Tag: frame

Wall Prints I 5 Unexpected Places To Style Art

Nightstand

Bedrooms are meant to be calm happy places. Adding some art to your bedroom is always a great choice to add a personal touch. Style a small framed art print with a little trinket dish on your nightstand to create some visual interest.

Bookshelf

You can either place several prints on top of the shelf in different sizes, or style a small print on one of the shelves. This adds a fun eclectic pop of colour to a more muted shelf.

Chair

We all have those random chairs lying around. Sit a framed artwork on it and place it in an unused corner. This is great option if your home has some dead space in awkward corners too low for larger furniture.

Radiator

Older building often have broken and unused radiators. Put a medium sized framed print on top of it, and place larger and smaller framed artworks on the ground to create an unexpected gallery.
Coffee Table
Not sure how to style your coffee table? Try adding a small art print and other decor items in a similar colour palette. For example, bowls, candle sticks and books in a warmer tone.
Framed Modern Art on Console Table

Wall Prints | 5 Reasons Artwork Makes A Room

Focal Point

Bold artwork can instantly transform any space creating a focal point that will immediately draw the eye. Show off your personal style with a vintage matisse print or a colourful modern abstract.

Ties in Colour

Art is the perfect place to draw a colour palette from. To create a cohesive space, match some elements around the room to the colours in your print or frame, such as pillows, small decor elements or even the couch colour.

Texture

Whether your art is physically textural (for example thick paint) or visually textured (think small patterns making the piece seem to have a texture) adding wall art to a space will give your room dimension. This is crucial for modern or minimalist spaces with all clean lines and simple furniture, the space will seem flat and uninteresting without art.

Space

Adding framed artwork to a room can affect how large the space feels. Similar to the trick of hanging your curtains higher up, adding large art prints higher on your walls will draw your eyes up, making the space feel larger.

Finished Look

Art is the final element in a room that makes the design feel finished. Without framed wall art the space will seem empty and unfinished.
Modern minimalist line art in Scandinavian living room

 

Wall Prints | 5 Ways to Style Oversized Artwork

Leaning Gallery Wall

If you’re someone that rents and can’t make holes in your walls, or simply want to create a fun conversation starter, try leaning large artworks against the wall instead of hanging them. Create a gallery wall by staggering the sizes and layer them on top of each other.

Hallway

Boring white hallways seem cold and uninviting, adding a large warm artwork will welcome your friends and family. I would recommend a soothing pair of abstracts or landscape for your hallway.

Dining Room

Dining rooms are a space in your house that are meant to be dramatic. Create a focal point for your guests with a framed oversized artwork. Centre your artwork with the dining table to create a balanced room.

Console

A popular trend in interior design has been to style artwork on top of consoles. They’re often styled with stacks of books or sculptures beside them.

Living Room Wall

People will often hang several pieces of artwork above their couch that are too small and make the space seem disproportionate. Instead, hang a pair of oversized prints that will lead your eyes upward and make your space seem larger.
Framed Oversized Abstracts in Modern Living Room

Wall Prints | 5 Art Styles Perfect For A Modern Office Art

Abstracts

A simple and minimalist choice for any modern office. For an eye catching look, use a black and white abstract and hang it with a black frame on a white wall.

Landscapes

These prints don’t have to be boring old fashioned paintings of trees, there are plenty of abstract and modern landscape artists. I recommend going for a large neutral landscape and hanging it above your desk or shelf.

Inspirational Figures

Having artwork that inspires you is important. There are plenty of modern takes on inspirational figures with words and collage elements that will instantly transform your office space.

Photography

If you like your office simple and clean, photography is the right choice for you. Go for a big photography gallery wall to fill up that empty white space. Try to stick to matching frames for a minimalist approach, or go for a fun eclectic photography wall with mismatched frames and sizes.

