A brand-new home is a blank canvas. Speaking of canvases, meaningful artwork is a great way to take your new home from blank to brilliant. Artwork, especially original art, re-enforces the emotional connection with your home, acts as the ultimate conversation starter when hosting guests, and inspires daily joy for the homeowner.
Original art is not only for collectors or high-end homes. The beauty of art as home decor is that it is accessible for all, and highly shareable, according to artist David Franklin, well-known for art installations throughout the country, and Kohler’s first Makerspace artist-in-residence.
Franklin believes finding art to transform your new home begins with determining what moves you, and sourcing art to match that feeling. He encourages homeowners to be vigilant and open their minds to possibility, because inspiration emerges in unexpected places.
NewHomeSource spoke with Franklin about how to find your style, how best to display your pieces, and how art adds soul to a brand-new home.
Q: Why does original artwork personalize a new home so effectively? Where does the emotional connection come from?
A: Buying a new home is likely something you only do a few times at most in your lifetime, so it has significance and weight, to begin with.
Think about your home as a canvas with different features, rooms, and scenes. You get to set those scenes, and highlight something wonderful that says something about you, your values, and the aesthetics of your home.
When artwork is done right, and you see beautiful things that are important to you every day, it will continue to make you feel good. It becomes personal through an unstated connection and deeper meaning.
When you bring artwork into your home, that's magic.
Q: How can homeowners find their art style and source meaningful pieces?
A: For inspiration, look at things that are close by first, whether it be some family heirloom, a color you like, or something about your local area. Even if what you identify isn’t the art itself, it can be the thing that leads you to what you love.
If you love where you live, look at local art and regional influences. If you live near the beach, or on a ranch in Montana, find a landscape or painting that gives you the same feeling.
If you love to travel, you want to capture some of that in your home. In that case, it's not so much about where you live, but where you have been, and want to have that experience.
To find your style, look at magazines and go to arts and crafts shows. Be sensitive to things that you like.
When you see something beautiful, whatever it is – in a gallery, a museum, looking at built environments walking around downtown, or in a crowd – take note of it. That's how you find the touchstones along the path to your own personal and artistic values. Give yourself permission to pick what you like, because that says something about you, and that's OK.
Explore different kinds of craftsmen, because art isn’t necessarily something you hang on the wall, but it’s something beautiful and crafted that's part of your physical experience of your house, as well as an aesthetic experience.
Q: What factors affect art display?
A: Be conscious of where the piece is going to live in your home. Think long term because, if you put something on the wall, it may be in that spot for a very long time. Think about how the environment is going to affect that piece of artwork. How are you going to maintain it and make sure that it's at its peak beauty for its lifetime?
When you display the art, think about how the light hits it, and the beauty of it in your room.
Light (conditions) are always the most important, because any piece of artwork can get lost in a dark corner. If you have a dark room, think about bringing light with a lamp or decorative item, or something reflective, like a mirror. On the other hand, if the room has wonderful light, think about displaying different mediums that work well with light, like glass.
Also consider the practicality of placement – if a painting is in an area that gets a lot of sunlight, make sure it is protected with UV light protection.
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