How To: Decorate Your Walls

One of the most frequent decorating dilemmas I hear from  friends, family, and acquaintances is how to decorate their walls. "Where is the best place to buy art?"  "What size of art should I get to cover the wall properly?"  "Is it best to do a series of panels or one large piece?" Since this seems to be a hard task for many, I thought today I'd share a few tips + tricks I've learned when it comes to wall decor.

#1: SCALE IS ESSENTIAL.  

Your art will disappear if it is too small for the wall space.  Similarly, if your art is TOO big, it will feel off balance and make the room shrink.  In addition to paying attention to the wall size, also pay attention to the surrounding furnishings.  In the picture above, the painting is centered on the sofa and about 9" shorter on each side.  The varying widths allow both the sofa AND the painting to stand out.

#2: THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX.  FURNITURE CAN BE ART, TOO!

If you have a beautiful and interesting piece of furniture with a bit of height, it can serve as art in and of itself!  For instance, the beautiful paint and detail on this headboard deserves to stand alone so it can be admired.  There's no need to take away from it by adding something above.  If your headboard covers at least half the height of your wall and adds visual interest to the space through patterned upholstery, tufting, a mirrored border, or a canopy, I say to leave it alone and let it shine:

#3:  BUY ART THAT YOU LOVE AND TRULY ENJOY LOOKING AT.

{Palmer Weiss}

As a designer, I find it hard to spec art for someone else before I know their personality.  Art is such a personal thing, and what moves me might not move you.  Art is often an investment, and I don't think it should be bought at impulse- even if it is cheap!  I regularly scour 1st Dibs, Etsy, Horchow, and One Kings Lane when looking for new and unique art.  I also love to use vintage photography as art.

#5:  INSTALL YOUR ART AT THE CORRECT HEIGHT

 If your art will be alone on the wall, center the picture about 60" off the ground.  This will place the center of the picture close to eye level.  For a series of larger pieces next to one another, I suggest leaving about 2" of space between the pieces.  With gallery walls, which have become very popular, there aren't any hard or fast rules.  Hang the pictures organically, and feel free to utilize different frame styles and finishes.  I personally like to leave about 1.5" on all sides between pictures when working on a gallery wall.

{all images via Lonny Mag unless otherwise stated}