You’ve been to a home, hotel, restaurant or bar and seen one of a few reproduction art prints on the walls, such as Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night Sky, a cheeky shot of the Athena ‘Tennis Girl’, workmen sat precariously on a skyscraper enjoying lunch above 1930s New York, a Chat Noir orange poster or an adapted version of the half smiling half screaming Mona Lisa.
When looking for inspiration in decorating your own home, it’s no surprise that you don’t want to just mirror the same images everyone else has. But how can you cleverly combine classic art into your interior design without just copying the tried-and-tested-and-overused prints you already know? We have some ideas…
Before you embark on your interior design journey, be sure that you have plenty of picture hanging hardware products about to display your pieces. There are numerous specialist retailers online and these days, just about anything can be presented on a gallery wall!
Presenting Art in Different Forms
If you have fallen in love with a classic piece of art and want to display it but are wary of seeming samey, there’s no reason you can’t just mix it up a little by having it in a different style to the norm. Most art prints are shown simply as poster prints or thin canvases but can be reproduced across a variety of different mediums. Lithographs, woodcuts and even embroidered versions of famous pieces can transform the way they look while not betraying their original artistry.
Shop Museum Reproductions
Unless you’re a real art buff, you probably only know the most famous of classical painter’s works of art – but few only ever produced one great piece. Museums are fantastic places to see more of an artist’s work and allow you to uncover greatness you may not have seen before. Even if you’re not able to attend a museum in person, many have online stores that sell high-quality reproductions of lesser-known pieces; so it’s worth browsing and seeing if you can find something you like. Such pieces can also become great conversation starters as visitors may recognise them but not quite know where from.
Clever ‘inspired by’ Pieces
The advent of the internet has seen more artists access the ability to display and sell their works online. In the 21st century almost nothing is entirely original, and artists have long listed their inspiration and muses alongside their portfolios. Websites and online stores supporting emerging artists such as Etsy allow for a whole host of art to be browsed and bought. Popular ‘inspired by’ pieces include the likes of Andy Warhol-style prints and creative transformations of military prints; everyone and even your pets can now be custom-painted and styled in official uniform and period garb!
What’s most important in decorating your home is that it matches your tastes and themes and that you like it… because after all, you’re going to have look at it and live within it, day in day out. It’s understandable that you may not want to just hang art and design your home in the same way as everyone else. Happily, there are plenty of creative and clever ways to reflect your inspiration and favourite artists without simply replicating them. A unique living space can be as quirky or quaint as you’d like it to be and as homemade or professionally finished as you’d prefer. Get creative and get decorating – the interior designer within you will embrace the challenge.