Oil paintings for the interior: where to hang and what to combine with?

When the treasured painting on canvas to order is in your hands, an urgent question arises: where to hang the canvas so that it pleases the eye? Let’s look at the options.

Where to hang oil paintings on canvas in a living space?

Oil paintings, depending on their subject matter, are suitable for different types of rooms:

In the bedroom. In a room intended for relaxation, it is appropriate to hang oil paintings in pastel colors with images of flowers, the sea, birds, abstractions, a married couple. The main thing is that the stories should be pacifying and tune in to relaxation.

In the living room. The works in an abstract style or images of landscapes will look good here. If the plot is dedicated to a specific time of the year, then it is recommended to hang the canvases on the wall from a certain side: for example, oil paintings (winter) should be placed on the wall from the north side, spring – from the east, summer – from the south, autumn – from the west.

In the nursery. It is recommended to decorate the children’s space in a house or apartment with paintings depicting fairy-tale characters or pets.

In the office. The interior of the room specially designated for work will harmoniously fit images of water landscapes, wildlife, and fantastic themes. When choosing paintings, you should focus on the owner’s hobby.

In the kitchen. Such oil paintings will organically look on the cooking area: flowers, harvest, still lifes.

In the corridor and hallway. In walk-through areas, it is best to hang pictures in bright colors with dynamic scenes (dancing or running characters, vehicles in motion, etc.).

If the house has a staircase, on the wall along it it is better to place paintings depicting cityscapes.

Tips for placing paintings in the interior

  1. An ideal background for placing a picture is a wall decorated with smooth plain wallpaper (white, beige, gray shades).
  2. Large-sized paintings should be placed on the walls in spacious rooms. Small paintings are recommended to be hung at eye level so that they can be viewed from a close distance.
  3. So that the canvas does not merge with the wall on which it hangs, it is worth choosing a frame for the picture in a contrasting color.
  4. Pictures should be harmoniously combined with other elements of the interior (walls, furniture, house plants, etc.). You will learn more about this later in the article.

How to combine paintings with interior details?

In the issue of compatibility between the interior and paintings, it is important to adhere not only to color and texture correspondence, but also to semantic. The following variations are possible here:

  • Images of urban themes fit well into the interiors of the urban style.
  • A modern interior with an emphasis on geometric proportions will advantageously complement a painting with abstract motifs.
  • Canvases with artistic plots and still lifes are perfect for romantic interiors.

Designers advise adherents of traditional interiors to choose such oil paintings for them that will «merge» with the general atmosphere in the room. And if, on the contrary, you want to divert attention from the interior design, the picture chosen for it should stand out noticeably against the background, i.e. act as a bright color accent.

I hope that the information presented in the article will be useful for you, and you can easily decide on the location of the purchased painting to order from Irina Kvasha.