Print Buying Guide
on Sep 29, 2024
The finishing touches to any interior design work or renovation project is the home decor; dressing your home with artwork, photos, ornaments and plants.
But choosing what art to buy and what size can be overwhelming, which is why I’ve created this free guide for you.
Subjects
You may have come onto this blog page because you are pondering over a particular print on my website. Therefore, your gut is already telling you what subjects you feel connected to. However, if you are still a bit stuck on which one to choose, you could ask yourself these questions:
What reminds you of home?
What colours make you feel relaxed and at peace?
What subject have you always loved and would never get bored of?
Art is about an emotional connection; you want your wall art to reflect how you would feel in your own home. If you want a calm a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere, choose a subject that will evoke this emotion in you.
You also need to enjoy the art. There is no point in buying a print that you will get bored of very quickly!
Styles
Now you know what subjects you would connect with, think about the style of artwork.
Minimalist
My minimalist drawings have a white background, allowing the focus to be solely on the subject. Minimalist prints can provide a clean, modern feel. White backgrounds work well in any space as the white background provides a neutral boundary between the art and your walls.
Bright and bold
Bright and bold art can create a statement piece, a focal point in your home decor. You can tie in elements of your interior design to the prints you choose that have colour backgrounds. Sometimes a piece of artwork is what you need to bring a room cohesively together. Bright and bold can still be calming - warm earthy hues such as an orange background can have two impacts depending on your mood. If you're in the need for a bit of calm, orange can feel like a sunset, winding down for the day but if you need a pick me up, the orange can remind you of Summer.
Contemporary
Contemporary art can take on many forms. In my range of art, the most contemporary pieces are my Nosy Ponies which could be classed as quirky or humorous. These pieces are a contemporary take on traditional realism art.
Sizes
You know what subjects you like and what style would suit your decor tastes, now it’s time to choose a size. Before you buy a print, have a think about where you’d like it to go as this will determine what size you choose.
There is no rule about where you can put art in your home, but here are some ideas to try that you might not have thought about before:
- a child’s bedroom
- in a bathroom
- a ‘nook’ in the home, such as a reading corner
- in the hallway
- utility room
- in an office space
A4 Print
The smallest and most affordable option is an A4 print (210 x 297mm).
This print should be placed either:
- as part of a gallery wall
- in a small cluster of home decor
- in a small room such as a downstairs toilet
DO
Pair an A4 print with other home decor (either on a wall or on a shelf).
Use them to create a gallery wall.
DON’T
Hang it as a standalone print with too much negative space around the frame.
TOP TIP:
Buy an A3 frame that sits an A4 print inside. The mount and frame will make the art look bigger.
A3 Print
A3 prints (297 x 420mm) are a great way of going bigger when you have less space.
A3 prints are a better option as standalone artwork, but you still need to style accordingly watching the amount of negative (empty) space that sits around the print.
DO
Create an alternating symmetrical gallery wall with A3 and A4 prints together.
Place them on smaller walls as a standalone print (such as in a bathroom).
DON’T
Hang it as a standalone print on a large wall without other elements.
TOP TIP:
An A3 print can also look great on a shelf. Mix it with plants, lamps or ornaments.
A2 Print
An A2 print (420 x 594mm) can create a real impact in your home and bring the interior design of a whole room together.
This size should primarily be used as a standalone or statement piece of art. Suggestive places to hang would be above a sofa, a fireplace, a bed, dining table or at the end of a corridor.
DO
Hang above a bed, fireplace, dining table or sofa.
Use this as a statement standalone piece.
DON’T
Underestimate the size of an A2 print. Once you add a frame it can get really big (depending on the thickness of the frame).
TOP TIP:
Take an A2 print to a framers or order a custom frame from EasyFrame.
Final Word
Thank you for reading this guide, I hope you found it useful. Buying artwork is really fun and most of the time, the art will stay with you for life and be passed down to the next generation in years to come. That’s why choosing art should be done selectively.
Share