A living room is usually the social hub of any home; it’s the place where family and friends gather, eat, drink, and where you often sit around chilling out, watching television or talking in to the early hours.

In short, it’s the central hub of any home, so making it a place where you feel comfortable and relaxed - and so creating the perfect ambience between mood, atmosphere, colour, and lighting - are essential.

Equally as important is the choice of artwork you hang on your walls- and there are few things to take in to account. Here are a few of them.

What Art Do You Like?

Firstly, ask yourself what kind of art you like? Are you more of a traditional art appreciator or do you prefer to opt for something a little more radical and rebellious? If you’re a frequent visitor to art galleries or art fair and trails then you’ll know what you like and presumably opt for a piece that reflects your personal artistic predilections and tastes.

So whether it’s abstract, landscapes, seascapes, or photography (or perhaps a combination of all of them), know what you want.

Create An Art Friendly Room

If you can’t properly decide on what you want and have something of a schizophrenic artistic selection, why not use that to the rooms advantage and have, for example, one particular type of art for one wall and a different type for another. Not only does it add an element of diversity and artistic interest but it also makes a kind of art gallery of your own living room.

And don’t forget that art means sculptures and ornaments, too, which you could use to embellish and enhance the art you choose by placing them in well-chosen places around the room.

Size Matters

Work out which parts of the room you want to cover with artwork. It’s all about size and coordination, so you’ll probably want small pieces for small spaces and larger artworks for larger areas.

Research

Preparation is just as important as knowing what you want. Go to art shops, galleries and surf the web to get a feel and a flavour for the kind of art you like and what would best suit your living room. You may have a firm idea of what you want anyway, but a little extra research might open your eyes to a few extra artistic possibilities as well.

Budget

Of course, budget is usually key in any kind of interior design endeavour, so make sure you know how much you want to set aside for your living room art project.On the other hand, you may not want to spend any money at all and rather opt to re-jig the artwork you already have by moving it around and repositioning it – a kind of artistic feng shui.

Decoration, Investment Or Both?

If you’re the more discerning art enthusiast you may well plump for artistic pieces that will serve as a long term investment as well as a means to decorate your room.This is potentially a more expensive option and you’ll need to have a keen eye for what’s hot and what’s not (as well as a bargain).

Colour, Contrast And Light

To add a real and impressive dynamic to the room, why not experiment with art that incorporates different tones, colours, and shades. Also bear in mind that the light coming in to the room changes at different times of the year so check every now and get to make sure there’s a good balance of light and that the pieces look in all their most aesthetically pleasing glory.

So it’s not just simply a case of hooking up a few random picture frames on your wall - there has to be more thought and consideration than that, from budget to choosing original art.

Have you got any other hints and tips for artistically making the most out of your living room?

Estelle Page is a thirty something interior designer who blogs regularly for Art Gallery and frantically tries to juggle the demands of a husband, two, and an obsession for local garden shows 

 

Images by garlandcannon & by Mae Chevrette

Cool Art in Living Space