How to Make Your Walls Stand out with Paintings

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An art connoisseur would know the different styles and types of paintings and how and where to place them in your interiors for maximum effect. However, not all of us are enlightened about paintings. We like them for the colors that we see, the subjects on the canvas and how we feel they will complement and enhance our interiors.

So, here are a few tricks to incorporate paintings of all kinds into our home décor in a way that our walls look effortlessly beautiful and stylish.

Use the Motifs Appropriately
What do we mean by motifs in paintings? A motif is a recurring subject or theme in a painting. So, a painting can have a number of motifs like food, elements of nature, wars, human figures and so on. However, to make maximum impact with our art pieces we should know what paintings work best in which parts of the house.

Landscapes and Natural Elements
Paintings of nature -- sunsets, autumn trees, water-lilies, etc. look best in crisp and thick wooden frames. Though many people opt for landscapes in the bedroom, study and other rooms, these look best in open and airy spaces like the living room and the balcony.

Hang paintings in earthy and rustic shades on light-colored walls to create an artistic effect. To make your walls look richer, couple the paintings with artistic mirrors.

However, if you want to give your room a sunny and cheerful look, pick paintings in yellows, light pinks, and shades of green. Such paintings look especially good when placed on walls that are close to big windows.

Food Paintings
While the conventional wisdom says that food paintings are best suited for dining rooms and kitchen, place them in unexpected places like the balcony or the patio to perk up your interiors.  Quirky frames complement food paintings brilliantly. If you have lots of empty corners in your living room, think of adding one or two of these on the narrow walls.  Always contrast the wall colors with the colors of the painting for maximum effect. Make sure the paintings with food motifs you pick are appropriate and appeal to your aesthetics. They should not look distasteful and gaudy, or overwhelm the interiors, just complement them.  


Human Figures

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Paintings with human figures strike the viewer immediately and are of maximum interest. Lots of people in bright colors and in action with happy or slightly befuddled expressions are a good choice for children’s bedroom. Colors and activity will keep the atmosphere charged and happy just like children themselves.

On the other hand Venus, the Goddess of love, finds no better spot than the bedroom. While human figures are not the only paintings that you can hang on your bedroom walls, they make an interesting option. Paintings of old world romance may induce a spark in your new world relationship as well. However, if you prefer fun and positivity to romance in your bedroom, choose hand-painted caricatures of legendary paintings, like the Mona Lisa or Helen of Troy.  These also make good additions to a guest room. 

Do Some Thinking on the Placement

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Place your artwork carefully.  When you have a room with no windows, hang paintings with windows, doors and landscapes on the walls to give an illusion of the outdoors. Avoid putting paintings right above furniture when you have lower ceilings. This only makes the ceiling look even lower and the room cramped. However, if you are really keen to include paintings, go for ones that have strong vertical subjects or are drawn in the portrait style. This creates an illusion of height.

Think about the placement of the painting and where it would complement your interiors perfectly. Know the right height to hang your paintings on. Most people miss the mark here. Large paintings need not necessarily be hung. Got a big room and lots of corners that you do not want to cramp with furniture? Place these big paintings against a wall to create an artsy and elegant feel.

On the other hand when you want to fill up massive walls and not spend too much, invest in paintings drawn horizontally. Paintings with lots of tiny details work best on big walls. Portraits, unless they are really big, should be avoided for such walls.  Read up on a few of these painting placement rules to get a better idea of what to hang where. However, you know your home best, so don’t follow the rules blindly. Use your intuition and individuality in decorating.

Avoid Overcrowding

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If you absolutely love art the way I do, and can never have enough of it, you may suffer from the condition called “too many paintings and too less space”. Avoid overcrowding with paintings. When you have too many paintings in your house, even the most valuable or beautiful one will fail to make an impression, because there are too many clamoring for attention. Art loses its charm when there is too much of it. So pick up unique paintings and let the quality do the talking rather than quantity. 

Pick with Creativity and Caution
When you are choosing and picking a painting for your home, paint a holistic picture of the room in your mind. Ask yourself, “Will it enhance this space or simply do nothing for it?” “Will it go with the furniture and other accent pieces in the room?” If the answer is in the affirmative, you know what to do. If it is negative, but your heart is stuck on a particular painting, take a second opinion. Ask an interior designer friend or a family member, if it can complement any wall in the house.

Never go for inferior quality artwork or shoddy replicas of originals. If you are a keen art collector, buy from a reliable vendor of hand-painted replicas. Take account of spacing, style, colors and overall vibe of the painting when choosing one for your home. Buy the best fit.


Some Other Options 
  

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 While paintings are arguably the best choices for wall décor, think of other out-of- the box ways to spruce up your walls and rooms. Mirrors are not too expensive but elegant choice for wall décor. They open up the room space and can even work in enhancing a lone painting in the room. Then there is other stuff that you can frame and hang on your walls to give them a glamorous look. Explore options like beautiful invitation covers you may have received, a collage of postcards from a trip, some nice pictures taken by you, or a hand-made wall art made of interesting objects like dried flowers and sea shells.

I hope you liked reading the post and have pretty much become a painting and wall decor expert now. If you have other great tips of your own, we would love to hear from you.

Author Bio :
Sophia Mann writes on paintings and art. Her interest in the visual arts developed early when she attempted to duplicate a drawing her brother had brought home as a school assignment. She has been fascinated with this medium of artistic expression ever since. She also paints in her spare time.