I receive a lot of messages asking about the artwork in our home. I’m not motivated by value but rather just what I love. Art can pull a room together and create a mood as soon as you enter a room. Below I’m sharing where I source it, how to style it, where do I find inspiration, and more… So I thought I’d answer all of your questions here:
My home feels bare and a bit cold. I love art, but I don’t know how to get started to adorn my walls. Any tips?
Start simple: for example, in the kitchen, look at the colours of your cabinetry, rugs, walls, and furniture and jot down 3 colours that would complement them. Then go to Artfully Walls and type “kitchen” in the search bar. You’ll be shown so many pieces that can work in a kitchen, from food, to drinks, and floral prints- and in a variety of styles, from abstract, to realistic, from stylised drawings to textured oil paintings…
Have fun browsing and take your pick, keeping in mind the 3 colours you need and perhaps playing with scale when you order sizing – so a few small, a few medium and one or two large standout pieces. Then move on to the next room and repeat.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Often it sparks from a museum visit, an old movie I watched on the plane, where my head is at for new designs at Sharland England. So many references inform the colour palette and themes I might reference. When it comes to artwork, I love browsing flea markets (I just picked up an old etching during a work trip in rural Connecticut, with a heavenly old chipped frame), and online, I have my go-to with Artfully Walls. I keep a huge favourites folder which I delve back into again and again. But I also love browsing through their “Inspiration” section to discover new artists and styles. That’s where I got my latest pieces for our guest bedroom.
Tips on creating a little gallery wall?
I love gallery walls, particularly in a small room, like a downstairs powder room. My top tip is not to be afraid to mix and match different styles together: that goes for the frames and mounts too. Click here to find more tips & tricks – I have written an entire article about it.
Where do you buy your artwork?
On my walls, I tend to do a mix of art (and antique plates) I find at antique fairs or charming antique shops I discover when I’m on holiday, with my finds from Artfully Walls. They have such an incredible selection of art prints, and I love that I can pick my frame and mount colours too.
Your favourite female artists?
I have quite a few, but these are my absolute favourite female artists on Artfully Walls:
Elena Korsunova, an architect, interior designer and an incredible artist from Ukraine based in Italy. Some of her Shell pieces are in the girls’ bathroom, and we adore them.
Claire Whitehead, a Californian artist who paints the dreamiest landscapes. Her eye and her use of muted and bright colours together are just amazing.
Lucy Deaner is a talented illustrator based in London. Her style is elegant and casual at the same time. I have a couple of her floral drawings hanging in the kitchen.
Emily Tingey, a modern impressionist based in the US who paints in her little home studio in a house dating back to the early 1900s. Spy on her Instagram account for a peek at it. I recently got a flower vase from her artwork collection, and I’ve got my eye on her ”Two Lemons”
Pamela Munger, an incredible abstract painter. I love her heavy, rich colour strokes on her pieces. She’s a self-taught artist- she started painting as a creative outlet while working as an English teacher, and it ended up turning into her real passion.
Penny Min Ferguson is a family favourite. She’s an Australian designer and illustrator who creates abstract and fun animal illustrations that the girls and I love, and that have been in their bedroom since they were toddlers.
These are some of my favourite pieces from their collections:
xx,
