Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Where to hang a big piece of art?



In my previous post I referenced a painting from an artist in Pa. It was a big pink abstract painting.  To my surprise, my husband bought it for me for my 40th birthday.  And I really love it.

My house is already filled with art we've picked up here and there and some I've painted myself.  And my house is not big, most walls are filled. So I moved the painting around and realized it looks good on multiple walls. But I wanted the perfect spot so after some experimenting, I chose to hang it over my bed. I'm happy with it and I think it's there to stay.

Some things to consider:

1. Spacing and size - big pieces of art can make small rooms look bigger as long as there is enough space around it to hold it in place.  It should not be too close to a corner or doorway.  A big piece of art in a large room can work too as long as it's not competing with everything else in the room.

2. Which room -  Big art usually makes a statement, so consider which room you want to make a statement in - above a couch, an entryway, above a bed? My piece happens to look the best in my office because I can see it when I walk into the house and it doesn't compete with the other pieces of my living room art.

3. Intuition - There is always a perfect spot and there are always multiple OK spots. For me, I wanted the pink and lightness of my painting in my bedroom because that felt right to me even though I'd see it more often in my office.  I went with my gut instinct.