Collecting art is an investment for the future, but also something that you can display for your own enjoyment and that of guests in your personal spaces. To that end, one question you should always ask when you purchase a new piece is where it might fit in your existing collection and how you might display it.
The decision of how to display art is an important one. The combinations you make within a room set the tone of the space and the methods you use to display various pieces suggest to a viewer how they should look at them. You need to be conscientious about how you display art to ensure you are sending the right message.
Some tips to keep in mind when it comes to displaying your art collection in your home include:
1. Show personality with a gallery wall.
One of the best ways to display a large collection is through gallery walls that contain clusters of different pieces. While gallery walls can be striking, they take a lot of planning. You should take the time to create the gallery wall on the floor before you begin hanging anything. This way, you can see what the final product will look like and make adjustments easily.
Move things around until you achieve the ideal balance. Typically, gallery walls have larger pieces in the center and then complementary works surrounding it. Build the wall from the center out and choose the focal pieces to be at the heart of the wall. Be sure to include adequate space between pieces and around pieces of furniture to avoid a cluttered, claustrophobic feeling.
2. Think critically about the frames.
One of the most difficult decisions you will make when it comes to displaying pieces of art remains how to frame them. Nowadays, people often forego frames altogether and this is perfectly acceptable if you want an informal yet elegant look. This is also the budget-friendly option since frames and matting can cost a lot of money. You can use hooks, rods, and other devices to display pieces that are not on a canvas while the canvases can be mounted directly to the wall themselves.
If you do want to use frames, it is often advisable to avoid matching them exactly. Using eclectic yet complementary frames makes a collection more interesting. Matching frames can quickly feel very institutional. Be sure to choose understated frames that do not distract too much from the artwork itself.
3. Make good use of shelves and ledges.
Too often, people get caught up with the idea that art needs to be hung from the wall to be displayed properly. You can also use shelves and ledges around your home to display pieces, especially the smaller works that might get swallowed by a particularly large wall. Art is a great way to break up other items you may have on shelving, such as books, and provide a focal point of interest for anyone in the space.
If desired, you can even install shelving specifically meant for displaying art. This type of shelving has a groove in the surface to keep pieces at the ideal angle for display. You can use this option to display a series or related pieces in a cohesive manner or simply combine several different works in an interesting way. Adding shelving helps break up walls and create different focal points for a viewer.
4. Plan out the lighting very carefully.
The lighting around pieces of art can drastically change the feelings those works evoke. This is especially true with sculptures and other pieces of three-dimensional art that will cast shadows. However, lighting is also important for paintings. You may want to install lighting specific to a piece, especially works not made of traditional materials.
At the same time, light is not always helpful. If you have an especially sunny place in your space, you need to be careful about the type of artwork you place there as sunlight can cause rapid fading. Watercolor paintings and photography are especially prone to fading when exposed to a lot of sunlight. With these pieces, you can buy special glass that helps filter out the particularly harmful rays.
5. Match your colors to achieve consistency.
When you are deciding about how to group pieces, you should think specifically about the colors that stand out from that particular work. Choosing pieces with similar or complementary colors can help achieve a feeling of cohesion among the different works. Then, you can use those colors to decorate the larger room.
Think about the color of furniture and architectural elements as you choose which pieces to hang in a certain space. While pieces that match too closely can feel a bit stale or come across as overly formal, a bit of matching can make a space feel cozy and consistent in terms of theme and mood. Color should play an important role in deciding about other decorations, too, as clashing colors can make a room feel like it was thrown together haphazardly.
