Art Blog

Styling Guides

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How to style a room: start with the three questions a stylist asks first
How to style a room: start with the three questions a stylist asks first
Most guides about decorating hand you a style first. Japandi. Mid-century. Coastal. Pick one, they say, then go shop. But for a stylist the style is the last thing to... Read more...
How wall colors actually change your mood (and which art works with them)
How wall colors actually change your mood (and which art works with them)
Clinical studies indexed in the NIH's PubMed Central found that people sitting in rooms painted with cool blue and green hues had measurably lower blood pressure and slower heart rates... Read more...
Dorm Room Decor on a Budget: Spend on What Leaves With You
Dorm Room Decor on a Budget: Spend on What Leaves With You
Before you buy a single string light, look up your school's damage price list. Most universities publish one. At the University of Georgia it's $65 to patch a screw-size hole,... Read more...
Why Ukiyo-e Woodblock Prints Are the Ultimate Modern Wall Art
Why Ukiyo-e Woodblock Prints Are the Ultimate Modern Wall Art
In 1853, Japanese ports opened to the West, and a flood of packing materials hit Europe. But the European artists weren't looking at the porcelain inside the crates. They were... Read more...
The Animal Inside the Frame: Bringing Organic Surrealism Home
The Animal Inside the Frame: Bringing Organic Surrealism Home
Picture a chimpanzee named Congo holding a brush. Between 1956 and 1959, he balanced colors and forms with an intuitive sense of composition that ended up hanging in Picasso's own... Read more...
The Power of Density: Why Complex Wall Art Outlasts Spectacle
The Power of Density: Why Complex Wall Art Outlasts Spectacle
Most people stand in the center of the room to judge if a piece of art is working. They step back, cross their arms, and ask themselves if the colors... Read more...
How to Decorate with Street Art (Without Looking Like a Dorm Room)
How to Decorate with Street Art (Without Looking Like a Dorm Room)
The single biggest mistake people make with street art is trying to tame it. The rule says that bold, chaotic or abstract art belongs in a stark, concrete loft, or... Read more...
What Is Contemporary Art? The Global Conversation Defying a Single Style
What Is Contemporary Art? The Global Conversation Defying a Single Style
You walk into a major gallery space. In the center of the first room, a massive pile of brightly wrapped candies spills across the concrete floor. In the next room,... Read more...
How to Style Fantasy Wall Art (Without Your Living Room Looking Like a Dorm)
How to Style Fantasy Wall Art (Without Your Living Room Looking Like a Dorm)
The biggest mistake people make with fantasy wall art isn't the subject matter. It's the execution. A sprawling, dark mythical landscape is an incredible piece of art, but when you... Read more...
Pablo Picasso Wall Art: A Guide to Styling Modern Masterpieces
Pablo Picasso Wall Art: A Guide to Styling Modern Masterpieces
Pablo Picasso created over 50,000 artworks during his 80-year career. He didn't just paint one way; he constantly reinvented his style, moving from somber blue portraits to fragmented geometry and... Read more...
Cinematic Cropping: Why 'Cut-Off' Art Prints Add the Most Drama
Cinematic Cropping: Why 'Cut-Off' Art Prints Add the Most Drama
Most people buy a print with a perfectly centered subject, hang it directly above the sofa, and then wonder why the room still feels completely stiff. They treat their walls... Read more...
How to Create a Gallery Wall in a Small Apartment
How to Create a Gallery Wall in a Small Apartment
Most design advice assumes you have soaring ceilings and endless drywall. Squeezing a gallery arrangement into a studio or a one-bedroom requires a totally different approach to scale, spacing, and... Read more...
Sports Wall Art Ideas: Taking the Stadium Home
Sports Wall Art Ideas: Taking the Stadium Home
Picture a basement where someone really loves baseball. There is usually a stiff pennant tacked loosely to drywall, a faded photograph taped to a mirror, and maybe an oversized framed... Read more...
Bauhaus vs Brutalism Wall Art: How to Choose Your Statement
Bauhaus vs Brutalism Wall Art: How to Choose Your Statement
People treat minimalism like an excuse to leave walls completely blank. That is just a lack of confidence. Real, intentional minimalism requires a strong point of view, and you usually... Read more...
How to Style Sci-Fi Wall Art (Without Your Room Looking Like a Spaceship)
How to Style Sci-Fi Wall Art (Without Your Room Looking Like a Spaceship)
You love science fiction, but you also want a living room that feels like a grown-up actually lives there. Finding the balance between personal passion and sophisticated interior design can... Read more...
How to Decorate with Pop Art: Adding Bold Color to Your Home
How to Decorate with Pop Art: Adding Bold Color to Your Home
A massive, electric-pink print of a soup can might not be your typical living room decor. But that jolt of unexpected, almost defiant color is exactly what makes pop art... Read more...
Wall Art Ideas for New Bars: How to Choose Art That Sets the Vibe
Wall Art Ideas for New Bars: How to Choose Art That Sets the Vibe
You have finalized the menu, picked out the bar stools, and argued with your contractors over the lighting for three straight weeks. The place looks great. But those massive, empty... Read more...
Bird Wall Art: A Field Guide to Choosing Prints You'll Love
Bird Wall Art: A Field Guide to Choosing Prints You'll Love
People have been hanging birds on their walls for a very long time. Bird-and-flower painting became its own respected genre in China more than a thousand years ago, and in... Read more...
Patriotic Wall Art: How to Decorate Without Looking Like a Gift Shop
Patriotic Wall Art: How to Decorate Without Looking Like a Gift Shop
There is a fine line between tastefully honoring your country and making your living room look like a fireworks stand in early July. Most patriotic decor crosses that line almost... Read more...
How Art Affects Your Mood: The Science of Choosing Wall Art
How Art Affects Your Mood: The Science of Choosing Wall Art
Most of us decorate around a color. You find a sofa you like, then hunt for art that matches it. That works for a catalog photo, but it skips the... Read more...
What Is Airbrush Art? The Technique Behind the Trend
What Is Airbrush Art? The Technique Behind the Trend
You've seen them taking over Pinterest boards and interior design magazines. Those bold, colorful prints with perfectly smooth color transitions that look almost too flawless to be painted by hand.... Read more...
Impressionism vs Post Impressionism Art: How to Choose for Your Home
Impressionism vs Post Impressionism Art: How to Choose for Your Home
You finally decided it is time to bring some classic art into your space. You know you love those beautiful, painterly scenes from the late 1800s, but suddenly you are... Read more...
What is Naive Art? A Complete Guide to Styling It
What is Naive Art? A Complete Guide to Styling It
You're scrolling through interior design photos, and you spot a painting that stops you. It's bright. The perspective is completely wonky. The figures look almost like they belong in a... Read more...
How to Choose Nature-Themed Art That Brings the Outdoors In
How to Choose Nature-Themed Art That Brings the Outdoors In
You've painted the walls, arranged the furniture, and picked out the perfect rug. But something still feels a little cold. That one blank wall is the holdout. Nature themed art... Read more...