I don't think the iron piece or the clock bring the color and softness to the fireplace that needs to be there to balance it with the rest of the room. I am pretty sure this was discussed before, but have you considered applying some type of conditioner or finish to the stone to warm it up? You can see from your pix that it reads very grey and cold compared to the rest of the space, and I think warming that stone up will go a long way toward integrating it better. In fact, if you did that, you wouldn't necessarily have to worry about colorful art. Second, I think you really need to consider painting the fireplace surround, either in a black or an aged bronze look. The brass really doesn't fit the feel of the warm and cozy space you have created. I agree with those who have suggested you need to group things more on the top of the ec. Rather than a line of items making essentially another row around the top, having a couple of more substantial groupings will carry the eye through the space with more interest. Use some stacks of books in a couple spots to elevate the various pieces and add more color. Add pillar candles to the candleholders in a rich red to bring some color in and increase the visual height impact. I would also take one of the smaller green plants and tuck in the bird cage, with the door open and the plant spilling out. I would also look for a tall floor plant to place at the end of the entertainment center, down by the console table, to break up that solid wood panel there. You could also hang three small art pieces, one in each panel, to help bring the eye into the space rather than have it stop dead when it hits that wooden wall on the end.

I made a life-size guitar player with a friend of mine for an art project. His hands and face were covered with sheet music so although he looked human, he didn't have a realistically painted face. After the art show he lived at our house for a couple of years. Let me tell you, no matter where we put him, inside or out, and even though I made him and was used to him, he would still startle me when catching him out of the corner of my eye. As a sculptor, I'm fascinated with the ones you posted. I love them all!

First of all, I must say that your Gauguin painting is gorgeous! You are correct that it needs other pieces to complete the composition, but I would not hang art only from one artist - unless the painting is very large, you only need one other piece of the same size to complete and balance the 10' W bookcases. What makes your art display more interesting and lively is the mixture of different genre, subjects, artists and sizes. It all comes down to how you select the pieces that work well together to enhance each other. There are many creative ways you can arrange them to achieve the look you'll be happy with. In order to best guide you, please provide a photo of your space, the wall where the bookcases are, the height from the top of the bookcases to the ceiling, and the size of that painting. Also, if possible, show me some other art images (with their sizes) that you have, like or are considering buying.

I agree that art is not decor. Yes, someone might indeed put a black and red abstract over a pastel sofa, although black and red sounds like something from the expressionist era and if someone loved that, they might not be the person to choose a pastel sofa. ;-). I have a painting with lots of orange in it. There is no orange anywhere in my house. It still looks absolutely marvelous. My husband and I have very different tastes in art. Well, no, actually I love a lot of what he likes, but I also adore abstract art and have bought a lot of it. We have many traditional still lifes and landscapes, but my abstracts are scattered near them as well. I have run out of wall space since I don't hang groups of paintings (most of my things are fairly large canvases) since the ones I have stand better alone. All my art has come from local galleries or galleries and individuals on our travels. However, I do have to say that my favorite piece is a small watercolor that I bought when I was 20 or so at an art show in the King of Prussia plaza when only part of it was enclosed (early 70s). Yes, I am a dinosaur. I bought it for $25 from the artist who was in his 50s-60s. I wish I could let him know how much I still love it. Another source for art is high school and college art shows, although you probably can't get anything now since they won't be hosting such shows. There are some terrifically talented young artists to be found. Totally agree that you should provide a large piece of paper to your family artist and then frame that. I love her opus magnum! Maybe offer her a higher bid for it! Haha.