styling empty walls

Art! Such an incredibly personal thing that requires tough decisions and often lots of money. I've been generally perplexed on how to tastefully cover our empty walls throughout the home and now in my 30s and a homeowner, I am set on moving away from pieces that don't speak to me or bring something to a room. I've settled on a few strategies over the last few months in an effort to find art that I love and want on my walls forever.

DESIGN MY OWN ART

I've been enthusiastic about creating some of my own art work for the home, using inspiration from some of my favorite independent artists. As a first step, I endeavored on some watercolor "naked girlies," with inspiration from artist Katherine Freeman, for the bedroom. While her art isn't insanely expensive, her naked girlies have been sold out for months so I took matters into my own hands. I can't say they're perfect but once they are framed and in our bedroom, I think they will fit the space.

I'd also like to create something similar to these works from the Lulu and Georgia collection. The oval would go perfectly in our family room.

FIND LOCAL ARTISTS

One day at Shop Local in Georgetown, I met a young DC artist, Carina Tenaglia, who had a number of her pieces on display and I loved them all. They were the perfect mix of unique and abstract with the right color palettes for our home. I got her card and have been visiting her site regularly deciding if I want to go with a large canvas for the big wall above our stairs or commission a piece. This piece, "Warmth," is part of her 2021 Cherry Blossom collection and it really struck me when I first saw her work:

SETTLE ON ONE TO TWO "INVESTMENT PIECES" I believe in investing in art, especially in areas of the home that receive a lot of traffic and could benefit from a statement. I consider these areas the entryway, living room, dining room, primary bedroom, and sometimes main hallways. Luckily for us, our house is not enormous and we only have a few of these walls. One wall has found its match with a Windy O'Connor piece I mentioned a while back but I'm still looking for a couple statement pieces, perhaps something like the below by Fern Cassidy:

This piece by Paule Marrot would be really nice in one of our bedrooms:

BUY ART THAT MEANS SOMETHING

While in Palm Springs this year, where are are getting married in May(!!), Ryan and I found these colorful Palms Springs prints. We splurged, bought two, and had them framed at Framebridge. They are now hanging on the main wall above the staircase, and we see them every day. I love the color they bring to the space and that they remind me of one of my favorite places on earth.

I also love these Coco Lapine prints. I love faces as a form of art and being from the Pacific Northwest, I really vibe with pictures of mountains.

MIRRORS AND WALLPAPER

Not every wall needs to be covered in art. In our entry way, I have styled a small West Elm table with a lamp from Restoration Hardware, dry flowers, and have ordered an oval mirror to go above the table. This space feels complete and I don't see the need to add art at this point. Another space is the powder room, currently under construction, which will be covered in this delightful wallpaper from Rifle Co. Again, doesn't need any art but feels nearly complete.