Do you watch the TV Decorating shows and still don’t know where to start?

Do you love the things you own? Do they feel “pulled together” or is there something missing and you can’t figure it out?

Here are a few suggestions when it comes to adding artwork to your room.  Like other accessories, artwork can either be disruptive and jarring to the eye or put the perfect touch on any room. You can find many books in stores today loaded with the “do’s and don’ts” of artwork. However, one author’s do is often another’s don’t, so it’s not surprising that decorating with artwork can be a source of confusion.

There are many aspects to choosing artwork to complement your room, but if you get the two basic considerations right, you should be on your way to creating a harmonious element that will enhance your room.

A formal portrait in oil can look very out of place in a casual family room. Likewise, those posters that graced your bedroom walls as a teenager probably aren’t right for the living room. So the first step in choosing artwork for any room is to make sure that the piece is in harmony with the mood and style of the room. Evaluate the artwork by asking the following questions:

Is the piece suitable for formal or casual rooms?
While the formality of a piece can be modified to some extent with the type of frame and mat used, there are pieces which just don’t make the transition well. Artwork should always enhance the mood of the room and, in fact, can play a major role in establishing the appropriate mood.

Is the subject matter of the artwork appropriate for the room?
While many advise restricting depictions of food or dining scenes to the dining room or kitchen, I think it is more a question of the piece’s style and that each piece should be evaluated based on its own character.

The second basic consideration in choosing artwork for your room is the shape and size of the area in which the artwork will hang. If you draw a mental box around the wall space available for the piece, its shape will become immediately apparent to you.  As to size, be guided by the size of the wall space as well as the scale of the furnishings immediately surrounding it.

When decorating your home, choosing the right artwork for the right room can be the perfect way to put a great finishing touch on your interior design.