DECORATING A ROOM AROUND THE ART

Most of us don’t have the luxury of redecorating our homes with an unlimited budget and a blank slate. Decorating a room around art? Is that practical? When Joe and I got married and moved into our first home, we had a mishmash of furniture. We consolidated items from his apartment and mine, as well as pieces given to us by our parents – some beautiful, some not so much. However, we were thrilled to have them and even happier not to spend too much of our hard-earned money on furniture. I felt lucky to have these pieces from our parents and grandparents.

And thankful for a mother-in-law with a great eye and a generous heart.

So, how do you start with art when you can’t start from scratch?

Choose a favorite piece of art and start there when decorating a room around art. It’s easier to begin with art you love, a patterned fabric, or an oriental rug because you probably gravitate to the color scheme. Then pull out a couple of your favorite colors from those pieces to build the room around.

Only keep what you love or are emotionally attached. Because you don’t have to keep everything. My mother-in-law taught me years ago not to just buy ‘stuff’ to fill up your house. It’s better to take your time and fill your home over time with things you love. Because classic case pieces never go out of style, and furniture can always be slipcovered or reupholstered. But if you have furniture or accessories you no longer like or need, pass them along to someone who might need them. Habitat for Humanity almost always needs home decor items.

I like using solid colors for oversized furniture and adding patterns with accessories and pillows. It makes decorating a room around art easier to do, for sure. That way, your favorite art, rug, or fabric can be used to redecorate the room inexpensively. You can make changes seasonally, when they wear out, or when you get tired of them. In fact, most of my upholstered pieces are beiges, creams, or slipcovered in white washable fabric. I buy throw pillow covers in different colors and patterns from Pillow Fever, a favorite Etsy shop. When my creativity overflows from my canvas, I start moving art and furniture around and change out the pillow covers to get a fresh look without replacing furniture.

Note: I learned the hard way that solid upholstered pieces work best for me because the first sofa we purchased had a busy floral pattern. Unfortuntaely, it was high enough quality to last way longer than it was in style. That couch was in every family photo for years…. new babies, birthdays, holidays…. I eventually reupholstered it in a neutral fabric.

My trick for matching colors when decorating a room?

If you are decorating a room around art or a rug, it isn’t always practical to take a large piece to a fabric or paint store. And the color isn’t always accurate in photographs. I use a deck of paint swatches I bought at Sherwin Williams to match swatches to an oriental rug or piece of art and then keep those swatches in my purse. If I see something I think might work, I compare it to the swatch.

Decorating a room around the art is easy because the art doesn’t have to ‘match’ perfectly. And whether your furniture is inherited from your great-grandparents or brand new, it doesn’t have to match either; it just needs to coordinate. It’s more interesting that way. Personally, I don’t particularly like ‘matchy-matchy‘. Use what you have and add your favorite art and accessories. A home filled with collected items feels personal and special.

And, the art should always be something you love.

Want to read more about decorating with art? ‘Five Tips for Selecting Art for Your Home’

Convinced you want to decorate with art? Take a look at my latest art collection.