After visiting a very good friend of mine who had just moved into a new apartment with very bare and boringly white walls, I have been reminded of the importance in having art and/or pictures hanging on our walls. Seriously...get rid of the bare and add a painting of a bear...or anything. Just add something to break up the space, so your apartment doesn't look like a school hallway, institution, or worse...a prison.
Because of landlord and property management's guidelines, sometimes wall decorating in an apartment can be challenging. Before making any decorating decisions, be sure to check your lease or check with you apartment management professional to find out the rules regarding: painting your walls and hanging things.
Once you determined the set rules and begin your ever so engaging search for art, keep several tips for picking and placing your art in mind to really get the most out of your decorating and impress your guests.
Picking Art - Ever been to someones house who has eight thousand different pieces of art of varying colors and styles crammed onto one wall? Blech! It's so busy it may make you nauseus. When picking art for your apartment, first try and select a style, motif, or genre that really draws your interest. If you like several motifs, pick one for each room. Never try and combine them. It only makes things seem cluttered.
Once you pick your motif, search through pieces of art keeping in mind there are virtually millions of options for paintings, wall art, and pictures. Don't just jump on the first cool painting you see because you may pigeon hole yourself. No matter what, when picking your art, be consistent.
Being Aware of Furniture - Preferably, I think it looks much better to use one large piece of art on a wall that has furniture like a couch, and 2-4 smaller pieces on a wall that has no furniture. Go beyond 4 and you run the risk of getting cluttered. "Clutter be bad" should be your mantra! Side note...hanging above a couch or a bed is much different than hanging above a TV or entertainment center. Above the couch you could use a thought provoking large piece of art that draws attention, but do you really want your attention drawn away from your favorite TV shows? Above the TV you may want to consider three smaller, less busy pieces of art...or a clock. With the addition of flat panel televisions, they themselves can become great wall art.
Proper Hanging - There are a few general rules to keep in mind when hanging your art. 1) For best results, hang your art where it's center is as close to 57" off the ground as possible. Studies have shown that the closer art is to 57" the more appealing it is to the eye. 2) When hanging above a couch, you want to fill 2/3 of the wall space above the couch, which on most walls is why a large painting or print works wonderfully above a couch. With this in mind, make sure that you leave about a 5"-9" gap between the piece of art and the top of the couch to make room for peoples arms and to lean back their big-hair heads. For some unknown reason...some people...have big ole Texas Hair...and with that hair....comes grease....that can ruin a painting.
Framing - Yes...the art itself is the most important part, but if you are putting a print, photo, poster, or painting in a frame...the frame is very important too. Make sure the frame fits the style of what it holds. For instance, don't hang a rough military picture in a frilly frame. Also...if you have several framed pictures in a room. Be consistent! Make sure all of the frames match!
Background Wall Color - The last of the important tips to keep in mind when hanging art is the wall color itself behind your wall art. If it is okay to paint the walls in your apartment, have fun with picking colors that accent your wall art. Art that matches, yet contrasts in dark vs. light with its background will stand out more to the eye of the beholder. If you hang a predominantly white picture on an all white wall...guess what? It will blend in too much. So be aware of your colors. If you are like me and are terrible with colors...rely on a friend with a good eye for it.
Keeping these tips in mind when you are getting your diggs' walls all decorated up, will ensure that your apartment ends up looking more like the Metropolitan Museum and less like the Metro. Good luck and happy apartment living...
HAVE FUN!!! LIVE FOR IT!!!
For more tips on getting the most out of apartment living, visit ApartmentHomeLiving.com
Medela Hospital Grade Breast Pump Right Now
0 comments:
Post a Comment