Perhaps you’re looking for something new to update the décor on your walls. Maybe you’ve moved into a new space that needs personalization and your individual touch. Or … decorating and hanging things on your walls has been on your to-do list forever, and you just haven’t got to it yet. No matter the reason, I have some tips and tricks for you to make your spaces beautiful.
The Goal You Have in Mind
First, consider what goal you have in mind when it comes to your walls. If you don’t have a goal, that is perfectly okay. Art, and home décor, are completely subjective. What you love, your girlfriends or mother might not. And that, too, is okay. I just want to give you a few pointers that might help you get started. It’s so much fun to transform a blank wall into a gallery of things and feelings you love.
Consider the space you plan to add wall décor to. Do you think it needs color? A way to tie your furnishings into the room’s overall look? Do you want your walls to have personality? Whatever you think your space needs, add it. You may have your grandmother’s collection of teacups or pottery in boxes, and you wish it would see daylight. Maybe you have more personal items to display, like well-worn, loved items from your childhood, or handwritten love letters. Think of the more intimate space your home possesses, and add that décor to those sacred spaces. Above your bed or nightstand. In the master bath. By your desk, or in your walk-in closet. Where there’s a wall, there’s a way to add décor you love.
Décor Tips for Your Walls
There are some tried and true methods to employ when you add wall décor to your home. First, consider:
- Height & Width
Start with a blank wall, and then add an “anchor” piece like a console, sideboard, or love seat. From that single piece of furnishing, branch upwards. The top edge of your highest frame should be no more than seven feet from the floor. Your lowest piece of décor should end six inches above your furniture, or anchor. Center the arrangement on the wall at eye level, and keep the edges of all frames or pieces within three to six inches from the sides of the furniture.
- Size & Specification
There is a lot of room to play around with this category. Mix rectangle and square pieces. Add dimension for variety, and freely include watercolor, photography in black and white as well as color, abstract artwork, and typography. Experiment with varying scale including close-ups, and pulled back point of views. Your frame style and colors can be mixed and matched, but keep the widths comparable. Also, out of your collection, choose one piece to be about one-third larger than the rest to define your vignette, or design.
- Space
Gone are the days of one single, solitary piece of artwork per wall. The gallery wall is having its moment, and takes it inspiration from the walls of art galleries, that utilize as much space as possible to display artwork. If you choose to use wall décor in a gallery-style, think more is more. The tighter you group your collection, the more impact the art has. Think of the collection as greater than the sum of its parts, or the individual pieces. Just leave two to three inches between each frame.
I’ve said it before, but you can’t love lighting as much as I do without also loving home décor. They collaborate to make your living spaces functional, beautiful and uniquely you. Don’t forget to consider lighting as wall décor, too!
