How to choose a painting for my living room

1. Match your decor

First of all you have to know that the most important thing is the combination of the painting with its environment. For this there are two ways to make this combination, if we start from scratch it is easier because you can buy the painting that you like and then decorate the room based on that work of art. You will always have to pay attention to the color tones, the setting, the material, etc. when buying the decoration products.

On the other hand, and what is usually more common, is to choose a painting for a room, where there is already furniture, an established decoration and a color tone on the wall (we will talk about this in the next point).

Here you will have to take some time observing what colors match in your living room, if you have many plants, if you have very significant decorative objects that can match the atmosphere of the painting, the textures you can find, if there is more presence of wood, leather or iron, etc.. All these factors will guide you to make the right choice.

A tip if you are going to put a picture above the sofa, try not to put it wider than the sofa, it looks better when they are the same size or a little smaller.

2. Neutral or colored walls

If you have the entire living room or bedroom (remember that these tips are valid for any corner of the house) with walls painted in white, beige or very light neutral tones, you will have it much easier because they are easier to combine. Any canvas will look good, especially if you match the decoration. 

For example, if you have a living room with white walls and you buy a painting with green tones, you can combine it with green cushions, green curtains and green carpet and if you also add plants you can create a very natural room around your canvas.

Even if you like a painting that has very strong tones, bright colors or very saturated colors, it doesn't matter, because the contrast with neutral tones often looks fantastic.

However, if your room is already painted with a blue, pistachio green or simply you have a black wall, you will have to search a little more until you find the one you like the most, that fits with those color tones and fits well with your decor.

Let's go with another example, in the below picture we have a dark gray wall, along with some golden decorative objects and furniture we have managed to set the room, in an atmosphere of elegance and seriousness, ideal for an office or a hall.

3. The theme or genre of the painting

Landscapes, fauna, people, urban, ethnic, vehicles, food, abstract... There are many themes and within each one there are infinite canvases, that is why we always say that the theme should be chosen according to personal taste. For example, if you like animals, within the fauna genre you will find thousands of paintings of animals of different colors, sizes, types, etc. 

The theme has to match the personality of each person and their tastes, if you like to travel, having pictures of wonderful places you have been or want to visit someday, can help you to disconnect when you are at home. 

Here we can only tell you that you should choose thinking about your tastes, hobbies, etc. So that you never get tired of seeing that work.

4. The frame

With or without it? More and more people choose to hang pictures without a frame, in the end it is an element that influences the aesthetics we want to give to the room. If we want the picture to be the protagonist or create a minimalist atmosphere, we can put it without a frame or with a simple frame.

Otherwise, if we want a frame, we will have to take into account the previous factors, the decoration, textures and atmospheres of the room and the tones of the walls, and now also very important, we will have to make sure that it harmonizes with the canvas.

Obviously the frame must match the work, here it is the same as with the walls, a white frame, neutral tones or even black, will combine better with any painting. Wooden frames, gold, silver or any other color will depend on the content of the painting.

We hope these basic tips will help you choose your next painting. At the beginning it will seem complicated to have to apply these factors when combining, but surely you will find them in the end, because luckily there are thousands of them, you will surely choose the right one!