How To Curate Art For Your Home

Over the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time looking at empty wall space in my house (maybe you have too?) and thinking how I should really hang art there. Not a single large piece, rather a small collection of my favorite pieces.

Do you have a personal collection of art that you love, but aren’t sure how to display? Whether you’ve been collecting for years or are just starting out with your first piece of art, now is the time to decorate.

Think outside the large empty wall for your gallery display

1. Find empty wall space in your home. Feel free to think outside an obvious large living room wall. What about empty space over a doorway or mudroom. Note: the size and space of your wall will dictate the size of artwork that can be displayed there so choose works that complement the space.

2. Get creative and feel free to mix genres: ink on paper, photographs, oil paintings, mixed media collage. All of it can sit harmoniously together in a wall when grouped by color, theme, as well as size and shape. 

Use color and theme to personalize your art collection

3. Create a personal narrative in your display. Choose a favorite focal piece as the center point on your wall and build out the story from there through color and theme. 

4. Unify your collection with custom frames: vintage or modern. Look for cool vintage or frames online or at antique and thrift stores. Find modern frames online or at your local frame shop.

Create a gallery wall mock-up before hammering any nails

5. Create a mock-up arrangement for your art wall(s) before you hammer the nails. Cut scrap paper to the size of each artwork. Use painter’s tape (so you don’t damage the wall) to mock-up the art on your wall.

6. Keep light sensitive artworks like photographs (especially color photographs) and works on paper (like watercolors) which can fade easily away from direct sun or window light.

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