Decorating mistakes can feel like a big faux pas when it comes to your home or office. It does not have to be that way. Decorators see these common mistakes in home decorating all too often. Each of these common mistakes centers around the scale in a space. Master the scale and your decorating prowess will skyrocket to professional in no time.
1. CHOOSING ARTWORK TOO SMALL FOR THE SPACE
You know I really enjoy looking at art in my home. It's such a great way to make the space feel like it matches who you are and what your personal style is all about. A top mistake that I see homeowners making when they're choosing their art for their homes, though, is that sometimes people choose pictures too small for the rooms where they want them displayed! You don't want anything overwhelming or taking up more than its fair share of the room--the general rule here is 60-70% coverage with wall-size on available walls without other items blocking out spaces. That means if you were going to put one piece of artwork up on an entire wall, this would mean something large enough so as not to cover greater than 3/4th of the available space. If you're choosing to cover your walls with a single piece of art, make sure it's the right size. Consider the shape and placement of the furniture in order to choose canvas art or framed arts that fit well on blank walls or over sofas. Also, consider portrait-orientation pieces for hallways as opposed to landscape orientation pieces which work best in living rooms where there is more room for them because they take up less space vertically than horizontally.
2. LARGE THAT'S NOT ACTUALLY LARGE ENOUGH FOR THE SPACE
Large pieces of artwork make a statement without the commitment to painting an entire wall as an accent. Large art is more flexible than accents, because it can be easily changed out if you want something different or are tired of looking at what's there now. That said, how large should your piece be? As I discussed in my article What is the Right Sized Art For Your Room? Learn How to Choose in 5 Steps, two-thirds of available wall space should have art on it (not counting windows). If you're planning to purchase just one big artwork and use that as your focal point, this usually means picking larger sizes like 2x3 feet rather than 1x2 ft - even though they might seem expensive when comparing price per square foot.
When you are thinking about the space available for art on a wall, think about what viewing height is best. The center of the artwork should be viewed at an average person's eye level which would typically be around five-foot, eight inches (give or take an inch or two). Keep your work no higher than furniture and below ceilings so that it can fit in with any room style. These guidelines will help you choose large pieces to make your home look beautiful!
3. LARGE WALL DÉCOR SHOULD NOT OVERSHADOW YOUR SURROUNDINGS
When buying large wall décor, it is important to not let the artwork overshadow your surrounding environment. Consider what furniture will be around the piece before you buy and make sure that they are proportionate in size with each other. For example, over a sofa an art piece should only account for two-thirds of its length while hanging on a gallery wall, pieces need to stay proportional as well so limit them at no more than one-half of their width or height (depending on if they’re horizontal or vertical). This rule helps ensure that when picking out your favorite statement pieces from our collection you can guarantee how beautiful they would look within any room.
4. NOT CONSIDERING FRAMING LARGE WALL ART
Wall art can be a great way to add visual interest and flair to your home, but it's important not to overdo the space. Large pieces of wall art require special consideration when selecting framing for them. When considering how much room you have available on your walls in order to house this new addition, don't forget about adding an extra inch or two around all four sides (depending upon which type of frame/mat options you consider) so that there is enough play with spacing between items on either side of it once they're installed. This will keep everything from looking cramped and overwhelming as well as give some personality back into living spaces that might not otherwise get any attention.
A simple frame is the best option if a frame is required for the artwork. Even better may be an option to display the work without a frame. Photographs and prints on metal, wood, or acrylic will allow a frameless display of the piece and are ideal options
5. SCALE OF ART OVER FURNITURE
When considering the proper size to hang large paintings or photographs over a sofa, table, and fireplace mantel:
The art piece should be three-quarters of what you are hanging it on. For example, if you have an entire wall for the work then 3/4 would mean that your painting is 2 ft tall by 4ft wide. If someone has a mantle with nothing above them then this measurement may not apply because they don't need something as tall as 6 feet in order to display their artwork properly but instead only needs about 12 inches high so they can see everything from across the room; however, everyone's preference will vary depending on how much space there is available where one wishes to place their new picture. Simply use a tape measure from where you want your large artwork to begin and stop between 6”-12” above your furniture or mantel to determine the height that will work for your space.
Please share this post and help others solve their art collecting challenges.