Art you love should be hung in your home. Why not?

I sometimes wonder if others are like me. My taste in art matches my taste in decorating. I don't mean that I have to buy art that has to match my home, but I'm drawn to art that coincidentally matches my style of decorating.

But I do agree with Patty, if you like it, then that's all that matters.

I think that there is always a spot for art that you love, and if it isn't similar to your style of decorating, that could make it more exciting. It would also be important where and how you hang it, whether alone, or in a grouping. Size matters also. Sometimes a large piece is needed, and some times a grouping would look better. And the type of frame matters. But if you love the art, thats what makes your home have character.

DH bought a piece that is very modern and I just didn't like it at all. But when I put it in a certain spot in my dining room, I really liked the combination of modern with my transitional items. I didn't like it near my more modern items. The spot where you hang it and how you hang it is another "art".

I can actually understand what you are saying for a couple of reasons. I have some art in my home that I would not have gone out seeking but I am happy to have it because it is original art from my books. I am also learning to work in collage and while I love a couple of the pictures I have made, they don't exactly go anywhere in the house except in my office or perhaps an upstairs hallway.

So that's what I've decided, to use the upstairs hall as a gallery of sorts.

I think there's a way to incorporate anything you love in your surroundings. The linked art didn't do it for me, but I could see using a piece in a powder room or bedroom. I like the tension between very modern art and traditional furnishings and vice-versa. When everything "goes together", I think hotel.

I personally think any art in a home should have personal meaning to the owner. If it is your thing, it sings to you get a piece of the art.

From our old portraits to an old tapestry -- and even my small collection of Ouija boards -- everything simply fits into someplace in this house!

((which means that I may end up carrying it around in circles or re-organizing a wall or a room to get it to fit in!! LOL!!!))

I will personally never hang a piece of art in my house because it "matches" something. It must speak to me. No ... it must sing to me (and my problem has been that so much art does sing to me - my walls are full!). When your taste in art differs from your other furnishings, I think you just call that eclectic and live with whatever you love. :-)

I heart auntjen. And ditto. I'm one of those who believes art is personal, and I also believe that beloved things do "go together," even if that "going together" causes sparks to fly. In a good way. Why can you not imagine hanging your beloved art in your home?

I guess I was always under the impression that art in the home should be part of the larger picture and shouldn't really stand out... but the pictures from that artist will stand out like a sore thumb because they are so odd. I find them beautiful, captivating and mildly disturbing all at the same time.... and I am sure that visitors might feel the same way... or may JUST find them disturbing, lol. However, I stare at one particular picture from that artist all the time because I think it's just so beautiful... so maybe that is what I should be aiming for? Art that stands out to me, rather than something that blends in?

I see a lot of art in the recent art thread that is very non-traditional (in my mind)... so I guess it works?

I've cannot envision anything (art or otherwise) that I really love that wouldn't go in my home. I decorate for me, not for the 'style police'.

To me art can be anything. I've even thought of framing some 100+ year old hand tools that belonged to my Grandfather to hang on the wall but don't have enough wall space. I may do it anyhow and make space. It would be amazing to be able to look at the tools he held in his hands so many times.

Life is waay to short to worry about what anyone else thinks about the way you decorate. New visitors to my home sometimes get very wide-eyed but soon calm down when they realize it's just a bit different in some ways. We still serve regular coffee and are just regular people.

I totally understand what the OP is asking. My tastes have changed over the last year or two from Tuscan type of colors, and lots of intersting little knick knacks to a style that evolved out of my kitchen renovation--just a clean lined more modern look. I don't enjoy all the little stuff anymore, and the art on the walls that I had was very "Chester County" for any of you who know what I mean. Lots of stone barns, Belted Galloway Cows, you know, Andrew Wyeth type of stuff. I love this stuff because it is all local. But really my favorite print of those Belted Galloway cows although it is beautiful, just doesn't look right in my family room now. I am trying to find it a place of honor upstairs, maybe in the guest room. This is a room that has no art in it currently and I am thinking of making it the "art gallery".

Here's "Pale Moon" by Peter Sculthorpe, in case you want to see it:
{{!gwi}}

When you really think about every object in our home that is on display from lamps to rugs to furniture is a reflection of our artistic eye. I have a feeling that piece of art will fit in your home much better than you imagine it to. Sometimes it's a matter of taking a leap of faith to try something that is a little bit outside our normal comfort zone. Style and taste evolve over time it might be you are on the verge of changing your style without even realizing it. Sometimes it takes that one particular purchase or event to put us in a whole new direction.

"I guess I was always under the impression that art in the home should be part of the larger picture and shouldn't really stand out... but the pictures from that artist will stand out like a sore thumb because they are so odd. "

Maybe you've been watching too much HGTV? ;^) Art is very personal...which is one of the reasons people who are selling their houses are told to remove art that others might find unsettling. You like it? HANG IT. It's not about decor...it's about living with beauty.

I find them beautiful, captivating and mildly disturbing all at the same time.... and I am sure that visitors might feel the same way... or may JUST find them disturbing, lol. However, I stare at one particular picture from that artist all the time because I think it's just so beautiful... so maybe that is what I should be aiming for? Art that stands out to me, rather than something that blends in?

Ahhh ... you're getting it. ;-) I believe that truly good art makes you feel something. There may be any number of different emotions evoked by a piece, but the fact that it moves you in some way means that it is speaking to you. I completely disagree with the notion that art in the home "should be a part of the larger picture and shouldn't really stand out." Think about a museum. Do the paintings and sculpture and photography in a museum simply blend into the background? Absolutely not! Art should feel alive. It should make you feel alive in a sense, as well.

As for what visitors may think or feel about your art ... may I just be blunt and say who cares? - ? Never live your life (and that includes decorating your home) based upon what others might (or might not) think.

In addition to what other posters have said, I think how you frame a piece can help it integrate into your space successfully. Professionals always say to frame art independent of where the art will hang, but I respectfully disagree. While the framing shouldn't detract from the art, I see no problem choosing frames and mats that will work well with my decor.

I think it's about what you want. If you're a person that finds art that speaks to them, then fill your home with art you love. If you aren't then by all means match it with your interior.

I couldn�t say better what everyone else has already said. Art should speak to you, should move your spirit, and should be something that says that it needs to be with you. And I think art SHOULD stand out - it is not just another thing you stick in a room that all goes together to look finished.

On the other hand, I would be sure you can live with the art that appeals to you. For me, there are many pieces of famous art that I can admire, find compelling, love to see. But, in the end, I couldn�t look at them every day - they don�t feel like me, which is what I want my private space (my home) to feel like.

But if there is a piece that is calling to you, I say answer the call - it WILL find a place in your home, because it has a place in your heart.