How to Choose Art That Complements Your Home and Your Style
Camellia Art’s Adrienne Lively shares how to choose artwork that works with your space while reflecting the personality of the people who live there.
Story by Alea Wilkins
Key Points
● Let a favorite piece of art inspire a room’s color palette, texture and overall design direction.
● Mix photography, paintings and sculpture.
● Consider scale carefully when arranging artwork throughout the home.
● Choose frames that enhance the artwork.
● Trust your instincts and collect pieces that genuinely resonate with you.
In the home, furniture has purpose, but art has soul. From a painting displayed above the mantel to a sculpture commanding the backyard, every work represents a fragment of the owner’s personality. For homeowners with a blank space waiting to be filled, Camellia Art owner and president, Adrienne Lively, shares how to select pieces that will bring a home to life.
Let art lead the way
As a first step, Lively says the best source of inspiration is art itself. “An entire room can be inspired by a single piece of art,” she says. Pay attention to the color palette, texture or material of an artwork, and let that guide the interior design.
Try mixing media
Art appears in many forms, and according to Lively, there’s enough room for them all. “Photography, oil painting, sculpture – they can coexist in the same space beautifully,” she says. Don’t be afraid to let different media mingle. The most creative designs are often the most unexpected.
Size matters
When arranging artwork, Lively notes that it’s important to consider a piece’s size in relation to the available space. For expansive hallways or bare walls, she suggests grouping smaller pieces into a miniature gallery or letting a standalone work steal the show. “A bold piece of art that has breathing space can be very impactful,” she says.
Frame with intention
Selecting a frame is like trying on a shade of lipstick. The right one will enhance an artwork’s natural beauty; the wrong one will distract from it. “Whether you are framing a canvas or a keepsake, the framing should be an extension of the artwork,” Lively says. When styling a beloved piece of art, test frames in different weights, materials and finishes to determine what looks best.
Listen to your heart
Above all, Lively says her most important piece of advice is her simplest: Buy what moves you. “The artwork you have in your home should resonate with you,” she says. “It should make you happy, bring you a sense of calm or intrigue you every time you look at it.”
