I’m ready, how do I use art to personalize my space and make it truly my own?

Here you can see, dear art lovers, my pared down dining space, where I have managed to place three different types and styles of art , not counting all the family heirloom type pieces in the corner cabinet, yet they fit together in this small space and announce to everyone who visits my home that I love color and beautiful art and that this space is mine.  There are also several scales here in this one small area. On the left wall is a paper plate lithograph in a shadow box type frame, it is black and white, small and simple, but it does not get lost in this space next to the brighter colors. Then on the right we see a larger landscape oil painting that gives a  strong sense of color and depth to this naturally bland space with it’s ubiquitous beige carpet and white walls. Finally, you can see that I have spiced up my grandmother’s corner cabinet with a few pieces of fiber art stacked on top of it for a creative fun splash of color, wait, art that is not hung on the wall?

The next room where art is displayed is dominated by this enormous seven and a half foot painting that stretches across  most of the back wall. The major thing that I want you to notice is that it DOES NOT MATCH my furniture or my carpet, yet it doesn’t clash either. So the myth of art that matches what you already own is just that, a myth! The textures and prints of my area rug and corner chair  create a great contrast and compliment to the artwork on the wall. and what is not so obvious is the fiber art that is being displayed on the floor between the chairs and and the chair and shelf. I have added a blue tray for remote controls to my ottoman that does a bit to tie the room and the painting together but it is not really necessary.

Finally I invite you into my bedroom, try not to get too excited,  where you can see that I have a bit of an art nook, in the corner near my dresser. Dear art lovers, there are four other pieces of art in this room and you can see the outer edge of one of those pieces near the bottom edge of the painting, it is a ceramic piece that I traded artwork for from a ceramist friend, Nina Dyer, see her awesome work here: http://www.ninadyer.com/ .  I also have a paper star lamp and a wind chime in this small area of my room that I have made into a bit of a personal spiritual area.

What I would like you to take away from this post today is that artwork should be personal and be displayed in a personal way. Your purchase art because it speaks to you, and when you do, you want to show it off, and make your space, which can often be generic and dull, into your own creative and inspiring personal space, that has your big and bold stamp all over it.