How to display art in your home

5 great ways to display art in your home: From gallery walls to shelfies

25/1/2017

Are you searching for new, creative and space-efficient ways of displaying your wall art and travel mementos?

Here are 5 simple ideas to display artwork at home.

1. Art among your daily objects

This is one of my favorite ways of displaying art prints or photographs – in the path of your daily gaze and daily activities. Your hands might be busy stirring a sauce or foaming milk for your morning cappuccino, while your eyes take a micro-moment to flit over a piece you’ve collected for your haven.

Here are some pins I love.

2. Leaning and layered

Not a fan of hammering nails into wall or fussing with a planned-out gallery wall? A creative solution that is always appealing to the eye is to display your art on wall shelves, bookshelves or furniture. To achieve an interesting visual effect (while also saving space), you can layer the art such that they partially overlap. There is no right or wrong way to do this – how you mix and match sizes, in what configuration you group the art and how closely you pack the space is up to your personal style. This is a great strategy for non-committal folks, as you can easily change things up with the seasons. If you run out of space on shelves or furniture, the floor is also an option.

3. Classic gallery wall

A traditional gallery wall in a room, hallway or staircase in your home is sure to dress up any space and to give your eyes lots to look at on a daily basis. You can go with a classic look – a symmetrical grid with uniform frames and sizes, or you can mix up the frame sizes, thickness, colors and matting, while still focusing on maintaining an airy, harmonious look. If you don't opt for a full grid, you could choose to align the top or the bottom of your frames, or you can stagger their height. If you do vary the frame sizes, you can choose one larger focal point in the middle of the set – or not! If you really want to make a bold statement, you can spread your gallery wall out from floor to ceiling. It is up to you and your whimsy.

4. Mixed gallery wall

A mixed gallery wall kind of combines principles 1 and 3 – a gallery wall of frames intermixed with objects that vary in color, size and depth. Think of a clock, a ceramic piece, a sign, antique finds, a mirror, a wall hook, a planter, a sconce... You can mix decor and practicality by adorning your wall with stuff you actually use (like your pots and pans) interspersed with art. That's what I've done in my kitchen and it makes me happy at least 3 times a day!

5. Easels

Easels are a simple way to display art prints on surfaces like counters or furniture when they are not easy to lean (depending on their style and size). In fact, I think they're somewhat underrated! Acrylic or metal wall art, for example, can look very nice when placed on a small easel on a surface. Larger easels can also add an artistic flair to your space. Easels, like shelves, allow you to easily switch around your art display as frequently as you feel like it.