When it comes to your art collection, deciding on the kind of aesthetic you’re going to implement can oftentimes be the hardest part. Investing in artwork often isn’t cheap, so making sure you choose pieces that you are going to love for years to come is a must. One of the main things you will need to decide when you start to curate your collection is whether you will go for a colour-coordinated look or a more eclectic theme.
If you’re planning to build or refresh your gallery walls, knowing the kind of pieces you prefer will help you create a space that looks and feels cohesive and uniquely yours.
Why does choosing a theme matter?
A well-curated collection of artwork isn’t just about the individual prints and pieces, it’s about how they all look together. Choosing a theme before you start to build your collection helps you avoid investing in disjointed pieces that don’t work together.
The most important thing to remember is that your art collection doesn’t have to be completely matchy-matchy, it can be an eclectic selection of prints that resonate with you, allowing your personality to really shine through.
Why choose colour-coordination?
If you choose a colour-coordinated approach for your artwork, it doesn’t mean exclusively buying monochrome prints. Still, it does mean choosing around 3 colours that will be featured through your prints continually.
It works because the repetition of colours ties all the artworks together instantly, and it feels calm, cohesive and polished. Opting for a colour-coordinated theme makes it easy for you to match your art with furniture, and it also makes it easy to move your artwork from space to space, as long as your colour preferences don’t change.
Colour-coordination is perfect for people who prefer a cleaner, minimalist, or modern look, or for those who want to create a cohesive collection without much effort.
So what about an eclectic feel?
An eclectic art collection is all about intentional contrast. An eclectic art collection is all about mixing styles, colours, sizes and mediums for a completely unique feel that really lets your personality shine through.
If you want to opt for a more eclectic mix of prints, think about mixing photographs alongside paintings and textiles. This allows you to have more freedom, as every individual piece can tell a completely different story. If you want to give your home a more relaxed, lived-in and creative feel, an eclectic collection of art might be the perfect solution.
Having an eclectic theme doesn’t just mean putting anything anywhere, though, you still want to make sure you have a mix of sizes, textiles and colours to make sure your wall looks intentional rather than messy or mismatched.
It’s all about balance
When it comes to choosing a theme, it’s not all about extremes, in fact, you can often combine the two for something totally unique. For example, if you want to keep your walls colour-coordinated but still have a more eclectic feel, you could use similarly coloured prints and paintings but have a mixed-match frame selection for each.
And if you’re completely sold on an eclectic feel but you’re worried about it being cluttered, try mixing mediums and materials but keeping a similar colour palette throughout each piece.
So which is best for you?
When it comes to choosing between a colour-coordinated look or a more eclectic feel, it really does depend on your own personal taste and style. If you want something more calm, perhaps colour coordinated is for you. However, if you want to add energy and personality to your space, an eclectic theme might end up being just what you’re looking for.
Whichever theme you choose to take, the key is to curate each and every piece intentionally. By being careful and considerate with the pieces you choose, you can make sure you create a feature wall you are going to love for years to come.
