What does your daily life look like? For many working professionals in the U.S., commuting to work (or should we say battling traffic?) and being away from their families is common. After a long day of being with the world, your home should always allow you to be the person you want to be. Yes, a comfy couch covered in the warmth of mid-day sunlight or an aesthetically pleasing plant parent corner can elevate your living areas, but what about doing something new to the walls?

If you immediately cringed at the idea of smelling paint fumes in your house for weeks, we don’t blame you. However, we’re talking about all things wall art, from canvas paintings, tapestries, and even sculptures, and how adding these pieces can enhance your home’s appeal. Here are six steps from Paran Homes for choosing artwork for your new home.

“For me, art to a room is like punctuation to a sentence; it is that all-important ingredient, and without it, a space lacks the layers and attitude that a significant piece can bring.” – Interior Designer Tara Bernerd

Step 1: Crunch Your Budget Numbers

Before you start frolicking down the aisles of your local art surplus store, don’t forget to crunch your budget numbers. If you have significant funds, browse galleries or contact an artist whose work you admire to see what they have for sale. According to Investopedia, purchasing original artwork can be a wise investment.

Nevertheless, before buying expensive art, one must understand that rare art is valuable art. Do your research on the artist and the specific artwork, then check sites such as artfacts.net or eBay to get a representative sample for pricing. If you want a more cost-effective option, check out online shops like Society6, which features work from a wide selection of artists.

Step 2: Choose Your Favorite Artistic Style

It’s easy and convenient to say you’re “not picky” when it comes to art, but you deserve to have beautiful pieces adorning the walls of your home.

Look over the different sections by Google Arts & Culture and see which styles you are most interested in. Do you gravitate more towards Andy Warhol’s pop art style, or maybe you want to challenge your inner Picasso and hang some cubism pieces? Explore these popular styles and have fun being the art critic for a change!

Step 3: Take the Style of the Room into Account

If you aren’t trying to completely redo a room in your home, consider a simple revamp of the space. Before you purchase the new art, take some time to look at your walls (structure and spacing), furniture (clashing colors and style), and the existing theme or usage of the room.

Make sure the artwork you choose compliments the space or can serve as the room’s focal point. If you and your guests feel like the art detracts from everything else in the room, then the art isn’t serving its intended purpose and should be moved.

Step 4: Look Beyond Photographs and Portraits

Believe us. There is more to the art world than canvas paintings, prints, landscape photographs, and portraits. Your home can be decked out the way you want this year!

A fabric tapestry hung on a large wall might be perfect for your living room. How about including eye-catching macramé pieces for a unique corner in your bedroom? Other homeowners have branched out to include shelved figurines and sculptures, and some even paint detailed murals straight onto the walls! Whatever works for you and your family works for us.

Step 5: Triple-Check Your Measurements

Step five to choosing a piece of wall art is determining what kind of available space you have. To avoid hammering too many holes in the wall, now is the time to grab the tape measure!

We suggest purchasing a level and a beam detector to ensure you get precise measurements and don’t run into issues with what’s behind the walls. If this task seems daunting when in doubt, hire a handyperson or enlist the help of a detailed friend or family member to avoid mistakes!

“Be faithful to your own taste because nothing you really like is ever out of style.” – Billy Baldwin

Step 6: Consider the Durability of your Artwork

As much as we’d like it to, art doesn’t last forever. Photographs can fade in the sun, sculptures can become tarnished or chipped, and anything in the kitchen could end up with food stains.

When picking out art for your home, consider how long you want each piece to last, how durable it is, and if it can last for a few years where you’d like to display it. Knowing the best place to display artwork is a significant part of keeping the art’s value.

Oscar Wilde said it best, “Art imitates life.” What better way to celebrate that powerful statement than by living in a new home filled with art you love?

Call Paran Homes today to learn about our available homes with enough space to channel your inner artist! Our limited-time promotion is still active for spring; claim your Fresh Start now!