5 Things to Consider When Buying Wall Art

Today, we’re sharing 5 things to consider when buying wall art! You may remember from the breakfast nook table makeover post, we mentioned we were hoping to share the breakfast nook reveal with you today but the wall art we ordered didn’t arrive in time.

Hopefully, it will be here by the end of the week and we can get the breakfast nook finished for a Monday reveal. We have another piece in mind to go over the coffee bar as well, but I need to see how the breakfast nook art looks before we make a definite decision. The two pieces are totally different, and I don’t want them to clash.

Choosing wall art for any room can be tough especially if you’re living in an open concept home. We have an open concept home and as I’ve shared many times before you can stand in the breakfast nook and see the living room, the kitchen, the home office, the entry, the dining room and into one of the bedrooms and bathroom too.

We’ve spent months looking for wall art and we’ve definitely learned a few things along the way. Here are 5 things to keep in mind when you’re searching for and buying wall art for the spaces you love in your home…

#1 Consider Your Home’s Color Palette – Working with a consistent color palette makes decorating so. much. easier. If blue and white is your jam, keep that basic combination consistent throughout your home and common areas. Then, highlight an accent color or two with pillows, accessories, rugs, plants and artwork. Wall art should complement your existing color palette not compete with it!

#2 Buy the Right Size – The size wall art you choose will largely depend on things that already take up space on the wall, for example, moldings, windows, doors, furniture, etc. Wall art should cover at least 2/3 to 3/4 of your wall space and should hang at eye level 57-60 inches from the floor. If you have a dresser, sofa or table you want to pair with a piece of art, the bottom of the wall art should be 6-12 inches from the top of your piece of furniture.

#3 Don’t be Too Theme-y – This is probably the thing I see people struggle with most. They love a specific look say, equestrian, farmhouse, nautical, etc. and want to use it everywhere. I’m talking themed hardware, pillows, bedspreads, rugs, toilet paper rolls, lamps, towels, plates, cups, artwork – you name it and have probably seen it too!

The thing is, you don’t want it to look like you ordered everything from the same set of catalogs and had it all delivered on the same day. Likewise, you don’t want it to look like you picked up everything from one section of the same store either.

There’s a reason Jojo goes to antique stores to finish up the details when curating a home for that, “collected over time look,” it makes a home feel both layered and interesting immediately. Look for wall art that give you that unique feeling too!

#3 Consider Wall Art Alternatives – We’re pretty picky about the artwork we choose around here and if we can’t find exactly what we’re looking for we make our own. We’ve also framed grain sacks, engineer prints, and wallpaper, hung botanical prints, chalkboards, wreaths, used architectural salvage, tobacco baskets and hung vintage plates and silver platters up as wall art too. If you have an out of the box idea in mind, go for it!

#4 Upgrade and/or Change Out Existing Frames – We’ve shopped enough to know sometimes you can’t find quality vintage or antique art pieces at reasonable prices and you have to buy wall art online. There is no shame in that, you guys. In fact, it might be easier for you to buy online if you can’t find a certain size or color you need. A quick way to elevate posters, maps, and wall art pieces both big and small is to change out the frames when you can.

#5 Buy What You Love – At the end of the day you have to buy what you love no matter if it’s a poster from IKEA or a vintage painting of a lady you’ve never met. Choosing the right wall art is a lot like decorating – your home should tell your story. When you find something that makes your heart skip a beat, buy it without hesitation!

I hope these 5 things to consider when buying wall art for the spaces you love in your home have helped. I know sometimes it can be overwhelming given there are so many choices and budgets to keep in mind. If you guys have any helpful tips or tricks we should know about, we’d love to hear them!

See you guys back here tomorrow. I’ll share scenes from our week and all of our favorite things from around the web.  Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo