Should a Painting Match Your Décor?

One of the most frequent concerns when a potential client is looking at my paintings, is “Will it look good in my room?”

The answer is, it depends on what you are trying to accomplish with the painting:

Sense of Calm: Matching a painting with the décor creates a visual sanctuary.  If it is important that you need a room to be a place of rest, then matching your art to your decor creates a cohesive, harmonious environment that lowers stress and exudes calm.

Sense of Energy: Purposefully NOT matching, such as placing a vibrantly colored, lively painting in a neutrally decorated room provides a focal point of the room, and gives the area high-energy. This approach can become a conversation starter.

Sense of Personality: When you choose those pieces of art or sculpture that you have felt a connection with, you are displaying your personality.  This eclecticism works best if you are true to your selections, and that you have displayed a variety of diverse pieces. It gives a voice to the unique person you are and the interesting life you have lived.

Bottom Line:

Buy the art you love first. If a piece "stirs something in you," it belongs in your home. You can always choose a different frame, and add new throw pillows, rugs, or vases to tie the room’s colors together.  But you cannot force yourself to love a "perfectly matched" painting that has no soul.