Where Art Thou?

When I was young, entering my older brother's room (when not forbidden) was like embarking on a journey into another decor macrocasm. I could admire a completely different design landscape worlds away from the neat, symmetrically hung framed photos and shelved Barbie-dolled collection on my purple walls. A blacklight Led Zeppelin poster and glow in the dark zodiac stars jumped straight up in my face when I walked in. His oh-so-impressive vinyl collection hung chaotically in wood milk crates against the wall. That was my first memory of his world-- what he chose to put on his walls. His creative eccentricity and anarchic rejection of contemporary artwork left an impression on me-- and my design aesthetic-- for years to come. 

Because my brother stuck his middle finger up to the conventional (and conservative) wall art wisdom of the time, I became a strong believer that art-- whatever the taste-- commands the room. It is the thing anyone coming over will remember most. I mean, even Neanderthals knew the importance and longevity of its memory-- each scribble on their cave walls made a statement that persisted through time. 

So why the bloody heck do so many of us regard art as an afterthought when we design a room?

I argue that art is indubitably the most important part of the room plan-- that wall art should be the first and main piece of your design and the rest of the room decor should, if not bow down to, at least accentuate it. 

What the cavemen (and my brother) didn't know, and we do, however, is that the number one most important facet of any room decor is, COLOR. It is also one that we ruminate forever over. 

The weeks-long enigma of choosing the perfect shade is a kindergarten-grade equation when you have first and foremost planned the art that will hang in the space. Use the colors in the art to choose the palette of the room. Picking a few shades out of the art will allow you to toss out a few hundred of the cardboard color swatches you lugged home from the DIY store-- and let the art decide if you should go for that red sofa or the grey tufted settee; or if the teal rug will work in the space.    

And like most things, when it comes to wall art, SIZE matters. Big walls crave big art. Don't be scared to bring in a piece that will take up a majority of wallspace. 

Art that is too small for the wall will get dwarfed. Art should be bold, make a statement, be a conversation in the room-- not cowering indecisively like it's not sure it belongs there. 

A statement like that will also provide the essential FOCAL POINT of the space, drawing all eyes upon the prominent wall.  

You can easily mix it up as well to add interest and TEXTURE to your room. Wall art is not banished to just flat art prints and paintings, it can be a schizophrenic mix of materials -- woods, plastics, metals or even bones can bring life to plain flat white walls.

Sculptures, taxidermy and organic materials are three dimensional and add depth and spirit. They allow the light and your eye to bounce off their layers, expanding the zone by adding eccentrically interesting surface areas as well as providing leaping off points for conversation.

When it comes to Color, Texture, Focus and Interest, wall art dominates the character building of your space, defining the room as designed rather than just functional. Reconsider using art as a postscript to decor and reimagine it as the important and most memorable feature of your space-- a kick-off inspirational piece that will conceive an incredibly intriguing and unforgettable room design.