Lately, I have had a sudden spike of client renovation projects! I feel so blessed to be able to cross over more in depth to construction design via these new projects. I will definitely be documenting them and showing you in details the before and after.

Along with construction, I inevitably think about the beautifully completed space.

My brain stops for a second and panics! What are we going to do with the bare walls?

Of course art comes into play. But for so many homeowners, including myself at one time, curating art was just way too overwhelming.

So today I thought it would be fun to chat creative ways to curate art by color and theme.

Curating Art by Color and Theme: The Living Room

Three main spaces that we always need art are the living room, bedroom and bathroom.

Yes the dining room and kitchen could benefit too. But once you get the hang of it, you will be able to easily learn to curate art by color and theme anywhere!

First up, the living room. It is in the living room where we really want our penchant for a certain art direction to shine. If you are into abstract art or oil paintings,  most likely that art genre will be hanging somewhere on your walls.

As you can easily see here, I love abstract. And oversized as well! There is something about an oversized statement art piece that not only grabs your attention, but it’s one and done styling!

Who doesn’t love a one step design style tip? I know you love it!

When searching for art, often times my clients ask me should I look for art first or have everything else styled and then find art last.

It truly depends. If your inspiration piece is coming from an amazing piece of art, then it is easy to design the color and theme around it. For example,  if your favorite picture of Morocco has pink hues, then you clearly can style the rest of the room in pink hues, colorful patterns and textures.

Image Credit: Marise Vitale Photography

The Minted art I have here really inspired me to style the shelves with terra cotta pots, rustic woods and jute.

And of course desert vegetation such as cactus and succulents.

Are you starting to see how I work with art?

Another example is the reverse. You have the room all set up and now what? How in the world will you curate art to match the existing decor?

You start searching but quickly become exhausted. And you promptly put the phone down and grab yourself a drink instead. Sound familiar?

I have a easy for you to curate art when this happens!

Take a look across your room. What are the primary colors visually at play? Narrow down 2-3. Then find art with those predominant colors.

Ok, even just one color is fine. Baby steps, I get it.

 

When I show you my Minted art collection, it is a true reflection from my inner artist. I have used Minted since 2007 when Rachel turned one. At the time they focused on stationary and I loved their collection with independent artists.

I dislike cheesy art even when it came to children’s birthday invitations! Yeah, I am a bit of a snob that way.

Come my third kid, Natalie, she’s lucky she even get a birthday party at all! Poor third kid.

Then Minted started offering more and more art and beautiful framing.

Recently I refreshed my family room. My inspo piece for this room clearly is the beyond gorgeous Loloi rug x Rifle Paper Co. collaboration. I am still in disbelief I was lucky enough to get to have one in my home and share with you all!

Secondly, I added a new coffee table that I have been obsessing over for quite sometime.

Another grateful moment, my girl Denise from Eclectic Goods named this table after lil’ ol me, Anita!

So honored.

So, the primary colors here are blue, white and pops of black. I knew that the easiest way to filter was to first check off the colors on the website’s search tabs. And of course apply the genre. For me, I knew I wanted  large abstract strokes in the said colors.

As I scrolled down art after art, I quickly assessed the colors and vibe.

Lo and behold, this wonderful piece popped up. If it was a smaller piece, I would have passed because it is pretty minimalistic.

Yet blowing up the art by sheer size, it commands your presence at first glance.

I hesitated adding anything else to the mantle. Enough is said through the art, agree?

Curating Art by Color and Theme: The Bedroom

Another space that clearly is a favorite for art is the bedroom.

I view our bedrooms as our ultimate sanctuary. It is here where we lay our souls bare at night with vulnerability.

When speaking about wellness in our home, I immediately first think of our beds and restorative sleep.

Yet, how many of us have a messy bedroom? Myself included!

When we finally made over our master bedroom, Travis and I agreed 100% we needed to reclaim our space. Too many years of kids toys, clutter, dirty and clean laundry strewn all over.

So we kept our furniture low profile and the walls were painted white. The art above the bed was curated through my obsession for a scandinavian neutral toned theme.

I also love photography. (Duh, Anita I knew that!)

My neutral Kilim pillow quickly became my muse and I took its cue. Grey and creams.

Once that was set, I again went to the Minted website and filtered my search.

I found a grey and cream toned landscape photography. Voila, this piece made me so serene and happy.

 

Curating Art by Color and Theme: The Bathroom

You may be wondering why I chose the bathroom over a common space like the Dining Room or Kitchen.

Well to be honest, it is a hard place to style.

I mean, cmon, it is where we do our “business”. But that doesn’t mean we can’t let guests experience our definition of hospitality and artfulness.

So yes, the bathroom is a great topic!

I haven’t revealed my epic master bathroom renovation yet. But when I do, you will see a very special piece of art in there.

For now, here are a couple lovely ideas I found on Pinterest.

Image Credit: Decor Pad

My girl Erica Chan of Honestly WTF had THE best idea for art in the bathroom! Due to moisture, using framed expensive art can be somewhat risky. So what did she do? Use washi tape as frames! I loved this DIY so much. Her ideas always makes me happy!

Another point to remember when installing art in the bathroom is the frame materials. Gold leaf and fragile materials can erode with humidity. Simple wooden frames are best.

As for curating the look and color tone of the bathroom? You can have fun in here! I think the bathroom should be a place to feel refreshed and anew.

If your goal is a hotel spa, keep it clean and the artful lines should be clear.

On the other hand if you want whimsy, have fun with bold colors and art topics. This is where you can step out of your comfort zone, paint the walls a color you usually would not. Add really out there art you usually would not consider as well.

It works in bathrooms psychologically because it stimulates our brain signals with bright vibes. So after a shower, seeing a fun visual offers a sense revigoration.

Or when we are weary and stepping into the shower, we are prompted to be distracted in a good way. There is actually a formal term for this in the interior design world, it is positive distraction. Truly it is!

So what do you think? Ready for another stab at curating art in your home? I say you try it!

Hope this helps and can’t wait to talk more art as Spring approaches!

Happy day!