When you think about planning the interior design of a room, you likely start with how that room will be used and what furniture you\u2019ll put in it. Color and style choices are about those seemingly foundational bits. Things like upholstery art and other decor are usually the afterthought. And, as a result, they\u2019re usually limited by the question of what \u201cgoes\u201d with the rest of the room\u2019s existing design vibe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s flip the script.<\/em> What if, instead, you start with the art? What if you built your living room\u2019s design style around your art?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Making a piece \u2014 or pieces \u2014 of art not just the focal point of your room but also the foundation of your interior design scheme allows you to turn your living room itself into a work of art. So then you get to live in a work of art.<\/em> (Talk about artwork feeling alive, wow.) That\u2019s what we\u2019re exploring today. How to let your art guide the upholstery<\/a> you choose and help you turn your living room into a work of art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Art evokes. It makes us feel something. We go to museums to consider works of art, contemplate them, and experience them. And pieces that move you also say something about you, about your personality and perspective. Great interior design does that, too. But, too often, it\u2019s an afterthought. Not today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s begin with a clean canvas, so to speak. Consider your living room as though it\u2019s completely empty. And rather than begin to fill it furniture-first, imagine how you want to feel when you enter the room and when you\u2019re lounging, entertaining, or however else you\u2019ll use your living room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you have artwork that evokes those feelings, that feels like you<\/em>? Excellent. Look around the room and consider where it might really take center stage. This is less about rules and more about preferences. Yes, you\u2019ll want to factor in things like natural lighting or possibly adding a spotlight of some sort. But really this is about marrying the functional flow of the room with your artwork so it can find a home in the most prominent area of the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where you\u2019ll display and how you\u2019ll display your art then serve one another. And there\u2019s virtually no limit to your display options once you\u2019ve chosen your art and where you\u2019d like to experience it. To get you on your way to creating your personal gallery, check out the truly comprehensive array of ideas<\/a> Livingetc<\/em> offers. Or these extraordinary art-centric homes<\/a> from Galerie<\/em> magazine. Their ideas range from creating a literal gallery wall to showcasing a single oversized piece \u2014 and all points between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, it\u2019s on to building your room around your new showcase. As usual, there\u2019s more than one way to do it. But let\u2019s start with the relatively obvious one: stay neutral.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, we said neutral, not bland. The idea is to use your furniture and other decor to build on and elevate the elements of your artwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep your furniture light and airy, and let your colorful or oversized art piece stay large and in charge of the design vibe. Like sofas in subtly diamond-patterned birch gray<\/a> fabric. Paired with armchairs in frosty white<\/a> performance velvet. Also works for artwork hung above your bed, standing out over your upholstered headboard, looking dreamy in quartz chenille<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But designing around your artwork with an eye toward neutral foundations isn\u2019t only about whites, grays, and brown tones. In our recent post about wallpaper<\/a>, we talked about the power of the perfect match \u2014 letting art pull visual and energetic focus by carrying one pattern or color through your furniture and<\/em><\/strong> walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do that here as well. Take something like a clean, simple black-and-white abstract art piece and let it take flight with a sky-blue theme for the room. Sky blue walls, shelving, and curtains in fabrics like blue jacquard<\/a>. Furniture in blue and white Wedgewood floral pattern<\/a> and misty blue<\/a> faux silk. (Architectural Digest<\/em> got us super inspired<\/a> to play with a scheme like this.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re not limited to light colors, of course. Leaning neutral is simply about using base colors against which your artwork really seems to come alive. So experiment and see what works best for your treasures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Taking your space neutral helps give the art the stage. But there\u2019s another \u2014 bolder \u2014 path. What if your living room could feel like it\u2019s actually a part of your art? <\/p>\n\n\n\n With accent pieces, small and large, you can build on and amplify the elements of your artwork you love most. It\u2019s kind of like you\u2019re picking up where the artist left off and expanding the vision of the art itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Colors are a great way to do this. Instead of neutral or monotone colors, look at the color palette of your art. Is it a modern piece with vivid colors like yellow, red, teal, and black? Bring it off the wall and into your room. A loveseat in cardinal red<\/a> and a mid-century modern upholstered, wood frame recliner dressed in teal chenille<\/a> will lift those colors off the painting and into 3D glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you ever seen a painting and thought, \u201cI could live there.\u201d Well, yes, you could. Take a design cue from artistic themes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s say you\u2019re showcasing a piece that offers a classical scene. Drawing inspiration from the color palette and<\/em> the scene itself, bring it into your room with sofas in rich golden velvet<\/a> and add curtains in traditional paisley-patterned<\/a> merlot damask fabric. And seal the deal on your opulent new style with an upholstered ottoman in muted caper green<\/a> velvet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taking design inspiration from your artwork frees you to make the experience of it more expansive and reflective of what it evokes in you. (You\u2019ll find some inspiration for this approach<\/a> from Elle Decoration<\/em> \u2014 we sure did.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n You know what\u2019s fun? Being a grown-up. Ok, so it\u2019s not always<\/em> fun. But one fun thing about it is you get to do what you darn well please with your home\u2019s decor. That includes flipping the script and making artwork that matters to you, not a decorative afterthought but the centerpiece of your living room\u2019s style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can clear the canvas and take your upholstery and other decor in a neutral \u2014 even monotone \u2014 direction to allow your art to really get the attention it deserves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Or use your piece as more literal inspiration and use its color palette in accent furniture. And carry the theme or general sensory experience of the artwork and reflect it directly in the textures and colors of upholstery you use in your space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re a work of art. It\u2019s time to let your living room be one, too. And whether you need help<\/a> with the broad strokes or fine details of your upholstery design, we\u2019re here<\/a> for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How to match your upholstery to a painting<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":6530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-idea","masonry-post","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding","resize-featured-image"],"yoast_head":"\nSetting The Stage For Your Design With The Art You Display<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Give Your Artistic Treasures All The Attention With Neutral Fabrics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Your Art Is<\/em> Your New Upholstery Design Style How-To Guide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Colors<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Themes<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
That Time You Turned Your Living Room Into A Design Masterpiece<\/h2>\n\n\n\n