How to Choose Artwork For Your Living Room: Tips and Tricks

What should you consider when making your selection of art? Here are some tips and tricks to make how to choose artwork for your living room.

What You Need To Think About When Picking Art For Your Living Rooms

1 – Where will it go?

The first step is to decide where in your home the artwork will go. This will help you narrow down your options and choose pieces that are the right size and shape.

For example, if you want to hang a painting over your sofa, that area will have a specific theme to work with, including colours and patterns.

If it’s a living room wall that’s pretty bare – then there may be more allowance for patterns and colours…

2 – Size Of Space Available

Before you consider the size of the art you want to hang – you need to know the available overall space you’ve got to work with.

This is because your art will fit that space – but could be done in a whole manner of ways:

• 1 large piece
• set of 2 – Diptych
• set of 3 – Triptych
• Picture wall / gallery wall of many different items

You can only start to narrow down your options when you know what space there is available, as the larger the space, the more options you’ll end up having.

TIP – When looking at the space you have available, always look to hang the artwork in relation to what’s around it. People often mistakenly hang frames too high, whereas it needs to be grounded by the furniture it’s next to. Always hang around eye level or lower, and near to the sofa, bed or table etc… it’s being hung above.

3 – Size Of Artwork

Now you know the space available, you can start to pick the type of display you want.

When you know this – you can measure out the space and know exactly what sized artwork you’ll be looking for.

TIP – Cut out pieces of paper and use these as templates on the wall to see what works best in the space. This will save you lots of time and money as you’ll be able to get it right more quickly.

4 – Framed or Not?

This is important because it can dictate the type of artwork you end up choosing.

If you have a frame:

• You need to pick the type of frame – wood, metal, plastic, thin, thick, decorative, minimal etc…

TIP – Try and match the metal or wood – and style – used already in the room for a cohesive look.

• You then need to decide on whether you’ll have a mount in the frame as well (this is a border basically around your artwork). Will this be a colour, will it be thick or thin etc….?

TIP – To make artwork feel larger in a space, a neat trick is to mount it really thickly, and frame it – as this gives it a larger feel without having to buy a large piece of art.

If you don’t have a frame:

• You’ll probably end up with something on canvas – which usually feels more contemporary and a little less formal.

5 – Theme Of Artwork

The theme of any artwork you pick in a living room needs to be less personal than you may get away with in a bedroom.

This is because it’s a more social and entertaining space – and so will be looked at by more people than a more private room.

Some great choices for living room artwork would be:

• Floral – colours and types that are significant to you
• Abstract
• Word Art – words that resonate with a living space. Quotes, family related, relaxation type words are all good options
• Photo Art – family photos, holiday photos etc.. all work well
• Landscape – specifically places you’ve been or the local area

TIP – Pick this based on your personal taste. Art is a really personal choice, and so you want to have something that you’ll love to look at for years to come. It’s always nice to pick things based on your own history as this can be sentimental for you to look at, and also create a talking point when you have people over.

6 – Medium Used In The Artwork

Next step is to decide on the type of artwork you’ll be looking for. There are loads of options here – including:

• Watercolour
• Oil
• Acrylic
• Photo / Paper

7 – Where To Shop

Now that you know a few things to keep in mind when choosing artwork for your home, it’s time to start shopping!

But where should you look?

There are many great places to find art, such as local galleries, online marketplaces, and even garage sales.

When you’re out and about, know the measurements and sort of thing you’re looking for – so you can easily make a decision when you see something.

Don’t rush it – it’s worth waiting for the right piece…

Some places that are fantastic to find art are:

• Etsy – buy a print and frame it with a mount – you can then get a really bespoke look that fits the size you need perfectly.
• Artfinder.com
• art2arts.co.uk

Read Next: The Two Things To Consider When Hanging Artwork At Home