Designing a modern living room

Choose a Paint Color

Living Room

Whether your particular style is country, modern, or classical, the colors that you choose for your living room are critical. Color must work in a complementary fashion with the character of your living room. A rich color on the wall sets the stage for the contemporary comfort that you are seeking. If you want a room that makes you feel warm and cozy, then choose warm reds and browns to affect your mood. If you desire a living room that is peaceful and cheerful, choose cool blues and greens to set the perfect tone. For a nice mix that is both warm and cheerful, a soft yellow can be painted on the walls.

Focus on Shapes

All kinds of shapes including square, rectangular, circular, and even triangular designs can be incorporated into almost any living room. Of course, smooth straight lines and rounded curvy lines can also contribute to the mood of the living room. Typically, it’s the mixture of all of these shapes and designs that produces the most aesthetically appealing living space. Throw pillows are a great way to incorporate a mixture of shapes, fabrics, and patterns into a living room. In addition, a rectangular couch can be mixed with a rounded accent table and a square table lamp. Vases and bottles can also add to the mixture of shapes in the room. Finally, add a few complementary framed pieces of wall art to complete the room design.

Accessorize with Chic Additions

Well-planned accessories can help the layers of your living room come together. Inexpensive throw pillows, decorative rugs and blankets, and colorful vases all complete the look. One of the best living room design techniques is to display the items that you love the most in bold and creative ways. Use those sentimental accessories to tie the theme of your living room together. You can even buy some thrift store vases, plates, and decorative sconces and paint them yourself for an added burst of style and creativity. The most important chic addition to your living room will be your light fixtures, so choose designs that work well with the style of your room. In general, larger and more colorful lamps will make a more dramatic statement. In no time at all

You can add one layer at a time and when the project is complete, you have a tasty living space. To create a modern living room, you must start with the design and layout of the room. If comfortable living is your goal, then furniture and accessory placement are the keys.

Posted in Living Room |

The reason modern art paintings become successful

Many collectors and investors choose modern art paintings because they are the cutting edge of art today. They reflect the energy of today’s world and serve as barometers against the ever changing art scene. They can also become significant investments if they are created by an up and coming modern artist and bought early in their career.

The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Min...

The reason modern art paintings become successful today is the same reason Picasso’s paintings were successful in his day. The art scene is full of movements over time. These movements are usually reactions to previous contemporary art practices of the previous eras. For example the Impressionist artists the world over developed a completely revolutionary way of creating great works in their era. Instead of painting inside studios as had been the custom for hundreds of years, Impressionist painters from around the world such as Claude Monet, Pierre- Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Paul Cezanne in France, and in Australia, Tom Roberts, Fredrick McCubbin, Jane Sutherland, Charles Conder, and Authur Streeton took their palettes outside and captured the light in “plein air” in completely new ways with colour. In the late nineteenth century, these were ground breaking modern art paintings at their best. Today these paintings are revered the world over for what they brought to the art world at the time.

However if you put a Monet beside a Jackson Pollock, you will see the amazing differences in conceptual development, technique and practice in paintings. This is a reflection of the development of art over time. Modern art works are successful because they break new artistic ground and show us our world in new and fresh ways. Today, some think current practices are not a reaction to previous genres but a totally different attitude to making art.

Many savvy collectors invest in modern art paintings. They choose to invest in these over traditional paintings for the reasons I outlined above. It is great to be part of an art movement, whether as an artist or someone who collects the art of the time. As a collector it is most exciting to invest in an artist’s work when they are young in their career and emerging in the art world. The excitement lies in knowing you are onto something that will pay big dividends in the future. It is always a gamble, however there are usually some indications that these paintings will be a great investment. The other reason people invest in young and upcoming modern artists is they have an emotional resonance with the particular modern art paintings they purchase. Throughout time, artists have always relied on collectors following their work and investing in it. Back in the days of Michelangelo, it was the Catholic church who collected his modern art paintings. These days it can be wealthy collectors, celebrities, artists themselves, art lovers and just about anyone who collects art works of modern artists.

I believe everyone should hang modern art paintings in their home. Each new development in the art world needs to be supported by the people living in the world at that time. However, art is a very personal matter and highly subjective. What one person loves in a painting, another will absolutely loathe. The art works I have collected from fellow artists I have bought because I love them and I also love to support fellow artists. I would not buy something I did not like simply to make money on it in the future as I have to live with the art in my home. I also buy from artists I believe are still emerging and have not yet been discovered but have the potential to do really well in the future. The best way to approach collecting modern art is to combine personal taste and with business savvy. Remember you may have this hanging on your wall for years, so if you are not a fan of Damien Hirst’s self portrait with severed head image, then don’t buy it.

There are many reasons we can be shocked by modern art. The themes are not that different to some of the themes presented in art paintings over the last few hundred years. Death, life, love, sex and animals. However today, it is their presentation that can cause people to feel shocked. The fact that Damien Hirst uses a real dead sheep, encases it in a glass box filled with formaldehyde and stages it in a gallery causes a different emotional reaction than a neo classical painting of a sheep being killed for sacra-religious purposes. There has been a growing irreverence in modern art since the 1980′s and 90′s and it somewhat reflects the state of our society today. Cynicism has played a key role in the modern art of the last 30 years. Not all of it is shocking, it can be subtle, witty, humorous, clever or simply beautiful. Whichever way you look at it modern art paintings cause us to stop and stare and wonder about life today as we know it. They resonate or shock because of the values we place on the subject matter involved in the art and our reaction to it is based in our personal belief systems, life experiences, relationships and the world we as we know it.

Posted in Interior Decoration |

Choose a Living Room Painting

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  2. Step1

    Think outside the box. You may be tempted to hang a Van Gogh over your sofa. This can feel a little like a dentist’s office just because it’s something that is seen over & over. Plus, people will know that it’s not an original. If you are set on having a famous artist hanging on your wall pick an unusual piece that not everyone will know. The famous artists painted hundreds of works, so really get interested in the history. You can even turn an existing poster into a unique collage so you can present a popular piece in an original way.

  3. Step2

    Go for an original living room painting. You might not think that you can afford original artwork. Hit the sidewalks in the summer & see what artists are showing. You can even browse through local college art shows. Some of the students sell their pieces & you never know who is going to be the next big thing. Just make sure that it is displayed properly so the sunlight doesn’t fade it out.

  4. Step3

    Keep scale in mind. A room may look unbalanced if the living room painting isn’t proportional. If you are drawn to smaller living room paintings, buy several for a gallery effect. Remember that this will be the focal pint of the room.

  5. Step4

    Hang them in unexpected places. Living room art work isn’t just for over the sofa or fireplace which can seem a little predictable. Try hanging a canvas from a bookshelf. It can also act as a make shift divider.

  6. Step5

    Put your art directly on the walls. The popular thing right now seems to be vinyl artwork that you can stick on the wall. You can even buy these at the dollar store. Keep them in the same area so the room doesn’t seem too kitschy. This can save you a lot of money & it’s an unexpected living room painting. You may even be able to find an entire tree that goes from floor to ceiling.

  7. Step6

    Frame it. You don’t have to be able to afford a fancy frame for your living room art work. You can always just paint that wall a different color. You can even paint a square centered on the wall & add your artwork in the center. This gives your piece more presence or height.

Posted in Living Room |

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