Paint colors, furniture and kitchen designs trend to white and grey and other neutrals these days, which provides a quiet backdrop for self-expression in the form of art collections and greenery to brighten your home. While you may already have pieces that make you happy, sometimes you and your home need the uplift that comes with adding new artwork.
Numerous sources can fulfill your desire for paintings, photos and sculptures, from high-end galleries to art festivals to flea markets and thrift shops and online sites such as Etsy. You don’t have to be rich to collect art you love. Another option is to find art online at individual artist sites such as Miami-based artist Laelanie Larach, whose work can be found at www.laelanielarach.com and www.laelanieart.com.
Larach’s work reflects her Floridian surroundings and can add a splash of color and warmth to a neutral home.
"There are no boundaries to art, so I decided to expand my imagination beyond my limits, break the conventional, be more radical and fuse each of my work with a lot of colorful vibrant styles that reflects a positive tropical energy," she says. "Behind every picture there is a concept and a story that always helps me to name a piece."
Choosing artwork for your home
Sometimes a painting or art object speaks to you in a way that demands you buy it or has sentimental value tied to a place or person. In other cases, you may be looking for something to fill a specific space in your home that needs some pizzazz. Either way, it’s smart to think about where you might place a particular piece as well as how it fits in with the rest of your home design as well as how it makes you feel.
"Everything depends on the mood in that moment," says Larach. "Sometimes I just grab a red color and start painting all over the canvas or if something random pops out of my mind I just go with the idea. Another passion that I have is poetry – based on it, I tend to give a unique name to every painting."
Tips for displaying artwork
Once you’ve found art you love, you need to exhibit it in a way that showcases the work and enhances your home.
Here are a few tips for hanging art:
- Hang paintings and photos at eye level. A common mistake is to hang art too high. While everyone is a different height, aim for the center of the piece to be around 57 inches from the floor. If your furniture is low, go lower. If you have high ceilings, go a little higher or stack art.
- Make sure you have enough art or big enough pieces to fill the space. Another frequent mistake is hanging too small pieces or too few pieces that seem to float on an empty wall. Buy bigger art or collect related smaller pieces.
- Don’t crowd your art into moldings or doorways. Avoid bumping the edges of your art into moldings or trim, which will make your place seem smaller.
- Consider hanging all your art together gallery style. If you’ve got one long wall, consider turning that into your art gallery with an eclectic mix of things you love.
- Think about hanging art in unusual places. While over the sofa or fireplace are common places for paintings, an unexpected painting in the kitchen, bathroom or hallway adds color and fun throughout your home.
- Make sure you have good lighting. No matter where you display your art, it’s important for people to be able to see it. Consider installing additional light fixtures so your investment is visible.
Most of all, just have fun experimenting with adding art and color to your home. "Color is an important factor in a room especially if the decor is neutral," says Larach. "A bright colorful painting will create a positive impact in the space and it will cheer up your mood."