Canvas wall art remains one of the best and most effective ways to brighten up your room; the prints pop out from the wall and have a three-dimensional quality to them. They aren’t just pieces of art; they are decorative objects and can easily become the focal point of your room.
While many consider wall art as an afterthought in interior design, the right piece can provide for the entire room and essentially personalise your space. When hanging canvas, we share how to find wall art inspiration and choose the perfect prints that speak to you.
The Importance of Wall Art
Wall art may not be your first choice when it comes to new room décor, but it’s effective at establishing the mood and atmosphere of your living space. The right artwork not only makes your space feel more like a home, but it can also generate a feeling through the atmosphere it generates.
The right wall art also gives your space a more artistic feel to it and is generally more interesting to look at than your usual static décor. As a decorative element, it also encourages dialogue between family members and even visitors. This engaging aura will motivate people to share their thoughts and will make the room’s environment feel less alien and more welcoming to other people.
Finally, your choice of wall art ultimately reflects your personality. While the artwork itself reflects the original artist’s thought process and artistic talents, your choice says a lot about you and your own artistic approach. Focal wall art essentially gives your room a personality, which is ultimately an extension of your own.
So, you’re sold on canvas wall art as your new decorative element. How do you pick the right one?
Does the Wall Art Speak to You?
By speak we mean, does it incite emotion from you? When you look at a piece of art, do you feel drawn to it or repelled by it? Decorative elements don’t always have a direct message to them unless it’s poster art with a inspirational quote. What it’s trying to communicate is usually subtle and this is something you need to take note of.
A piece of art featuring a rolling green landscape is aesthetically pleasing, but what’s the story that you can glean from it? The benefit of choosing a canvas wall art that resonates with you is that it never goes out of style. You’ll look at it again and again, even as trends come and go, and you’ll still be happy it’s on the wall because of how it speaks to you.
What to consider
There isn’t a set rule of guidelines on choosing your next wall hangings, but there are some things you need to consider carefully.
Consider the Room’s Decorative Elements
Since your focus will be on establishing the colour personality of your room, you must consider the existing decorative elements such as furniture or art pieces hanging on the wall. You usually want to reincorporate these elements into your revamped and newly designed room, but there’s always a risk that they’ll stick out like a sore thumb – especially if your chosen colour scheme has high contrast. Let’s say you chose yellow as your definitive colour inspiration, and you want to incorporate it in your home.
However, your existing decorative elements are similar in colour or are equal in luminosity. Choosing a very light shade, such as lemon or plain yellow can be too overpowering especially if you’re planning to use it to fill your entire wall. Dial the tones and shades down and choose a shade of yellow that’s more muted or subdued, such as butterscotch, Tuscan sun, or flaxen. You will still get the desired effect from your colour inspiration while allowing the rest of the background elements to seamlessly blend with it
Establish the Focal Point
The most effective way to utilise wall art is by setting it up as the focal point of your space. This may seem challenging, but it’s essentially making sure your new canvas print or painting becomes the centre of attention in your room.
The focal point ultimately differs from room to room, but the most effective is the wall that you immediately see upon entering the room. The focal point of the bedroom, for example, is at the centre and often on the wall overlooking the bed. For kitchens, it’s above the countertops and cabinets.
By considering the room and its focal areas, you’ll have an easier time determining what wall art to feature. Your new piece of art should be appropriate to the setting, or at least have a subtle nod to where you’re putting it in. Artwork featuring maps or wide landscapes, for example, are great choices for living rooms while poster art is easily at home in kitchens. To solidify its position as the new focal point, complement its placement by properly arranging furniture, accessories, and lighting.
Colour Palette
Hanging wall art that has a sharp contrast with the rest of the room is an effective way to draw attention to it and turn it into the new focal point of the room. Keep in mind though that there’s a thin line between standing out and looking out of place, and the last thing is to make your wall art look tacky.
There is a thin line between standing out and looking out of place. To establish proper high contrast on your wall art without making it look out of place, utilise the same colour scheme as the complementary colours or décor. A contemporary abstract print won’t look too out of place in a 20th-century modern room if the space surrounding it has a complementary colour palette. Even if the style of your artwork clashes with the room, they’re still unified through colour.
Additionally, you’ll want to pick the right colour for the room while considering its primary function. A home office demands that you stay away and energized to finish your work, so pick colours that have an energizing effect on your such as warm reds and sunny yellows. For more relaxed living spaces where you can unwind, the general tone must be subdued and mellow. Brown earth tones and lighter neutral shades of grey work best, as well as colours with a more diluted sheen.
Keep the Room Size in Mind
You should consider the size of the room you’re decorating as some colours. Lighter shades are often used for smaller rooms because they make the floor space seem larger and more accommodating. This contrasts with deeper shades and tones which, when applied as the main colour scheme for a room, can make it feel smaller and cozier. Keep these tips and strategies in mind and you’ll have an easier time finding the colour inspiration for your home.
Theme and Art Movements
Your new wall art will become the most noticeable and striking decoration in your room, and it’s effective at establishing an overreaching theme for your room. You can rework your room around a certain themed artwork by carefully picking the right furniture and other decorative elements to match and complement your new central piece.
Even if you didn’t have any intention of establishing a theme for your home, you may have unconsciously picked art, furniture, and decorative elements with a certain style that exemplify this theme. If you’re looking for a “neutral” art movement that fits with almost any room, we recommend you go with contemporary. It’s a movement that encompasses different art styles and even photography practices and that means you have a lot to choose from.
It follows that your new hanging wall art should reflect your home’s overall theme. A Mediterranean-style and decorated home will look better if it features artwork with sandy beaches, seaside landscapes, and cobblestone pathways, whereas photography canvas prints and abstract art are great finishing touches for a more modern home.
