Art of the Home :: Heart of the Home

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Ask any interior designer for advice and you'll be told a few basic rules, but perhaps the number one most important rule is that no matter how you choose to decorate your home, your space, it should be a direct reflection of you, your passions and your lifestyle. Nothing is more personal than the art which we hang upon our walls. No place in our home is easier to personalize than our walls. No bit of deocrating is quite as personal, profound or makes such a statement as our walls. Whether you prefer beige, white or brightly colored walls, they should never remain blank and empty. If you can't afford wallpaper, paint your walls, or paint a statement wall. And cover them with as much of yourself as you can. Art likes company. The more the merrier. You can turn a blank wall or a humdrum room into quite an art gallery. You can group like with like or mix and match. There are really no rules save for what you like. A large frame goes on a large wall and the smaller ones should be kept to smaller spaces, unless they're grouped together in large quantities.

If you're just starting out or haven't a large budget for art there are a million things you can frame. Post cards from your travels or vintage stores are a great place to start. Frame a print of your favorite painting. Frame and hang your great grandmother's Hermes scarf. Hang photographs and memorabelia, and certainly don't forget to showcase your child's artwork either.

I hope the following images inspire you... I have a very empty hallway and I started looking for inspiration and found all these other amazing ideas for home art galleries that we can recreate ourselves!

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I love the mix match of prints and sizes and shapes of the above pictures. I think the different sizes, shapes, patterns and colors create their own synergy and flow.

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Why not use chairs as frames! How fun. I have a thing for chairs. I have a thing for mixing and matching different chairs. Now we've mixed and matched chairs and frames and think this is just so fun and fabulous. (Needless to say, in my home with two rambunctious boys, this would not be the wisest of choices.)

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This speaks to me. In fact, it does more than that! I love the family photographs framed around the large frame. It's fun and elegant.

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And why not create a gallery above the kitchen sink.  I love this... and the wall mounted light fixtures add such an elegant touch!

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The pictures above the fireplace speak to me... in fact everything here speaks to me, from the floors to the fireplace, the paintings the lighting and the fabulous chairs!

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Another fabulous fireplace and another fabulous collection of wonderful and eclectic artwork. I simply love the groupings and never in a million years would have thought to place heavy looking, large frame on the upper edge... I would have thought for sure it would have made this all off balance when in fact it does quite the opposite, doesn't it?!

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I'm a mix and match girl. Everything in its place and a place for everything. There's flow and there's energy and it pulls together quite formidably. Give me color and give me plenty of it!

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I adore the look of neatly placed frames, that look as though they were almost haphazardly placed upon the shelves. I love a layered look as well.

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In the above photograph the pictures are intentionally placed and seem to each have a purpose in their place.

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Don't forget your eating areas! Pops of orange pick of the orange stripes of the banquettes. I might call this a dining gallery!

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And this kitchen galley has been transformed into a kitchen gallery. The small space with bland white walls have been punctuated with art that brings great character to this small space.

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Framed fruit prints frame a kitchen work space bringing it warmth and character.

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This floor to ceiling collage of black and white photographs serves as inspiration and creates an excited energy in this home office space.

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Two separate rooms are created when this partition is added to this small studio space. It's also a perfect place to create an instant home art gallery.

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We mustn't neglect our hallways and entry ways! How welcoming they are.

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Of course it goes without saying that we must showcase the great works of our smallest masters!

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And skip to ma loo... please don't skip ma loo! Bathrooms are great places to place art, but be careful as to what you do place on your walls as steam and water can cause damage.

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I hope I've left you inspired. I've come up with even more ideas while creating this post!
Happy hanging!

XOXO,

Jessica