In just 4 quick tips, this guide will help you curate artwork in your home in a way that maximises impact and expresses your personal style.
Whether you describe the process as “curating”, or just “considering where things should go”; planning out the interior design of your home can be an intimidating process.
Perhaps you’ve just purchased your first home and are faced with a blank canvas. Or, maybe you’ve been to a fair, fallen in love with an artwork or two, and on bringing them home you feel unsure where to place them. Don’t worry, it’s all perfectly normal, and all you need to know is that everyone can curate!
And we’re here to show you how; in just 4 quick tips, this guide will help you curate artwork in your home in a way that maximises its impact and expresses your personal style.
Curating artwork is as much about inspiring an emotional response, as it is the physical placement of a piece. Take stock of the rooms in your house and consider how you would like to feel within each space?
Perhaps one area is the perfect room to relax, another may be your entertaining spot and within a third perhaps you need to feel inspired.
Artwork will inspire an emotional response too, after all – that’s why it attracted you in the first place! If you are still trying to decide what you like, why not browse the artwork on our online shop and see what catches your eye. But if you already have the piece of your dreams, match the way your artwork makes you feel to a room with the same vibe and voilà, you have the perfect room and artwork alignment.
So, artwork – tick. Room – tick. Choosing the location within the room is the next step. Look at the space available; obviously the physical fit of the piece is important, but also consider if there some neglected spots in the room that could be livened up? Is it a large space or small? Light or dark? And how does that interact with your artwork?
Once you’ve pinpointed the perfect area, it’s time to consider your hanging style…
There are loads of creative ways to hang your artwork – a single piece of beautifully framed art hung in the middle of a blank wall can have enormousimpact, as it creates a real focal point for the room – especially if it’s a showstopper. You could try placing several pieces of art in a continuous line around, or into a corner, which can be really dynamic.
One common pitfall to avoid is hanging a small artwork in a big space, which can cause a sense of unbalance in the room. Avoid this by giving it the spotlight in a more intimate corner of a room, or if you have multiple pieces, in different shapes and sizes, consider a salon style hang – our tip is to start at the top of the wall, keeping the tops of the frames in a straight line. Then work your way down making sure that the spaces between each piece are similar. For more inspiration on hanging ideas, just check out our Pinterest board.
Just remember – curation is a personal process and one that everyone can do – so have fun trying out something new and let your imagination run riot! As for the technicalities of hanging artwork, don’t worry we’ve got you covered on that too – read our ‘How to: Hang your Artwork’ blog for some practical tip and tricks.
Feeling inspired? Why not start your curating journey by browsing 1000s of artworks on our online marketplace, or marking your diary to visit one of our upcoming fairs.
Main Image:
A selection of artwork in situ provided by ed.art, browse their collection online here.
Images from first to last:
A visitor to Affordable Art Fair considers his next purchase.
Appartment wall, with credit to photographer Ray Kay, from Death to The Stock Photo.