Why Artwork Should Be Personal and How to Select the Perfect Piece

• by Edith Barrera González

Hi, everyone!  Sorry I’ve been MIA for a few weeks, but the holidays are always crazy busy for me.  My team and I are always working on several projects, getting everyone’s home ready for all the holiday parties.  But I’m finally back, and I’m ready to begin the new year sharing more awesome design tips with you. So let’s get started, shall we?

You know I’m all about personalizing interiors.  And artwork is as personal as it gets (or at least it should be, anyway). But this is exactly why finding the perfect piece of artwork can be so difficult.  You see, it’s so easy to just focus on finding the right colors, size or style that “goes with the look.”  Maybe you think you’ll “just know when you see it,” because it’ll be absolutely beautiful. Now, I’m not suggesting that you ignore these things when selecting artwork, but they should play a secondary role.  When I say artwork should be personal, I mean it should be about YOU, first and foremost.  “Okay, I get it, but how do I even get started?”  You ask.  Not so fast.  We’ll get to that shortly, I promise.  First, let’s talk about why it’s so important that you select artwork that has personal meaning to you.

When I’m just getting to know a new client, one of the first things I always ask is: “What style, time period, country or memory are you personally fond of or feel an emotional connection with, and why?”  They’re almost always surprised by the question, but it usually gets us talking about what’s important to them (which then, of course, becomes important to me).  Remember, as an interior designer, I’m working with the most intimate space in your life — your home.  Shouldn’t everything we put in it mean something to you on a personal level?  Of course!  That’s the only way you’ll feel emotionally connected to your space.  You don’t want to just fill it with a bunch of meaningless things that may be beautiful, but say absolutely nothing about you.

The artwork you select is no exception.  It should mean something to you and say something about you.  It should tell your story.  When your closest friends or relatives come over, they should be able to look at that special piece of artwork on your wall and know exactly why you chose it.  What a fabulous conversation piece!  And when new guests come over, what a great way to tell them something about you.  We all have a personal story we want to share with others, and a carefully selected piece of artwork is a classy way to go about it.  Don’t you agree?

Now, let’s talk about how to select artwork that’s personal.  I’ll share some ideas with you that should get you started in the right direction.

Artwork that brings back memories of times passed or places visited

Have you ever looked at a piece of artwork and felt that you were suddenly transported to another time and place in your life?  (I know the feeling all too well)  Maybe it reminded you of a trip you took years ago.  You looked at it for a minute or two, and before you realized it, you felt instantly connected with that piece of artwork on a deeply emotional level.  If you didn’t take it home with you, you probably still regret it.  I know.  It happened to me at an art exhibit a few years ago.  I saw a piece I connected with immediately, but I decided to keep looking and go back for it later if nothing else caught my eye.  When I did go back, though, it was gone.  My heart still aches a little each time I remember.

Artwork from an artist you connect with on an emotional level

Maybe there’s a particular artist you identify with.  Perhaps you once read about their life or what inspired their work, and their story had an impact on you.  From that moment on, each time you see a piece from that artist, you’re automatically drawn to it.  That’s personal.

Artwork that appeals to you from a different era, art movement or style

For others, it may be a period in history, an art movement or style that they feel a special connection with.  Some of my clients love the freely brushed strokes of colors that are so characteristic of French Impressionist art (Think Monet and Renoir), while others prefer a more abstract modern art style (Think Rothko).  For each client, I make sure the artwork we select and hang on their walls reflects this aspect of their personality and tells a part of their story.

Yes, colors, size and how the overall style of the artwork (even the molding) works with the rest of the interiors should be considered, but only after the personal aspect has been decided.

Which brings me to a project my team and I worked on recently.  About a month ago, I met with Joanne, a truly sweet and absolutely wonderful client who needed a new design for her formal dining room.  She and her husband were hosting a holiday party in three weeks, and that dining room was in desperate need of a total makeover.  Time was of the essence, so we rolled up our sleeves and got busy straight away.  After we settled on a design concept, we both agreed the new design would include bringing in a personalized custom piece of artwork.  Knowing that Joanne loves all things Tuscan and French (She has fond memories from her travels to these beautiful places… Who wouldn’t, right?) and that she prefers landscape scenes, I decided to combine all of these elements in the personalized artwork I would select for her approval.  In keeping with the home’s architectural features, which have a strong Tuscan style, I started my artwork search for a Tuscan landscape scene in a French Impressionist style.  What a perfect marriage of Tuscan and French!  The colors for the artwork would be inspired by a rug she had in the dining room and a fabric we selected for the chairs, which happen to be her favorite interior colors.  Needless to say, she LOVED the artwork, and she had an immediate personal connection with it.  YES!!  Check out the project images below.

Thanks, Joanne, for letting us work with you on this exciting project!!

This is a BEFORE photo of the dining room.  As you can see, it was light years away from being ready for the party she and her husband were hosting in 3 weeks.  Notice some of the home’s Tuscan architectural details, including arched doorways and natural stone flooring.

LEFT – A photo of the rug.  RIGHT – The fabric selected for the dining room chairs. These are her favorite interior colors, so we went with this color scheme for the room and brought it together again in the artwork.

This is the gorgeous custom artwork I selected for the dining room, which she LOVED.  It’s a Tuscan landscape scene in a French Impressionist art style.  It truly brings all the colors together quite beautifully.  It couldn’t be more personalized!

Here’s another BEFORE/AFTER from a different angle.  We still have work to do in this room.  But look how far we got in just 3 weeks – just in time for the party!  Quite the transformation, right?  I just LOVE the power of a personalized design!  Don’t you?