3 Tips for Picking Out Wall Art for Your Home

We’ve lived in our home for a couple of years, and I am finally getting around to putting up some new wall art. Most of what we currently have on the walls in our house is what we’ve brought with us as we moved from home to home. It’s all served us well, but bare spots on some walls in our home need artwork. There are also a couple of wall art pieces that are no longer working for our home– and need to be replaced. So, I’ve collaborated with Photowall, my go-to online retailer for wall art: wallpaper, murals, posters, and canvas prints.

After revamping a few spaces in our home, I’m sharing three tips for picking out wall art for your home.

Choose something meaningful

We’ve always made a point to use artwork that represents something meaningful to us. Whether it’s a photo we’ve taken while traveling, a scene from a place we used to live, or an artist whose work we admire, we try to pick an artwork that is special to us. Walking into a room at home and seeing a piece of art on the wall that evokes emotion is the best feeling.

The biggest problem I’ve found when shopping at my typical retail shops like Target and Homegoods– nothing excites me. Everything feels generic and uninspiring. Because I’ve been so uninspired, these blank spaces on the walls have been bare since we moved in.

Thanks to Photowall and their tremendous selection of wall art, we were able to update our living room space with three very meaningful photos. San Francisco, where we met. Cabo San Lucas, where we got married. And Southern California, where we’ve put down roots. Every time I walk into the room, I feel a little emotional as I reminisce about the memories these photos bring up.

We received a large photo of Yosemite that we plan to put up in our bedroom. The color scheme works well with our rug, and Yosemite is a place we love to visit annually. When I think of Yosemite, a calmness comes over me as I think of peace, clean air, and incredible landscape.

Measure artwork ahead of time to be sure you get the best size

Now a quick piece of logical advice. Measure out your potential artwork. Tape it on the wall, so you know what the space will look like with the wall art. I recommend using painter’s tape, so you don’t damage the walls. A good rule of thumb is that wall art should take up 60-75% of available wall space. So measure the width of the space and multiply it by 0.60 and 0.75. Then measure the height of the space and multiply it by 0.60 and 0.75. This will give you the range of sizes you should look for in a piece of artwork.

I made a mistake a few years ago of not calculating the space correctly and bought two pieces of wall art that needed to be bigger. The area never felt right, and I never felt inspired when seeing the wall art. When using Photowall, I picked pieces that filled the wall space correctly this time. The photos needed to look like they were made for this space specifically, not an afterthought.

Pick a tone and color scheme that goes with your home decor

Another mistake I’ve made in the past when picking out wall art is choosing an image that doesn’t flow with the rest of the room. Those photos I was talking about earlier that were too small for the space? Well, they were also very dark–mostly black. Our living is bright; other furniture is light and soft. And the photos I originally picked out were dark and a bit ominous.

This time, I wanted photos with a bit of brightness—lighter colors with less black. The posters we picked out on Photowall have the light, airy brightness that fits the rest of the living room. And the Yosemite photo we picked out has this pinkish tan that works well with our beige, pink, and green rug in the bedroom.

If there is one thing I’ve realized since moving into our home, everything is a bit of trial and error as we start decorating. I wish we had found Photowall when we first moved in. Their vast selection of wall art would have made decorating the walls simpler. I can’t wait to try out their wallpaper next– thinking I might do a mural in Bambino’s room.

Another thing I love about Photowall is: We ordered prints, which shipped for free, and arrived within the same week. I could also add my own photo and have it printed out as a poster or canvas print, a fantastic option we will use in the future. Fast, free shipping, is always a win in my book.