Decorating with Wall Art - Complete Guide to What You Need to Know

Decorating with Wall Art: Elevate Your Space with Prints

Decorating with wall art, particularly art prints, is a fun and exciting way to add a personal touch to your home or office space. From deciding which piece to purchase, to finding the perfect place to showcase your decorative treasure, framed art prints instantly add life and energy to your interior design.

 

Unfortunately, when it comes to interior design, wall art is often treated as an afterthought when it should be one of the main features in any space! Whether you are searching for the perfect piece of wall art for yourself or are looking to purchase a memorable gift for your best friend, family, or a client, framed art prints are guaranteed to upgrade any space while leaving a lasting impression.

 

Art creates a focal point

Creating a focal point lies at heart and soul of interior design. Think about it, every room needs a single design element that will instantly attract the eye, offering the viewer a sense of what to expect. You know, that one piece to add the ”wow” factor to the room. The perfect piece of wall art will create an instant focal point for your home or office. Once you have purchased the piece you can build the room around it (think of it as your own little personal gallery). Whether you're hanging your favorite print above the mantle or creating a creative gallery wall to spice up your living area, art is a powerful way to make a statement that speaks to your personality.

 

Different Types of Wall Art – How to Choose

Which piece should you choose? With so many different types of wall art, it can feel overwhelming deciding which piece to purchase. The first step is to decide what environment you want to create with your print. Are you seeking to create a professional or traditional environment, or are you looking to create a fun and carefree vibe? For example, in the office you might want to feature professional prints that highlight inspirational quotes, hand-lettered printed designs or typographic art prints. These printed works of art are inspirational without demanding too much attention.

 

On the other hand, in your game room, you probably want to create a more relaxed vibe for casual entertaining and parties. Here you’d probably want to opt for colorful pop art, ornate illustrations, or other decorative prints. Still, life and watercolors work well in the kitchen and dining room, while photographic art prints add life to a hallway or entrance way. And of course, you can never go wrong with an abstract print! A fantastic abstract print is sure to get the conversation started at your next home happy hour or dinner party. When it’s time to purchase your print, simply narrow the search down based on the type of art you want to purchase. This will help ease the pressure and allow you to enjoy the experience as you search for a piece of artwork that speaks to you and your personality.

 

What to look for when choosing a piece

Art is in the eye of the beholder! There is no wrong or right choice. Art is personal, it speaks to what we like and dislike. It can ignite an emotion, or take us to another place or time in life. So when choosing a print, start by selecting something that you love. Not only are you investing in this wall art, but you’ll be viewing it for years to come so you want to love it. When selecting your piece, always choose something special. Art has the power to soothe and relax, the power to excite and entice; so you want to select a piece that means something to you. The same is true when gifting a work of art to a loved one or client: choose a piece that has a meaning and will leave a lasting impression. You wouldn’t buy your boss and best friend the same print. They each have their own distinct personality and taste and would certainly want an art print that speaks to their personal tastes.

 

Size is the most important consideration when choosing a piece of wall art to be the focal point for your space. If you choose a print that’s too small, it can vanish by the larger furniture in the room. On the other hand, if the piece is too big it can overwhelm the space. Be sure to take the measurements of the wall space available. This way you know how much wall space you have to hang your print.

 

The art of adding art to your interior decor

Contrast big with small. When done correctly, contrasting larger framed prints in a smaller space allows you to maximize your space. If you live in a small space, you can contrast it with a bigger work of art. Consider adding your favorite typographic art your home office, or iconic pop art to your living room.

 

Make it visible. You’ve considered all of the options and found the perfect print for your room, all that’s left is to find the perfect place to hang it! First and foremost, hang your wall art where it can be viewed and admired by everyone. You want the print to be the first thing people see when they enter the room, making it the last thing they remember when they leave. Your print art will capture their imagination and excite their mind with curiosity and inspiration and should be showcased where they can see it up close and personal.

 

Where to place your wall art?

