5 Reasons Why Wall Art is So Important in Interior Design
Our homes are an expression of ourselves. They are designed to reflect what we love, what we find beautiful, and what creates the energy we need in each room and the home as a collective. Each room and its walls are a blank canvas used to evoke emotion, create a sense of warmth and comfort and make the space uniquely our own. Those empty walls crave our attention.
Wall art can be more than just paintings or photographs. It can be anything that brings meaning and style to a room. The most effective use of all types of wall art in a given space will be something personal that has meaning or evokes a feeling in a person. An expensive painting may have monetary value but means very little if daily it isn’t bringing joy to the person living in the space.
There are so many different design aesthetics and combinations of them. They can be minimalist, bohemian, industrial, mid-century modernist, only to name a few. For each style and combination of them, there will be different approaches to wall art.
Some will focus one on a large central piece in a room, others on gallery walls, and others will bring in living elements such as plants, aquariums, and creative uses of household items. No matter the defined aesthetic, the underlying theme is that wall art is vital to them all. Below we will talk about five reasons why wall art in our homes is so important in interior design.
#1 Bring life to a room
No matter the color of paint in an interior room, blank walls, especially in neutral tones or whites, can look sterile and devoid of any real character. Using wall art can bring life to a room through texture, a sense of movement, and expression in color choices. There are myriad ways this can be achieved.
If looking for texture, then use woven baskets, sculptural wall pieces, hats, and other fabrics to bring richness to a room. Abstract paintings can often evoke a sense of movement through the painter’s brush strokes. Color can be used in palettes that bring the eye to the art and then to other furniture, plants, and furnishings. By making a person’s eyes connect the visual dots, a living, breathing design appears to be taking place in a room.
#2 Set the mood & intention of a space
Each room in a home serves its function, some singular and some multifunctional. Wall art is essential for effective interior design because it helps correspond with emotional connections. If the wall art and the design of a room don’t match its function, then many times, the space will feel disconnected. Let’s go through an example.
The bedroom is, for many, a sanctuary. It is where you end a long day, drift off to sleep, and hopefully, wake rested and ready for the following day. Wall art that evokes calm and peace is a perfect match for this space. A bedroom with art depicting athletic endeavors or busy prints can create the opposite effect desired.
At the same time, an abstract piece mimicking water or a photograph of a peaceful forest may be just the thing that helps lull you to sleep. Wall art that incorporates soft woven fabrics and not harsh metals can also create a sense of warmth and coziness.
#3 Show off the owner’s personality
We have all walked into a friend or family member’s home and instantly thought that it just looked like them. Everything makes sense, encompassing the personality and style of that person. While paint choices and furniture do play their role, there is nothing that quite adds the spice of who a person is like wall art does. This is for a very good reason. A person’s choices about what goes on their walls are very personal.
Choosing the wall art that reflects a person’s uniqueness allows for creativity. If they are a serious and stoic person, then maybe a classic print by a well-known artist makes sense, or perhaps just a perfectly placed mirror to reflect the light from an incoming window.
Someone a bit more whimsical may decide that the macrame hanging from a flea market, the odd painting of a cat, and the hat they got on a trip to Peru make a great set of pieces. No matter the choice, they allow a person to shine through on their walls.
#4 Creates a focal point
The human eye naturally looks for something to focus its attention on. This tendency has been a foundation in interior design since its advent. Our brains look for something that makes sense, to center on a foundational placeholder. Wall art can be an easy way to create this focal point and can be done with one large painting or mirror or a gallery wall made of several different photographs.
Creating a focal point using wall art can also be a perfect foundation for the rest of the room if it is being designed fresh. Pulling colors from a piece of wall art can be a fantastic palette starter and be used to choose accent pillows, rugs, lamps, and other accessories. Many paint companies offer free services on their websites or via their apps where you can upload a photo of a piece of artwork, and it will pull corresponding colors for you.
#5 Finishes a room
A room that has been furnished but lacks any wall art will appear unfinished and will be missing something. Wall art is the finishing touch, the cherry on top of the interior design sundae. Art can be a great foundation upon which to build a room, but if the room has already been designed, then the room itself, its purpose, and the home’s overall vibe can influence the wall art choice. This is a perfect time to step back and assess what a room is missing.
If the space is full of soft textures, or luxurious fabrics, then a metal or even leather hanging piece can add contrast and an exciting play on soft and hard. If a neutral palette has been used for paint and furnishings, then a bright photograph or painting can add just the right pop of color.
