How to Select And Display Artwork In Your Apartment
Relative to artwork, people hold many different opinions. The reality is that no artwork is objectively good. Some may try to tell you that one piece of art is better than another, but this is often because art galleries want to drive up the price of particular pieces or particular artists. Just remember that the value of all artwork is subjective.
Therefore, since all the perception of art is subjective, we can summarize the relevant question... How do you select and display artwork in your apartment?
Personal Preferences vs. Interior Design
Basically, there are two ways you can decide on the artwork you want. You can find artwork that has an appeal to you because of personal reasons, or you can decide to find artwork that matches your previous interior design decisions.
Neither method for selecting artwork is more correct than the other method. Some people will look at their apartment walls and think they had better hang some art that reflects their personality. Other people might take a utilitarian viewpoint, looking at their apartments as places to live without the need to think twice about it.
If you are looking for artwork for personal reasons, this is generally the easiest buying decision. You simply purchase a piece because you are happy about the way it looks. Or you like it because it was made by a friend or family. Or perhaps you find something that reminds you of friends, family, or some other happy memory. There are probably as many different personal reasons as there are different people.
On the other hand, if you decide to buy artwork with interior design considerations, then you ought to learn about the styles and eras of history and how these choices mesh artistically. For example, you would not want to hang a picture that mimics an Elizabethan style while decorating your apartment in a Neo-Victorian style. Yikes!
Choose The Best Display Area
Some of your choices are rather obvious. You don't want to put artwork that's meant for adults into a place where children can easily see them. And you don't want to put the more grotesque pieces of artwork in areas that might cause others to be uncomfortable (unless, of course, that is your goal for the piece). These are common sense issues.
However, it is a good idea to decide on a single center-piece for a room. The center-piece ought to be a larger piece of artwork, or something that is particularly good at grabbing attention. And, since it is the center-piece you ought to put it in a prominent position, front and center. Some people will choose to place such a piece above the television, but you might want to choose another spot if you have a more prominent area. Why make the art compete with the television, especially with screen sizes always getting larger?
Then, other pieces of artwork should compliment the center-piece. The supporting pieces should not be as large as the center-piece nor as attention grabbing, otherwise the overall aesthetics of the room will become too busy. The presence of the artwork will feel crowded or even overwhelming. Certainly it is easier to find and display complimentary artwork if you are buying the art as part of your interior design. However, if you are displaying art simply because you enjoy it, it's still possible to create a nice presence.
My last tip is that you try to avoid placing too many different pieces too close together. Too much in too little space will result in crowding. That rarely looks good.
In the end, the reality is that you should find and display your artwork in whatever way you want. After all, it is your artwork and your apartment. But if you want some help with basic design tips, what I have given you here are those tips. This is not difficult. Just keep an eye out for what you like, and remember that even if you have the best display, someone else will not like it because their tastes are different. But that's okay. It's your apartment, so it must be pleasing to you.