Interior Obsessions: Artwork

I have to admit that my first inclination is to leave a wall blank. I tend towards good bones in a space and good furniture and I don’t mind having a lot of white space in my home. But having a graphic designer and photographer for a husband means that we have a large number of artwork pieces that we want to display. In our case, most of these pieces are fairly large scale, so often they place themselves in the home based on size and color. But there are many great ways to display artwork throughout your space, and I thought I’d go through a few methods to possibly spark a couple new ideas.

First of all, there is always the single large piece. You can place this on a wall space in between areas, centered over a piece of furniture like a sofa, or placed asymmetrically over a sideboard. Another method for placing artwork is to use a grid, especially for pieces of similar size. This can also be used to hang pieces in a row either horizontally or vertically. Try grouping by color – a set of pieces in a monochromatic color scheme can have all different sizes with different frames and still look pulled together. You can corral smaller pieces within a larger framework like a bookshelf or even a painted rectangle on the wall. Anything that holds the pieces together visually will work. Or use a ledge or shelf to tie disparate pieces together. If you have pieces in varied sizes and you don’t have an obsession about your space looking perfect, stacking is another great method of displaying artwork. Be sure the best parts of each piece are visible so that you can enjoy each one, even though you can’t see the entirety of each piece. Do you have any other great ways to display art in your home?

(above) Framed pieces on multiple ledges

Stacked on a low ledge + Stacked on a table

Hodgepodge with mirror and window as artwork

Large scale with supporting artwork + Single large piece

Grouped over furniture

Amy wrote this post. She is the designer and owner of FormFire Glassworks, where she creates modern lampwork glass beads and jewelry, and by day designs custom homes for a small firm in Southern California. You can follow her twitter @formfireglass.