Art - Get Personal

A friend of mine is trying to dress up her walls with some artwork and asked my opinion on several pieces.  My first question has always been, "Do you LOVE it?"  And if the answer is no, regardless of price, color, size or anything else, then it does not belong on your wall!  What makes good wall art?  In my humble opinion, it's anything that makes you smile when you see it.  I especially love it when people use personal objects or pictures as artwork in their home.

Here's a couple of great examples:



(image from lucyandcompany.com)



Here's another photo of interior designer, Beth Keim's home from Monday's post.  I love this little corner of her room!  Look how she's used her personal objects as art.  We have some precious baby photos placed along with an adorable framed sweater.  Anything can be art!  I bet she smiles everytime she sees that corner. 

  

Here's another example.  I was helping another friend add some artwork to her son's nursery.  I spotted this precious song which was just tucked in a stack of papers and cards.  What a gem!!  This is sweet song written for her son from his grandfather.  I told her she had to get that in a frame and put it up! Talk about making your heart sing!

So... if you have blank walls and you don't know what to do... look around your house first!  Look for special cards, letters, photographs, postcards, etc...  Anything that reminds you of a special person, time or place.  Put it in a frame or a shadow box and voila!  Beautiful and personal art!

A Tailored Living Room

WHY THIS WORKS

• Color. Your eyes bounce around this room because of 2 accent colors. Notice the lime green and turquoise spread throughout the room?
• Artwork. One of the most common decorating mistakes is using artwork that is too small and it's hung too high. These 2 pieces fit the large wall behing the sofa and are hung just right.
• Finishes/Materials. This room has a great mix of finishes like glass, wood, soft fabrics and even some shine in the stool. The room would feel a lot heavier if they had used a heavy, solid coffee table.

INSPIRATIONS:

• Palette. Do you have 2-3 colors that your eye can focus on and jump to?
• Artwork. Does the scale fit and are they hung at eye level?
• Finishes. Do you have a mix? Soft, hard, clear, heavy?

(image from Canadian House and Home)