Interior Design and Redesign

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Choosing Art for a Bedroom

QUESTION

I love the look of oil paintings with traditional scenes. How do you choose subject matter for particular rooms, for instance, a bedroom?
>I have dark walnut antique bedroom furniture with a predominately red/gold bedding for fall and black and white toile for spring and summer. What do you think of green for the walls, and what color would the masterbath be?

ANSWER

1) If you have one look for the fall and a different look for spring, consider changing out your art to suit each of the two looks.

2) Subject matter isn't as important as color and size. You want the overall color palette of the art to "blend" with the colors in the room. They may be darker (for more drama) or lighter (for a softer look), but the colors of the room should be repeated in the art. You also want the size to be appropriate (scale/proportion) to the place where the art will hang.

3) So then it just is personal taste when it comes to subject matter and style. If your fabrics say "vintage, very traditional" then pick art that is more realistic and traditional. If your fabric is a little more contemporary, perhaps look at some impressionism.

4) If you're married, the subject matter might need to be less feminine. Landscapes are always in vogue. Some men don't like flowers (like my husband), so I try to make the room a little less feminine, just to make him happy too.

5) Heavy oils tend to feel best with traditional styles and heavier fabrics.

6) Be careful with the wall color. You already have walnut (brown) wood, red, gold, black, white. You don't want more than 4 colors, typically, in a room. Change up the intensity and saturation, but don't get too many colors going on. For best unity, keep the color of the walls in bedroom and take into bath area if they connect openly. For variety, just change the shade or go with a tint of the same color. This helps unify the areas, yet gives a subtle change of pace too.