Art for Your New Home

For the art-minded mover, one of the most exciting aspects of finding a new place to call home is deciding how your art collection will fit into your new space. Whether you’re a renter or a buyer, it’s a real buzz to be presented with fresh wall space to work with.

But, despite the thrill involved, moving house is up there with one of the most stressful life changes there is. With this in mind, we’ve been thinking about ways to celebrate or commemorate a housewarming — and what better way to lift the mood and de-stress than finding a new artwork to elevate your new space.

Get some interior inspiration with our guide to finding art for your new home!

Art to destress

We’re big believers in the power of art to change and lift the mood of a room. And, with moving often proving to be a stressful time, giving or choosing art with the intention to help soothe seems to be the perfect gesture. In those hectic moments, having a few pieces on the otherwise empty walls can really lift the atmosphere, and help to make a new place feel like home.

A cyanotype print offers calming blues and an overall restorative palette. This is a really popular printing technique, which you’ll be able to find adopted throughout our global calendar of fairs. There’s something instantly soothing about a cyanotype, with an almost ethereal atmosphere that lends itself to any interior space in need of several deep breaths.

With a brilliant blue sky and deep, calm waters, this transportive print by Craig Keenan is a great place to find inspiration of the cyanotype variety. In fact, any water-based artwork is ideal as an instant de-stresser. We all know the positive impact spending time outside can have on our mental health, so by bringing the outdoors in, you’re sure to tap into this relaxing element of psychology.

Art to anchor a room

When moving, we have all sorts of grand plans: renovations, redecoration, upcycling, DIY. But often it transpires that other things take priority, or we get distracted. Investing in an initial piece of bright, bold art is a brilliant way to help fill an empty wall space wall, or even an empty room, giving it a little love and helping to bring a space together. It’s also a wonderful piece of inspiration for the interior design, giving direction to how the room might take shape in the future.

Whatever Affordable Art Fair they feature at, Jo de Pear’s beautiful, vibrant prints are always popular. They’re eye-catching and formally intriguing, which will be sure to catch attention at a housewarming even if the rest of the room is looking sparse. With their bright colours and organic lines, a print like this can serve as a room’s focal point, anchoring the space and the furniture around it.

Giving a gift with a room in mind

This is one for friends and loved-ones of recent movers. Sometimes, housewarming gifts, however well-meant, can just serve to clutter an already crowded home. Giving an artwork with a very clear room or placement in mind can really help a recent mover, so that the question of where to hang their new piece is a real no-brainer.

The kitchen is a great place to start. Buying a piece which can easily be placed in a room where a lot of activity takes place will help the house feel like home. Here, food-inspired art is always a winner. You might opt for a more classical version of a still life, like the photography of Thierry Genay, if you know their tastes err on the side of the minimal. Or, for colour-lovers, a piece by Dawn Beckles would be an inspired choice! Her palette is inspired by the Caribbean, with a bold collage style that suits her dining table still life beautifully.

Get the salon hang going

A timeless trend in terms of hanging art is the salon hang, which incorporates different colours, shapes and textures to create a curated feel across your collection. Perhaps you’re already planning on hanging your existing collection in this way, but they key to any salon hang is evolving it around one key artwork. A statement piece, such as this typographical beauty from Ewan Taylor, would make a great focal point and gives you plenty of colours to work with and complement when it comes to any future art purchases.

Prints in particular are a great shout for a new move, where funds might be sparse due to rent deposits and furniture investments. When hung together, your personality can shine through and immediately evoke the vibe you want for your home at a more affordable price.

You’ll find inspiration is in major supply at our fairs around the world, where visitors come to find new pieces of contemporary art to fill their homes with joy. They’re great for spotting forthcoming trends, whether that be in fine art or interiors, and we see 1,000s of artworks head to happy new homes every year. If you find a spare second between wall painting and furniture moving, do come along to your next local Affordable Art Fair, and if you need any inspo for particular rooms in your new home, take a look at our more specific guides.

Main Image: Christina Julsgaard, ‘Genie in a bottle’, 2022, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 120cm, Al Contar del Arte