Looking for art can be a bit intimidating, especially if you don’t have a lot of knowledge or experience. You may feel somewhat threatened by the possibilities and the manner in which visitors to your home will perceive paintings.
Choosing artwork should be all about your personal aesthetics. After all, you will be the one observing the paintings every single day. They should give you a feeling of calmness, serenity and enjoyment.
Working with your interior design company when it comes to art selection is a good idea for their experience in selecting works that go well with the parameters of the home renovation project. If they’re working on a modern home, for example, abstract art may be a good choice. A youthful environment will benefit from posters and prints. Apart from these basic guidelines, there are several other rules to follow for the selection of the best art.
Start with Size and Scale Considerations
If you have a tiny HDB apartment in Singapore, you cannot place a massive canvas in the middle of the living room. It will look out of place and the artwork will be perceived as intimidating rather than aesthetically pleasing.
Good home interior design is about balance and scale. The right artwork should draw attention towards itself without being ominous.
Choosing paintings that are very small is also going to be a mistake. You don’t want a tiny spec of colour on a massive wall, you want something that will be easy to see from across the room. If you choose a larger art piece, you should keep other accessories and decorations to a minimum. Let the artwork shine.
Obviously, rules can be broken. It’s best if such unusual solutions are chosen by an experienced interior designer. You can, for example, have a series of three or four smaller paintings appearing on the wall next to each other. These may be in a similar style, by the same artist or tackling one subject. The continuity will create some visual appeal and make the choice a bit more intriguing than the selection of a single painting.
When picking art, you should go for a colour scheme that either complements the one you’ve chosen for your home renovation or that completely contrasts the background.
Colour is the top thing that people get caught up in when trying to choose art. Attempting to match the tones in the room exactly, however, will limit the possibilities. Instead, you may want to adopt a more general approach. Look for artwork that exhibits a dominance of either warm or cold tones. A sunset, for example, features pinks, reds, yellows and oranges. It is a great choice for a room that you want to make welcoming. These colours come with positive vibes and they will look great in the living room or the bedroom.
Contrast is also a great choice. Those who have a colourful home interior may want to opt for black and white photography. Not only does such art look stunning, it will also stand out immediately and regardless of the lack of colours.
There’s a lot of snobbism linked to preferring certain artists over others. Don’t succumb to such social pressure when redesigning your home and choosing paintings.
Individual aesthetic preferences are at play here. You don’t have to like an artist that everybody praises. You also shouldn’t feel worried by the fact you enjoy paintings that others find distasteful.
Preferences are subjective. Artists who are hot right now could lose their popularity in a few years or a decade. Stick to the art style you enjoy and you could look at day after day. Otherwise, you will be stuck with a purchase that is heavily influenced by society and that you’ll get tired of pretty fast.
If you like a certain painting, get to know the artist and their other work better. This way, you can develop a higher level of appreciation and an emotional connection to the painting you choose for your home. Exploring other paintings by the same artists could also provide you with other options you wouldn’t have considered otherwise.
Consider Art a Form of Investment
The final aspect of using art in residential interior design is the cost of the purchase.
Should you get a reproduction that you’ll enjoy for aesthetic purposes or an original that you’re going to admire in the years to come? The answer depends on the primary goal.
If you simply want to make your home more beautiful, a reproduction will do. The same applies to the work of young artists that most people are relatively unfamiliar with. Such art pieces will give you a chance to brighten up the atmosphere without focusing too much on the artistic value of the piece.
Originals by recognised artists are beautiful but they’re also a form of investment. The older they get, the more will such paintings appreciate. Thus, if you have the money and you’re looking for ways to add value to your home, choose originals.
Regardless of the choice you make, you will have to act fast. Both originals and the works of young artists will be depleted pretty fast if they’re made available at the right price.
Finally, when in doubt, choose an experienced Singapore interior design company like us.
Professionals like the Home Guide team have extensive experience in the field of artwork selection. Home Guide will work with you on determining all aspects of the home renovation project. Based on your preferences and your taste, the interior designers will recommend paintings that will result in harmonious/balanced interiors.
Please do not hesitate to contact Home Guide today. Regardless of the scope of the project or the budget you can allocate to artwork selection, we’ll be more than happy to guide you through the options and help you pinpoint the best ones.
