Original Art: Unbeatable Home Decor
Renovators Place Columnist
Oct 08, 2009
Original art can jazz up a wall, sure. But done right, art work is more than just a fancier wall hanging. The right art speaks to you, speaks about you, and speaks to the rest of your home. Here are a few ideas to help you both finding inspiring art pieces and integrate them successfully into your home decorating.
Bring original artwork into your home decor and just watch how it comes to life.
Art is like that--it grabs you for deeply personal reasons. Taking home a piece that speaks to you not only feels great, it will keep on feeling great for years to come. Whether you integrate the artwork into your current home decorating scheme or build a new home decorating scheme around it, it's an element of your home you can truly value.
Take for instance "Mangolia Leaves," by Adah Shumway, a Boston-based artist who works with natural fibers. The artist's floor-to-ceiling strings of threaded, dried leaves capture light, move naturally, and transform a corner from nothing special to a 3-D space that celebrates the beauty of the natural world--a real home decorating pick-me-up. Softening corners, adding warmth, curves, and exciting elements for eyes to move to are just a few of the reasons art beyond paintings can be fantastic for home decor, too.
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About the Author
Dawn West holds a B.A. in English from Harvard University and teaches writing at Oregon State University.
Bring original artwork into your home decor and just watch how it comes to life.
Home Decor that Means Something
I bought my first piece of original artwork just as I was finishing graduate school. It wasn't just that "Summer Peonies"--the gorgeous piece I purchased--was a painting of my favorite flowers; it was also that it seemed the perfect representation of a time in my life that was coming to an end, the embodiment of a memory.Art is like that--it grabs you for deeply personal reasons. Taking home a piece that speaks to you not only feels great, it will keep on feeling great for years to come. Whether you integrate the artwork into your current home decorating scheme or build a new home decorating scheme around it, it's an element of your home you can truly value.
Break Out of Your Home Decorating Box
There's a wide world of art that can enhance your home decor beyond paintings, and looking into it can help you break out of your four-walled parallel and perpendicular box. Alternatives to paintings, like sculptures or installation pieces can make the move from galleries to home decor with surprising ease.Take for instance "Mangolia Leaves," by Adah Shumway, a Boston-based artist who works with natural fibers. The artist's floor-to-ceiling strings of threaded, dried leaves capture light, move naturally, and transform a corner from nothing special to a 3-D space that celebrates the beauty of the natural world--a real home decorating pick-me-up. Softening corners, adding warmth, curves, and exciting elements for eyes to move to are just a few of the reasons art beyond paintings can be fantastic for home decor, too.
Where to Buy Art for Your Home Decor
Galleries are a great place to start your search for art for your home decorating project, but keep alternatives in mind too, like art festivals, auctions, and online art sellers. I made my first original art purchase at a soup shop, co-owned by an artist who displayed her work on the walls. Keep your eyes and heart open to artwork--otherwise known as the best home decor money can buy--and you'll be surprised at where it will find you.Sources
About the Author
Dawn West holds a B.A. in English from Harvard University and teaches writing at Oregon State University.
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