How to add art to your home
Makers share their best advice for selecting art pieces to suit your interior – and personality.
From ceramics that deliver both form and function, to painted canvases that evoke a feeling or memory, choosing art for your home is a personal experience. For instance, trends come and go; and while many art pieces answer to what’s in style today, abstract artist Lena Baumgartner suggests searching for pieces that are ‘timeless’.
“Find a piece of art that you are drawn to emotionally and not a piece that fits into the space because the colours suit your setting,” she says. “Couches and dining tables are changeable – but you want a piece of art that can grow with you for a long time.”
So how do you know a piece like this when you see it? Trust your gut.
Art inside the home of @pauliendgraaff
“Choose an artwork based on how you feel looking at it,” says Aotearoa-based Lucy Rice. “If it gives you joy, go with that. If it gives you a sense of calm, go with that. If it gives you a feeling of energy, go with that. Art is a powerful tool when used in the right space. It can completely change a space depending on size and colour – not to mention you will stare at it every day, so you have to really love it!”
Ceramicist Elizabeth Bell adds: “I love the quote ‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful,’ by William Morris. Connecting with art can be a deeply moving experience. Art has the power to transport us to loved places, evoke emotions and inspire. My advice would be to go with your heart. Find pieces you love, that make you happy or take you elsewhere for a moment.”
And finding those pieces that you do love doesn’t need to be confined to art that is only admired – explore pieces that you can also use in everyday life.
Ceramics by talented potter @ashleymoralescreative
“A house is a home with handmade art. With handmade ceramics, use the pieces and appreciate how much nicer a cup of coffee or bowl of ice cream is in a piece of carefully created pottery,” says Teresa Maree.
5 tips for adding art to your home:
Invest in the real deal. Nothing compares to seeing the texture and light of an original piece. - Jennifer Chiles
Use masking tape or newspapers on your wall to mark out the size of the artwork you want for that wall. Also, artworks often look larger with all the colours. - Lena Baumgartner
Explore work by local artists at galleries in your area, local markets and online. Cafés also often have works by talented locals.
Don’t underestimate the smaller pieces. Just the right piece, in just the right frame, tucked into an unexpected corner of the house or that small wall you may have forgotten about, might just become a guest’s favourite moment in your house. - Jennifer Chiles
Don’t rush. By filling any and all blank spaces with art, you’ll end up with a collection that doesn’t work together and pieces that you don’t really connect with – pieces that won’t grow with you.
