You can buy the most beautiful furniture and decor, but nothing pulls a room together like properly decorated walls with Art. This isn’t exactly a surprise considering consumers spend $150 billion on arts and entertainment every year. But, whether you are buying a mass produced print from Amazon or something entirely unique from a local art shows the amount of choices can be overwhelming. But at any budget, this is an important decision. After all, we live with our art. So how do you go about finding a piece that ultimately will become as integral to your home as your favorite sofa?
Tappan art collective founder Chelsea Neman explained that buying art is a very personal process, “Buy with your eyes and not your ears. When people first start collecting it’s so easy to get influenced by everyone else’s opinions, but I think the more important thing to consider is what you are drawn to and what you love. You should feel a connection to the piece you are acquiring.”
One way to find art that you have a meaningful connection with is to keep your eyes open on your next vacation. This will not only elevate your experience as a tourist, but it allows the memory to become part of your everyday life. In the past, hotel art hasn’t exactly been anything to write home about. However, several boutique hotels in California are enhancing their guests’ experiences through art. In 2016, Kimpton The Good land in Goleta gave five artists “residencies” over the course of a week so they could create art inspired by the chic “SoCal” style of the hotel. Turning poolside suites into pop-up studious was an opportunity for them to work and interact with guests in a way that was almost like performance art.
Along the Central Coast, The Kimpton Shore break Hotel in Huntington Beach aka Surf City is displaying the work of a single local artist. The lobby features a gallery by award-winning surf and ocean photographer, Aaron Chang. While neither hotel sells the art displayed, guests may be inclined to purchase other works from those artists.
f you can’t find art you connect with or have a very specific idea in mind, another option is having work commissioned. Brittney Palmer may be best known as a UFC “Ring Girl” but she is also a highly sought after painter. While many of the people who buy her work are fans and prominent names in the music industry, she has also created works for highly prestigious collectors including Beth Redmond and James Byrnes.
No matter who you are commissioning art from, Palmer highly suggests communicating with the artist via phone or in person, if possible. For inspiration, she likes to see photos of where the piece will be displayed and objects the person commissioning the piece likes. This way, it’s a true collaboration.
Once you find a piece you want to buy, your next thought is probably where you should hang it and if it works with everything else in the room. But Tessa Wolf, the Creative Director of Frame bridge doesn’t think that is entirely necessary. “First, we should say, while we’re all for choosing art that looks amazing in your space, we don’t necessarily think it should match.”
Newman’s perspective is similar, “It really depends on what your aesthetic is. An eclectic melange of art and furniture can be just as beautiful as a very concise edit of pieces that match your decor, although I tend to favor the more minimalist approach.”
While most people hang art in their living rooms, dining rooms or bedrooms, most homes neglect to decorate smaller areas such as bathrooms and entryways. Neiman believes, “An interesting piece of art can really elevate those spaces and make them memorable for your visitors.”
Once you purchase a piece, the final step is to have it framed. If you buy something from a gallery or a website, they may offer you some options. The universal “rule” is to frame for your art and not for the room. But Wolf thinks this rule doesn’t always apply. “You should never go with a frame that doesn’t look amazing with the tones or scale of your art but framing is a decor choice, too!”
If you want to keep things simple, Wolf says, “You can’t go wrong with white, black or natural wood gallery frames. They look great with every decor style.”