Our Guide to Wall Art

Wall art can be a great way to inject personality into your home without the commitment of painting or hanging wallpaper. You can change wall art displays seasonally or as your tastes change without incurring a large cost and a lot of work.  

There are lots of choices when it comes to wall art, from stickers or glass art to 3D letters and whatever your budget we’re sure you’ll find something to suit your style and home.

We advise that you spend time thinking about what your taste in art is before making an impulse purchase. This might involve looking at home décor magazines or using Pinterest to collect inspiration. You could also visit local galleries and art fairs.

Also consider if there are certain styles, colours or subjects that draw you in. For example, are you drawn toward black and white photography, modern abstract paintings or landscape prints?

If you are looking for budget friendly art you might want to consider posters or reproductions – this is when an artist creates an original work and reproduces it (usually digitally) without limiting the run. This form is a great way to explore art — once you build up a bit of a collection, you could even swap out art seasonally.

One of the main decisions when choosing wall art for your home is its size. You need to decide whether you want the wall art to be striking and eye catching or simply add small details to make the wall look finished. Generally, the larger the piece of wall art, the more eye-catching it is. You also need to bear in mind that huge wall art may dominate a room. If in doubt, start with smaller art pieces and go up in size when you feel like it. Before selecting any wall art, measure the wall, so you don’t purchase something that doesn’t fit!

When selecting your art work consider which room it will be for. In a bedroom you might want the artwork to be calming, whilst in a dining room you could go bold, dramatic art. If you want to create a relaxing atmosphere in your living room, don't choose art that's too loud, or anything that feels as though it takes over the room. You should match the artwork with the items already in the room, unless you are willing to replace the interior decor.

You could use your walls to display family memories and personal photos. Pinterest has a brilliant range of ideas on how to display your family photos to create eye catching wall art. One idea we found on Pinterest that we like is using frames that are different styles and sizes to display photos. Another idea we found, which has a modern, minimalist twist is displaying photos in thick black and white frames, this works well with coloured or black and white photos.

Following on with the black and white theme, monochrome is a timeless décor style – which can bring some elegance into your home. Be careful when choosing the artwork because too much black might create a moody atmosphere that you weren’t going for with your home décor. If the room is already dark, but you still want black and white art, pick artwork of natural subjects.

Additionally, you could bring new life to your home with little colourful accessories. Little splashes of vibrant colours can work wonders in a room. Decoist has a great range of ideas to bring a splash of colour into any room in your home. Their ideas include lots of DIY projects – there are a few that you could get children involved in, this will make the art work more personal.

What are your wall art ideas? And what have you used for inspiration?