Freelance work: Home Decour

Cover Up that Wall! Applying Prints to Home Decor

It can be difficult deciding on what to use to decorate a room, or on what it is you want a room to say. Even if you decide on minimalist decor, too much blank space just starts to look empty. It’s always good to spice up a wall with a little something to draw attention and add some interest. 

There are lots of ways to do this, but the most popular by far is to put up some art, whether that be on some mounted china or a nice canvas print. A print is a good option for the ease with which they can be purchased and shipped online. There are also many different styles to fit your design choice so, even if its minimal a nice black and white print would fit right in.

It’s always important to match the art with the style no matter what. Make sure to consider the color and the frame when hanging your art. 

Tips for Hanging Art

First get a good feel for the room where you are placing the print. What’s the mood of the room? How does it make you feel? What is the response you want to elicit from your guests? 

Based on your answers to these questions you can begin to choose. You want whatever art you hang to be consistent with these feelings as well as the general color scheme and motif you have.

Color

While you are getting started, use your favorite colors as a guide. If you already did that, look at the colors currently present in the paint on the wall or any objects in the room. 

If there is a couch with green fabric in the room, maybe a print that is accentuated with some nice greens would fit nicely above it on the wall. If there’s a blue table next to the couch perhaps a canvas that uses both colors would be the perfect accent to tie the room together.

Lack of color is just as important. You might be decorating with shades of grey or other neutral colors, in which case you could go one of two ways. A vibrantly colored print could become the focal point of the room and capture the eye, or a nice black and white piece could complete the ambiance of the room. 

Even if the room does have lots of colors, black and white goes with a lot of styles and could blend in or stand out depending on your need.

Number of Pieces

Why not consider putting up multiple pieces, either by the same artist or with a similar motif. Having multiple pieces by the same artist is good because an artist often tells a story about their art and having various pieces can set a mood and be great for conversation.

Acquiring pieces in the same style can set a mood for the room. Art that captures the same subject can tie everything together by a motif. Almost everyone knows someone who decorates with a nautical theme. Lots of pictures of boats, the beach, and the sea. 

Frames

This adds another element to the mix. In a more classic style room, you may want to use a traditional frame to blend with that, perhaps one with fancy gold trim or a simple wood block frame.

A more modern style of decorating may forgo the frame entirely. Hanging the canvas directly or using a color border are some of the options there. It really all depends on your taste.

A frame could be a good way to tie in a piece of art with the surrounding objects of a room. A yellow frame that goes with the warm color palette of a room would help tie in a black and white photo of a sunset you really want to hang for contrast. 

Print Style

When choosing a print you will have to decide on the print medium, be it Canvas, acrylic, or poster.

Canvas- Photo printed directly onto the canvas. Exploded recently as the most popular print style as it is more affordable than acrylic, lighter so it's easier to mount, and gives the photo that classic, traditional quality look.

Acrylic- Printed onto a sheet of paper and face mounted to a sheet of acrylic or printed directly onto the sheet of acrylic. The most expensive but some say highest quality photo printing. It has a sharp, vibrant color quality.

Poster- Printed onto paper. Cheap. Might be more standard in dorm rooms than traditional home decor. 

Black and White Prints

Something always popular in home decor is black and white prints as they can accentuate any design style. 

Since there is such a tradition in black and white photography, there will always be this classic, timeless quality about the photos. Whatever is in the frame is given this added weight of history behind it as the timeless quality is mapped onto what’s within the frame. That feeling helps anchor a room, be it modern or classic.

Color is removed as a distraction, giving more focus to the subject of the photo. How is it placed in the frame? What is the interaction between the subjects? The absence of color allows more emphasis to be placed on the emotions the photo captures. This way it can easily exemplify the mood of a room. 

Lighting comes into greater focus as the interplay between light and shadow are more obvious in the stark contrast of white on black. Shapes and lines come into focus making it great for finding a print that mimics the lines and angles of the room be they sharp or curved. 

Limiting the elements to black and white helps focus the eye and many find this timeless quality goes well with the traditional look of a canvas print. The stark contrasts can become a great focal point for any room while the simple colors refrain from distracting from everything else.

What’s Your Style?

It really all comes down to a matter of preference. Crazy colors or Simple contrast, acrylic or canvas. Your room is going to have a feeling all its own because you decorated it. 

Prints are a great way of showing your personality because people seem to see more in photos as opposed to chairs. A guest may walk into your house and see a chair as a chair, but when they look at that black and white print of man riding a Harley down the highway they might see your definition of freedom.

Choose what you like and it’s sure to feel more like your home. That’s really the most important feeling any piece of decor should inspire. Just don’t leave everything blank. Decorate with something.