6 Questions To Ask Yourself When Buying Art For Your Home

When I first graduated and started telling people I was an interior designer, most people would respond with “Oh! Shopping with other people’s money—how fun!” AND IT IS! But when you’re buying things for other people (and yourself), you want to make sure you’re really nailing it!

Shopping for art can be especially tricky! You’ve got to consider size, color, framing, etc. AND make sure it isn’t astronomically outside your budget! To help you stay on the right track, I’ve gathered six questions to ask yourself when buying art.

1. Does this art catch my eye?

Let’s start with an easy one! Just because art exists doesn’t mean it has to make its way into your space! If the art “will do,” but it isn’t exciting or inspiring or exhilarating to you…it’s a pass. This can happen to me often at places like HomeGoods—the art is here…I’m here…but is it a match made in heaven? Not necessarily! It’s an option of pure convenience. Your art should give you an opportunity to pause during the hustle and bustle of your day, a time to glance over and admire the piece of art that genuinely brings you joy!

2. Where, specifically, will this art go?

If you aren’t thinking of an exact place where this art will work, then don’t buy it. “I’ll find a spot later” has gotten me in many sticky situations…surrounded by piles of unnecessary art. When designing, we first look for “open space” where we want to make a statement with large art. Once that is situated and settled, we look for smaller places, like in bookshelves or at ends of hallways, where we can make a smaller, more personal statement about who you are.

3. Is my pre-determined size objective being met?

If it is larger than planned or smaller than planned, then steer clear—it isn’t the one. Here are some pro tips to help you determine whether something is the right fit in your space:

• Tip for Spacing Art on Your Wall: We generally want to hang art with 8” of empty space from the “edges” of the wall, minimum. You don’t want the art to look squeezed in!

• Tip for Art Height: Your art should be no smaller than 2/5ths the height of the wall. Bear with us here! If your wall is 10 feet tall, the smallest piece you should hang would be 48” tall.

• Tip for Spacing Art Sets: If you’re hanging a set in a grid formation, measure the heights and widths with 4-6” between for the cumulative size. THEN, you can measure where it should hang on the wall based on the total measurements!

At the end of the day, your art should conform to your space, not the other way around. Stay patient, the right one is out there (in the correct size)!

4. Are my pre-determined budget goals being met?

In many cases, art has grabbed me, inspired me, and would be perfect in my home…and cost 20 times my budget! I’ve gathered some solutions for you, based on your needs. Remember, you do not have to spend an arm and a leg on art in order to love it; you may just need to know where to shop!

For affordable art shopping, here are a few places I recommend: Target, Hobby Lobby, HomeGoods, and HomeSense. If those stores aren’t making the cut, I recommend finding a print you love on Etsy and shopping for a standard-size frame. Avoid Custom Framing and custom print sizes for extra budget-savings!

If you’re looking for a mid-range solution, you can find an artist you love, buy a print of theirs, frame it up with some thick matting, and call it a day!

When shopping for investment art, we would be purchasing directly from artists or galleries. Instagram is a great place to find new artists and learn whose style you’re drawn to. Then, you can follow along to keep track of what their newest series might be and where it’s showing! It’s a lot of fun to see a piece from concept to completed project, which may make it even more meaningful when it’s hanging in your home!

5. Does this clearly fit in my style?

We specifically want to be thinking of the art, subject, and frame here. If you’re not a farmhouse fiend, but the proposed art is a cow in a rustic wood frame, you might have some explaining to do! That isn’t fitting who you are!

If you don’t quite know your style, take the Style Quiz below! Once you’ve received your results, explore our Design Style Toolkits to learn more about how to make your design dreams come to life. We’ve even included specific tips on how to select art for each style!

6. Can I explain why I love this art?

That excludes an explanation along the lines of, “I don’t know… I just love it.” If your gut is loving a piece, but you can’t say “because it makes me laugh,” or “the colors remind me of that vacation to the beach,” then it still isn’t for you. You may be caught up in the hunt, the success just at the tip of your fingers, etc.! Take a step back, clear your head, take a lap around the store, and then reassess your love.

Use this list as a guide— then swing for the fences! Ready to begin curating your own personal gallery? Look no further! Click the button below to shop our art collection AND practice asking yourself the list of questions above!