Decorating Tips: Art in the Time of Quarantine
Now that you’re stuck at home 24/7, have you started noticing things around your home that you would like to refresh? We’ve had so many people asking us for tips recently, that we thought it deserved a blog post. So while we’re all in isolation, we’re sharing blog posts and videos on high impact, easy and cost effective ways you can update your space—starting art!
Adding new artwork, or moving pieces you already own from one room to another, is a high-impact way to breathe new life to a room. Here are tips, tricks and links to help you revive your rooms with artwork:
Project relocation!
The easiest way to spice up your space is to move art from one room to another. You’ll be surprised at how hanging an existing piece in a new spot can give it a whole new look, and make that spaces feel quite different. Got a few small pieces? Group them to create a curated collection. For example, you could group a canvas piece of a small woven basket, with two framed works from your children. Tada, a collection!
Buy art online
You can get fantastic pieces of art online. And unlike fit challenges with online clothing shopping, it’s easy to find great art through digital shopping. There are a couple of ways you can go about it: find a piece you love then find a spot for it in your house, or figure out what spot needs a piece, then shop for a piece that will fit the dimensions.
Another major consideration is the colour palette and the impact you want the piece to have (think: mood). You don’t need to worry about matching colours that are in the space—just match the tone in the colour. If you have lots of creams and light watery colours in the room you want to make sure the art reflects these tones. If the space is dark and moody, make sure the art is not whimsical.
“Pro tip: Pick one or two colours from the picture and accessorize the space with accessories in those colours like a throw, pillows, vases or a decorative tray. ”
Also, think about materials. If you have lots of metals, be sure to carefully choose the framing to make sure it will work. You can mix metals in the space, just be careful because too many different metals can get messy.
Our go-to’s for online art shopping:
Give a new life to tired old artwork
Grab a can of paint in the colour palette that you are using and paint the object. You can choose a matte finish or high gloss. Be sure to prime it really well with a really good primer that will help the paint stick to the surface of your item (which may be glass, metal etc.) We recommend STIX.
Create your own with family or travel photos
We love posterjack.ca, an all-Canadian high quality printer, for printing personalized artwork. They take photos you’ve taken and print them on wood, acrylic or metal. The different substrates create very different moods with your photo. You can also make your photos black and white, or sepia.
Make it yourself
Creating art is a wonderful activity for people of all ages—particularly during this crisis because it allows us to focus on something else and exercise another part of our brain. Think you’re no good at art? Think again! Take a leaf from professional artists and play some music while you create. The mood of the music will reflect in your work, so pick your playlist accordingly (read: deep and introspective, bright and energetic, calm and cool).
Don’t get boxed in by thinking that making art requires paint and brushes. You can make frame-worthy art with a sharpie and piece of white paper! Here are ideas, good for all ages, to use as a jumping off point:
Get creative and please share the your new artwork with us by tagging us on your social media post or emailing us your photo!