How to style art

It's always a tricky question how to style art.  Styling is very personal depending on your taste and inspirations.  That is also one of the beautiful things about Art.  Everyone loves and connects with something differently. Owning and choosing Art is about celebrating your own uniqueness.

There are a few tricks, tips and things to think about when hanging art.  We think about the scale, the colour palette, the subject.  I like to make mood boards to capture the feeling I want, along with the colours, textures and different elements I might want to include in the room.  Putting together a plan of how it all might look.

When it comes to scale the bigger statement pieces are best as a stand alone, where they have room to breathe and really shine. The smaller pieces might fit perfectly into a small space or work well as a gallery style wall (a blog post on this coming soon).  A great way to help visualise it is to mask the area on the wall with masking tape.

As a general rule a painting should take up 60%- 75% of the available wall space.  When hanging art over furniture, such as a bed or sofa, it should be between 2/3 to 3/4 of the width of the furniture.  Hang the painting so its centre is at eye level. 

Balance and symmetry are key to creating a harmonious room. Whether hanging two or more pieces together to make better use of the space or using colours from the painting in you decor and accessories.  You can also prop the painting up against the wall or put it in a frame that sets it off.

The subject can also taken an important role.  You may have a seascape or swimming painting and want to use elements that you've found at the beach, or materials that bring the feeling of the beach alive, like a sandstone or driftwood furniture. What you place next to the painting can bring a whole new meaning to the artwork and make it personal to you and your life experiences.

You can take inspiration from a painting to colour your room, like immersing yourself into the painting itself.  Likewise you can keep the decor neutral and let the painting really sing.  This can take some experimenting, also it can be an ever evolving process, adding and subtracting until the balance is there.  Not unlike creating a painting.  You could use different textures like plaster, woollen rugs or creating depth with tiles or natural stone.

I LOVE seeing how you hang your art and what you combine it with. Tag me in your photos on Instagram @hannahadamaszek