We Answer the Most Pressing Art Questions on Houzz
No matter how much experience you’ve got under your belt, everyone needs a little help with interior design sometimes. That’s why we love Houzz; an interior design platform that makes it easy to find and save inspirational home photos and connect with design professionals and home enthusiasts.
Houzz is also a great place to seek interiors solutions for any space. Below, we share our response to users’ biggest art-related questions.
Where do you buy affordable art?
Bluethumb has prints and original art from $99, and we can also organise framing for most of our pieces. Our team is always on hand to help you find the perfect piece for any space – just send us an email and get the conversation rolling!
The Bluethumb team is happy to offer suggestions for any space or personality. You can even send us a picture of where it will be hung.
What do you look for when choosing art?
There’s a few factors to think about when choosing art for your home, but your own feelings should be first and foremost. We always advise to look for art you really love. After all, you’re the one who has to look at it every day!
A few other details to consider are your budget, the space where you plan to hang it and whether you’re buying for a home, an office or a commercial space. These could all affect what you look for in terms of the size, colours and subject matter.
Alternatively, you could also choose art based on the artist. Whether you’re purchasing art as an investment or simply building a collection you love, it’s nice to collect several pieces by the same artist over time and watch their style change and grow.
Grungle has an awesome collection of art at his house, and it’s growing all the time!
Wall art? Mirror? What would you put above the bed?
Filling up the space above your bed is a great idea. Particularly as it’s often in the middle of the room, it can often look a little empty. Unless the room is very small and you want to create the illusion of space, like we did here, we always say opt for an artwork!
Most likely, you’ll already have a mirror in your bedroom anyway, and constantly catching your own reflection can be a bit unnerving. Instead, we suggest an artwork that evokes a sense of calm and serenity. Just make sure it’s properly secured! Get in touch if you’d like some suggestions for your own bedroom.
This piece by George Hall, The Eighth Silence, is very calm and peaceful – it almost reminds you of rain falling on the roof!
Help! Bachelor pad needs some wall art
Ah, the bachelor pad! While many bachelor pads aspire to greatness, they tend to fall a little short when it comes time to actually decorate them, or else filled with questionable items of furniture. Ahem, Chandler and Joey’s ceramic dog, anyone?
Bluethumb has plenty of art that would be suitable in even the most, ahem, manly of apartments. Some art on the wall will add life and character, and make the space feel infinitely more thought-out.
Fun pop pieces, like Ben Tankard‘s Unpopular Penguin series, are the perfect way to decorate any bachelor pad.
Where to place art on the wall?
It can be tricky to find the perfect hanging height for art, but the idea is to hang your picture at the line of sight. For most people, this is about 144cm from the floor. This might change slightly if the ceilings are very high, or if the majority of people in the household are especially tall or short.
Thinking of hanging a gallery wall? Make sure to mark out the different pictures first using some paper so you can check that you’re happy with the arrangement. This might seem fiddly at first, but no doubt it will save you time in the future.
Artworks shouldn’t strain your eyes, which is why they should hang at approximately eye level. This one is Uruna Tjina by Hubert Pareroultja.
Art above the sofa & space filler?
Just like in the bedroom, the space above the sofa can become a bit of a void. The trick here is finding the right shape and the right colours, as you want to complement the couch rather than compete with it.
One option is to choose a fairly large, rectangular piece, or alternatively you could opt for several smaller pieces to hang as a series. Just make sure the artwork is either centred, or deliberately hung to one side.
This piece (which is unfortunately sold!) looks in proportion to the couch, and the pop of colour brings the otherwise neutral room to life. Morning Surf by Ellen Howell.
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