are the three most important factors when it comes to choosing the right wall art for your living room. That said, making sure that it’s a piece you really love is just as equally important. No matter what art piece you choose, as long as you like it, there’s always a way to incorporate it into your design without a hitch.
