Wall art, photos and frames are generally considered finishing touches. It is so much easier to design around wall art and accessories than it is to find accessories to match the colour and shade of your walls.
How many times have you decided on a colour scheme, painted a room, then spent longer shopping for accessories to give the space the finishing touches?
Chances are a lot, so it’s beneficial to start with the end in mind.
If you have a specific piece of wall art you want on display as a focal point, prepare it first.
- What’s the most suitable colour for the mount board?
- What frame material would best compliment the art?
- What colour of frame would make it stand out?
- Does the art need enlarged to cover a larger wall area, or would an oversized frame be better suited?
Once you have thought through displaying a focal point on your wall, then start with that small project by reframing your artwork, then design your room around it.
It’s a good way to avoid a catastrophe like painting the walls a bright shade then hanging an even brighter frame on it, causing colours to compete for attention.
Colours always work best when they complement instead of competing.
Let your wall colours further complement your art.
Colours can work in harmony with each other, but that can only happen when you prepare first.
Whatever piece of art you plan to hang, identify the main colour in the print. Or the one you want to emphasise as you can do that with the background.
As an example, imagine the focal point is a professional family portrait with the background a solid dark grey. If you were to use a dark frame and hang it on a wall painted dark grey, it would clash. Instead, the photo could be framed with a lighter grey mount board and framed in a light coloured frame. The wall in the background could then be dark or light grey to compliment the photo.
By thinking through all the areas where the colour will affect your wall display, you’ll be in a better position to balance each part to make a good display; the print, the mount, the frame, and the wall colour.
All that’s left is to design around the rest of the room using the same colour scheme you started with. Begin with the end in mind by framing the most important photo or wall art you want to be the focal point, get that to your liking, then expand the theme around the rest of the room.
When redecorating, you needn’t be burdened with design choices. Start with the end in mind. What would you really love to be the standout feature in the room? A family photo, pet portrait or an inspirational wall art piece?
Start small by getting the aesthetics of the print ready to shine, then expand the theme throughout the rest of the room, and you’ll find the focal point attracts the eye for all the right reasons.