Still Life

If like a more traditional vintage style office add a still life print. Still lives range from florals to vases and fruit, with more traditional styles like oils all the way to digital abstracts. To modernize a more old fashioned print, go for a thin black frame.
Framed Abstract in Modern Office

Wall Prints | 6 Tips For Cleaning Your Artwork

 Cotton Cloth

Use a cotton cloth to gently clean your artwork. These are pretty safe to use on prints, paintings and sculptures. You could also use a microfibre cloth if you prefer using those. You can also use a barely damp cotton cloth to dust the frame. If your piece is on paper, try to avoid using water to clean the artwork or glass since it can leave water stains.

Olive-Oil Based Soap

This type of soap is perfect for cleaning the grime off of oil or acrylic based paints. It’s a gentle soap that will get the dust and dirt off your artwork without damaging it.

Q Tips

If your artwork or frame has texture, you may find that a cloth can’t get into the nooks and crannies. Using a dry or slightly damp q-tip on the frame will get the job done.

Soft Dry Brush

For dusting, a soft dry brush can easily do the job well. I recommend using these over cloths if you’re worried about water damage or if your piece is old and delicate.

Avoid Humid Areas

Humidity can cause mold to grow under glass and frames. Framed artworks should ideally be kept in dry areas.

Avoid Direct Contact With Sunlight

Direct sunlight can discolour or fade artwork making it seem dirty or old quickly. Try to keep artwork away from bright windows to make sure that your artwork stays vibrant for longer.
Soft Dry Brush For Cleaning Frames

Wall Prints | 5 Tips For Lighting Your Artwork

Natural Light

Try not to use natural light for your artwork. Direct sunlight can really damage the art, the UV rays will fade your prints and can be very harmful to paintings. Try to keep your artwork away from bright windows.

Bulbs

When lighting your artwork, considered the colour temperature in your space. If your piece is cool toned, I suggest using white LED lights, but if your artwork is warmer colours (reds, browns, etc.) go for a yellow bulb.

Track Lights

If you have more than one piece, track lights are an easy lighting solution. You can simply screw them into your ceiling and angle them towards your pieces. Try to keep the angle of the light somewhere around 30 degrees out from the wall to minimize the reflection in the glass of your artwork.

Picture Lights

If you really want to bring the focus onto one larger print, I would recommend using a picture light. These are really easy to instal in the wall, or can clip right to the frame. These are a classic option even used often in art galleries to light artwork.

Frame

Depending on the frame, the light on the artwork can be greatly affected. The frame can cast a shadow depending on the size as well as the frame can bounce colour onto a piece. If you’re using a more dramatic and thick frame, I recommend installing a picture light above the piece to make sure no strong shadows are being cast onto the artwork.
Installing a track light

Wall Prints | 5 Gallery Wall Ideas

Art and Mirrors

If you’re into a more eclectic decor style, having a mix of framed art prints and mirrors in a gallery all is a great option. This look is perfect for a living room wall with lots of empty space and mismatched furniture. I recommend using vintage scrollwork framed mirrors to add some texture and visual interest.

Art all the same size

If your space is a little modern modern and minimalist, try going for a gallery wall of artwork in the same size. These simple and classic sets look great with a simple black or white frame and suit a hallway or stairwell.

Vintage art

For those of you who have vintage or maximalist spaces, I would recommend this option. For a more traditional room, use botanical prints, but for a more modern take, use framed vintage prints like a colourful Matisse work. Try to stagger the sizes but keep the artwork in a matching frame and or colour palette to keep the wall cohesive.

Framed art prints and posters

If you’ve spent any time on Pintrest lately, you have probably seen the gallery walls with mixed framed art and posters. These are a good option if you have a larger wall and need to fill in more space. Try to stagger the sizes of both the posters as well as your framed art prints. Since these gallery walls tend to be larger, practice the layout of your gallery wall on the floor before making holes in your walls to hang them up.

Art and plants

For any boho lover, mixing plants and art is a must. When mixing these, try to use air plants as they require little to no water, which will protect your artwork and walls. Another option is to use fake plants in pots with hooks to hang on the wall.
Vintage Prints Framed Gallery Wall

Wall Prints | 5 Art Hanging Tips

Hang at Eye Level

Specifically you can hang it around 57 inches above the ground (the average height for eye level). This is a great height if you’re not making a gallery wall and don’t know where to start. Hanging your art at eye level is what most galleries and interior decorators alike will use.

