Various sizes of walls lend themselves to different types of artwork. If you have a long horizontal wall, your wall may need a more rectangular piece of art. If you have a tall and narrow wall, a vertical piece may be more of what you need. Depending on what type of wall art you have, or a place where you need wall art, here are a couple of options and creative ways to style your walls with art.
Gallery Wall
We have all seen how beautiful a gallery wall looks showcasing either family portraits, travel photos or various graphics that bring the owner joy, but what is the best way to style a gallery wall? The short answer is, there is no 'correct' way. But, there are some tips to use if you are preparing your room for a certain look. If you are going for a more modern look for your gallery wall, mis-matching your prints and size of prints creates a great touch. To create an eclectic gallery wall vibe, use different colors of art, different sized frames and different textures of frames. Try intermingling a gold gilded leaf frame with a modern white frame for an eccentric touch that will make your wall interesting and will reflect your personality. I think modern walls are best styled with cohesive frame sizes and aligned with regulating lines. What I mean by regulating lines is that they are either all aligned vertically, horizontally, or both and all the pictures or graphics have a similar color scheme. Similar to the gallery wall by @happilyeverafterinrosharon above. You can space your pictures or graphics as wide or as narrow as you would like to fill your wall space proportionally.
Photo Credit: @happilyeverafterinrosharon
Canvas'
The great thing about canvas' are that they are versatile. They can be sophisticated or can emphasize a more of a relaxed feel for a space. With canvas' I always think they look best with a maximum of three next to each other, depending on the width of your wall. What is also great about canvas' is that they can add visual height to a room. By incorporating taller canvas' on your wall, they can bring your eye up to create more vertical interest. Adding three canvas' with coordinating colors or scheme together help to fill your wall horizontally and make the color scheme of your room feel more cohesive. To make your room feel put-together, it is paramount to incorporate horizontal and vertical elements of the same colorway. So, add the same touch of color that is in your canvas' to an accent pillow or accent piece on your coffee table.
If your wall cannot accommodate 3 canvas', try placing a single canvas on the wall, especially if your wall is more vertical than horizontal. If your wall has some horizontal space to play with, and you only have a single canvas, try placing the canvas on either side of the wall and introducing either tall stems or greenery or a mirror on the other.
Photo Credit: @artisalos
Posters
You hear 'poster' and your mind immediately goes to movie posters right? (Don't tell me it didn't). Well, I'm here to tell you that is not all posters are. They are versatile in the fact that they can be arranged like a gallery wall or can be the size of a typical canvas. Posters can be combined with smaller graphics to create a stylized gallery wall of varying sized art and can be framed or left bare. They can also be arranged like canvas' with up to three evenly spaced next to each other to tie your room colors together.
Photo Credit: @dearsam_official
Hanging vs. Leaning
How to mount your wall art? Would it be best to hang it or lean it against the wall? I believe how your showcase your wall art depends on the furniture below the art. If you have a sofa against a wall, without a console table behind it, or if you have a bed against a wall, I would recommend hanging your wall art. Since beds and sofa backs are typically not sturdy, and both sofas and beds tend to move, it's safer to hang your wall art. But, if you have a sideboard or a console table behind your sofa, you can definitely lean your art against the wall. I think this looks best when you don't have extremely tall ceilings. If you do have really tall ceilings (10' and above), leaning your wall art on the fireplace mantle is such a beautiful feature to add to a room. If you decide to go with hanging your wall art, you are able to go as tall as you want and add height to your room.
Photo Credit: @coricraft_sa
Three Dimensional Wall Art
For wall art that is three-dimensional and stands off the wall, I believe this art looks best when it stands on it's own on a narrow wall or niche. With it already being three-dimensional, it already is a statement piece, so highlight it
by placing it by itself. This will draw the eye immediately to your artwork and even create a conversation starter. You could also try adding a library light or spotlight above your art to really showcase it.
Photo Credit: Ryann Ford & Cravotta Interiors
Your wall art should be a reflection of things you like and enjoy. So whether you hang your wall art or lean them against your wall, doesn't matter, it's how the art makes you feel. As long as every time you pass by it, you smile, that's what matters.
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