How to use art to spruce up your home

Stella Adler said, “Life beats down and crushes the soul, and art reminds you that you have one.” A home without art lacks a soul. Those bare walls and shelves can bring a lot of liveliness to your home if you decorate them with art. But decorating your home with art is easier said than done. How do you go about doing it? What do you even buy?

Today we’ll endeavor to make this topic a little less confusing for you. Let’s begin.

Go beyond just paintings

Perhaps one of the most common misconceptions about art, when it comes to homes, is that it’s limited to paintings. When someone is asked to decorate their home with art, the first image that comes to the receiver’s mind is that of buying paintings.

The thing is, almost anything can be used to decorate your home. Collectible toys, movie/game posters, origami, plants, figurines, mirrors, artisan chandeliers, and even a unique paint on a wall can be artistic. If something appeals to you and you feel like it’s artistic, use it to decorate your home. If you’re a bibliophile, put a unique-looking bookcase on the living room wall as an art piece and showcase your favorite books.

Create art yourself

One of the best ways to personalize your home is to showcase your own art in it. The notion of creating art often makes people very nervous. We’ve all heard, and even said, some version of the phrase, “I can never paint/sketch/draw/etc.” Nobody says you have to beat Picasso or Da Vinci, just have fun with creating something. If you like it, keep it and showcase it. If you don’t, throw it in the bin.

“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”

– Vincent Van Gogh

If you don’t feel like painting or sketching, you can always take pictures with your smartphone, and get your favorite ones printed and framed (travel pictures work especially well). Framed pictures of travel adventures will keep reminding you of those happy memories and will be quite the conversation starters with your guests.

Use art according to each room

Once you’ve gotten your hands on a few art pieces that you really like, you might be confused about where to place each one. Here are our recommendations:

• Your most interesting pieces should go into your living room. It’s one of the most frequently used rooms in any home and it is where you’ll entertain guests. Use your most interesting, largest, and boldest pieces here.
• A lot of people make the mistake of ignore the bathroom. You might not spend much time there, but it is one of the most frequently used rooms and another room your guests are likely to use. So don’t ignore the bathroom when it comes to art. Use fun, goofy, and funny pieces in your bathroom.
• Your bedroom is where you should include art that is personally appealing to you. Use calming pieces here, passionate or romantic pieces will also go well here.
• Lastly, we’ll cover the kitchen. Chances are that you’ll start your mornings and end your days here (before retiring to your bedroom, that is). As such, include lively and fun pieces here, art that makes you feel good. Funny quotes work really well in the kitchen. Plants are another great choice as they bring a lot of liveliness to the space.

Now that you have a better idea how to use art to spruce up your home, put these tips to work and let us know how it goes. We hope that you guys have fun expressing yourself through art!