Read this before buying art

Are you bored of looking at the same interior, but don’t quite know how to fix it? Maybe you’ve seen home décor inspiration on Pinterest or you're simply sick of the way your walls look. Either way, you want change, but you’re struggling with what to do next. Luckily for you, our Founder Alex is here to help. He's answered the burning question of where to start when buying art for your home

#1

Your instinct knows best

Firstly, I always preach that you should buy what you like. What I mean by this is, buy artworks for the simple reason you like them. As you're going to display these artworks within your home, so you're going to have to live with them. This is why the worst thing you can do is buy art because of a trend or season, as you won't vibe with it in the long run. A great place to start is to look for artworks that match your style, personality, interest or taste. This could be as simple as finding colours, patterns and art mediums that match your preference. An example of this could be how I love typography. So I'd start my search by checking out all the typography artworks on DROOL and then I'd identify shapes and styles of fonts that I really love. Below are a few I found:

It’s important to buy art that you have a personal connection to, rather than art that you think might be worth a lot in the future - Ellie Hamilton

#2

Familiarise yourself with your space

Secondly, when buying art it always helps to know where it'll be displayed. So set aside some space for where you want your art prints to go. Whether you’re looking to find art for living rooms, dining room pictures or bedroom wall art, you want to identify where and how big the artworks can be. Remember, artworks don't have to be hung too, large scale artworks look great on the floor lent against the wall. Whereas small artworks can work great on a shelf or in a small nook. So once you've found a space, you then want to think that layout or position is best within the space. This could be one or two statement artworks positioned next to each other or a gallery wall collection. Statement artworks are great for creating impact and a wow factor, whereas a gallery wall can offer much more visual interest. The beauty of a gallery wall is that the creative possibilities are endless and even a small one can transform a room

#3

It's ok to move art

Thirdly, remember, you can always move your art around, so if you’re looking for art prints for living rooms and later decide that you want it hung in the bedroom, that’s completely fine. Sometimes you purchase an artwork and then it won't feel quite right in the place you pictured it. Perhaps it doesn't work with the lighting or the colours don't look quite right against the other artworks hung in that space. So the simple solution is to move it. Test hanging it in different places around the home to see how it looks. Here are a few simple rules of thumb. When hanging small artworks, they often look great near light switches, or displayed low above furniture, like a sideboard or bedside table. Whereas large-scale artworks often work best hung at eye level and with ample wall space around them

TOP TIP: If you picture yourself needing to move artworks around frequently, then black and white wall art is always a safe option, as it looks good in most rooms and spaces

#4

Get it framed, properly

Most importantly, not all frames are created equally. You don't want to spend your hard-earned money on buying art and then a few months or years down the line you see it's permanently damaged or discoloured. This is why you want to look for art frames that use acid-free, conservation-grade materials. At DROOL we pride ourselves on using 100% acid-free materials that are FSC certified to guarantee exceptionally high quality and archival properties

#5

Be inspired

In conclusion, if you're still stuck, it's best to build a clearer picture of what you want your interior decor to look like, as this will put your mind at ease. As building a pool of inspiration can put you in a great position to create the dream interior. At DROOL we love interiors, so you can check out our Pinterest and Instagram to find endless inspiration. Or if you fancy getting more creative, our Wall Art Builder tool is perfect for mood boarding and will allow you to get started with a pre-made template or start fresh with a blank canvas