Art and Interior Design

Art is such an integral part of interior design that it can set the mood and tone of the overall design theme. For example, vintage botanical prints are more suitable for a transitional or classic space while abstract minimalism painting or black & white photography enhances mid-century décor. However, there is also no boundary or fixed rules when it comes to art in interior design. For example, this somewhat modern DIY abstract art framed in a more traditional faux bamboo champagne frame still works well for my not-so-modern foyer. Art is about knowing the rules and when to break them; collecting a piece of sentimental value that gets your heart racing every time you lay your eyes on it; or sometimes is simply about colors and patterns that bring a room together.

I am in constant search of original arts for my home, and as an online shopaholic, I would definitely appreciate the option to browse them online. And as much as I like sites like Etsy, sometimes I found myself at a loss and didn't even know where and what keyword(s) to use to start searching. I often find myself stepping into a search with an open mind not knowing what exactly might work for a room, and then have an ah-ha! moment when the right piece presents itself. I came across this really neat site called Saatchi (saatchionline.com) the other day and have since been obsessed. Saatchi is an online platform for seasoned and upcoming artists to post and sell their works. What I really like about Saatchi is that, similar to Art Interiors here in Toronto, it embraces any possible forms of arts you could imagine and it lists them by style, theme, and inspiration. For example, as a big impressionism fan, I would choose "Monet" under the "Collections Inspired By", and there I would find a popular Canadian artist like Yangyang Pan's works. Here are just a few intriguing pieces I found so far:

Clockwise from top left: Photography "I Am Winter (edition of 25)" by Martin Stranka; Painting "Tide Line 1" by Mary Elizabeth Peterson; Photography "To be left in the lurch (Edition of 20)" by Jon Jacobsen; and "Island #2" by Yangyang Pan.

You can browse paintings for sale here.

So what's your experience with incorporating art into your décor? Where do you usually shop?