Measure (Don’t Eyeball It)

Don’t just measure how high up the art print should be hung, make sure to either centre it on the walls or between the other artworks. This can take a minute, but it’s worth the time. Nothing is more frustrating than an artwork that is hung slightly off centre.

The Toothpaste Method

Now that you’ve measured and are ready to hang your artwork, you need to measure how far down the nail is. This may seem strange, but bear with me, put a dab of toothpaste on the back of the hanger and press it to the wall wherever you want to hang your artwork. The toothpaste is where you can hammer the nail into the wall. After the nail goes in, you can wipe away the toothpaste.

Paper Templates

If you’re not really a fan of the idea of using the toothpaste trick, you can use a paper template to hang your art print. Trace the framed print you want to hang on some paper, and then mark on the paper where the nail is. Tape this template to the wall and there should be a dot or marker where you can hammer your nail. This method is perfect for planning a gallery wall layout since you can just stick a bunch of paper templates to the wall to plan out the layout.

Use the Correct Hanger

A nail isn’t always the right choice to hang your artwork. Depending on the weight of the art print and the frame, a nail in some drywall might not be supportive enough. If your print is larger or heavier, I recommend using threaded anchors, screws or several nails. These options provide a wider balance point to disperse the weight of your print. You can pick up any of these options online or through local hardware store.
Hanging Artwork

Wall Prints | 4 Tips For Choosing Art

Colour

When choosing a colour palette, try to either have the art match the colour palette of the space, or use a totally opposite colour scheme to make it pop. When choosing colour, consider if you would like your art print to draw the eye or blend in harmoniously. Trending colour palettes are neutrals, greys and pastels, but feel free to experiment and have fun with colour!

Size

People tend to choose art that is too small for a wall. If you’re just hanging one or two pieces say over a couch, make sure they’re large enough to fill the space, 24”x36” and up. For a gallery wall or a smaller space, I recommend using 8”x10” to around 20”x28”, with maybe one larger piece at 24"x36". Remember when you’re hanging a large piece of framed artwork on a plaster wall to either hang from a wall stud or use wall plugs so the weight can be supported properly.

Frame

Similar to colour, consider if you would like the frame to blend into the artwork, or be a bold accent. I usually choose simple wood frames for my pieces, but vintage frames with scrollwork are making a big comeback with the rise of interior design styles like dark academia. For a clean minimalist look, go for a simple black wood frame, and for a more boho or Scandinavian look, use a maple or grey frame.

Style

Artwork is very subjective, everyone likes different styles. I can however recommend if your room is modern to use styles like abstracts or line art to compliment your room. If your space is traditional, you may prefer landscapes or photography. Take some time to browse Pinterest with relevant keywords to find art styles you may enjoy, such as searching “modern bedroom” or “Scandinavian living room”.

Wall Prints | 4 Tips for Updating Your Home Office

Comfy Chair

Having a comfy able chair in front of your desk won’t just help your back, it will also give your neck better support. People often neglect proper back support, which can lead to all sorts of issues down the line, so make sure to get an ergonomic chair.

Adjustable Desk or Computer

Standing desks are all the rage right now, but having a simple adjustable computer screen or stand for your laptop can really affect your posture. You can get a reasonably priced laptop stand off amazon or any number of online retailers, look for one with holes/slats to make sure that your laptop doesn’t overheat.

Art

Did you think I wouldn't take some time to talk about how art can affect your mood? Having a beautiful framed art print beside you can really inspire you, or simply create a more cohesive look to the space. Choose a poster or print that is neutral and calming, I recommend going for a neutral abstract or landscape, but a fun matisse print could also be a great choice.

Good Light

If you’re not blessed with huge windows in your home office, try to add a standing lamp or desk lamp to bring more light into your home office. It’s been proven that people are happier when their in brighter lit rooms.