Consider placing the print on the first wall your guest sees when they enter the room. If possible, hang the wall art on a wall all by itself. Other wall decors can create a distraction or interfere with your piece. You can even take it up a notch by placing a display light over the painting to draw more attention to its detailing and voilà: an instant gallery wall!

 

To hang or not to hang? If you are looking for a way to add some excitement to an empty wall, the most obvious way to feature your print is to hang it! Hanging art will add a polish and finish to an otherwise dull wall space. However, there are many other ways to showcase your works of art. For large pieces, consider leaning them against a wall, on the mantle, dresser or side table. You can also feature smaller works of art on your bookshelf or end tables. Although these smaller prints will not create a major focal point in the room they will add a lovely finishing touch to your space.

 

Look and learn: the art of gifting art

Art is the perfect gift! From your best friends and family to other loved ones and clients, art is a thoughtful and personal gift that the receiver will enjoy for years to come. Before gifting art, you want to feel confident that the recipient will love what you purchase them. If possible, when you’re inside the recipient’s home, take a second to look around, collecting information on their personal tastes, likes, and dislikes.

 

What are their preferred subjects, mediums, and movements? Would they prefer prints with inspirational quotes, abstract prints, or pop art prints? Do they have room to showcase your gift (i.e. how much wall space or other display space are they working with)? What is the style of their decor? Is it traditional or modern, or does it have a vintage vibe? What is the color and pattern of the walls and furniture?

 

If you don't have access to this information, try striking up a conversation about art. You'd be surprised what you’ll learn with a few of the above-mentioned questions. When in doubt, it’s always best to err on the side of caution with an understated, yet thought provoking and fun piece of wall art.

 

The benefits of purchasing art prints online

Hip and convenient, not boring and stuffy. Once considered by many to be as difficult as dating, buying art online has opened this once private world to the masses. Let’s be honest; before the digitization of buying art, art culture was often viewed as a stuffy and private club accessible only to wealthy patrons with fancy pedigrees. Well thankfully, this is no longer the case! Rather than visiting a physical gallery without prior knowledge into pricing or the artist, you can visit a curated online gallery and browse thousands of prints and pieces with all of the information you need accessible with the click of a button on the artist involved. Online galleries represent more artists, without limitations of geographical location, and they provide different price points for different budgets.

 

Up close and personal. Online galleries want you to feel as though you are looking at the print on your very own wall. Not only do they provide detailed information about the artists, they also offer the advanced on-screen visualization of the artwork. You can zoom in on the painting or photograph in high resolution to see the work’s tiniest details. Many sites even stage the art to give you an idea of how it will look in various settings (i.e. your home or office).

 

No pressure! When you shop for art online there is little to no pressure and you can do it from the comforts of your home. There isn’t a need to run around from place to place to find the print you are looking for. You can take your time and endlessly search for the perfect print. Simply type, search, and buy!

 

Buying art online saves money. Typical brick and mortar galleries and auction houses can charge anywhere from 25%-50% commissions and fees! Buying art online allows you to purchase quality prints at a much lower price point by cutting out the middleman (i.e. the gallery). Best of all you can shop around and compare for the best price and use discount promo codes for additional savings.

 

Wall art doesn’t have to be the last piece of the puzzle when you’re decorating a new space or reinventing your current space. In fact, it shouldn’t be! As far as we're concerned, wall art is one of the most important aspects of interior design. When used properly, your art prints provide an excellent framework to plan the rest of your room.

 

The best gift or personal art purchase serves as a reminder of a certain time, place, experience, or trip. At Yislamoo, we create one of a kind prints that fuse together a mixture of Arabian style with a modern flair. Whether you prefer an Arabian take on modern pop art or are drawn to an inspirational phrase, each one of our prints is made and framed to order. You can find our gallery of wall art here

 

How much importance do you put on wall art when decorating a room? What was the last piece of art you purchased? Have you ever gifted art to someone? We'd love to hear your thoughts!