Playing matchmaker

By Daniela Sperotto

Choosing art for your home can sometimes be a daunting task, yet contrary to popular belief not everything has to be completely monotone and all “matchy-matchy”.

Personal expression and choosing what you love is key in many of today’s decor themes and ideas. Long gone are the days when one theme is carried throughout an entire house, with meticulous consistency of one style.

“We live in a world where everything is increasingly dynamic and changing so I believe our homes should reflect this. For instance I love mixing antique with modern styles,” agrees Avital Lang of the Avital Lang Artists Inc Gallery and Studio.

The first step before buying anything is to decide what kind of art you actually like. This will help you narrow down your choices, and help you to seamlessly integrate your art into your home.

Your interior furniture style and art style are normally similar, so take the time in deciding what you like and what you really do not like.

Once your likes have been narrowed down, finding your piece automatically becomes easier – now all you have to decide on to help you further is whether you want something for your walls or whether you want to invest in a freestanding artwork.

“Buy art that resonates with you and your surroundings. Love what you buy because you are going to live with it,” says Avital.

One of the biggest questions when it comes to art for the home is: “Should I buy art to fit my room, or should the room be designed to suit the art?”

If you have a piece of art that you absolutely love, working around it would be the easiest way to bring it into a certain room, either by matching accessory colours with the art, or buying furniture to match the overall style of the piece.

Although today, not everything in your home needs to match, try and bring some interior elements – either colour, theme, design or style – into your artwork so that there are no major clashes, ruining both the room and the art piece.

“I believe if you are buying art for your home and you want it to stand out, I think you need to have contrasts between colour and age,” adds Avital.

Once you have decided on your piece, the next essential decision will be its location. You may be certain that you have bought the most perfect piece yet when you get to putting it in its designated location, something is just not right.

Location is the defining factor in ensuring your art piece becomes part of your room, and even though it may be perfect for the area, you just need to find its perfect spot. Be open to moving your room around and trying your piece in different areas or on walls as you may be pleasantly surprised as to how well it works in a place that you have not considered. If you choose your pieces carefully from your likes and keeping within your general creative style, art pieces can be integrated easily into your home without much fuss.

If you really love art and a variety of pieces in one room, yet are scared of overcrowding, remember that your accessories are for your enjoyment, so at the same time as you want to express yourself, you want to enjoy your pieces as well. Having too much going on in one room will detract from your beautiful pieces.

Take pleasure in looking for your art and relish in the fact that you can enjoy it in many different ways. Be creative – art pieces are the perfect outlet for you to think “out the box” and bring life to your home.