There are two kinds of people in this world; those who want to find the perfect prints to fit the colour and theme of their space, and those that buy what they like and figure out where it’s going to go afterwards.
Either way, art is what makes a house a home, and prints are the perfect way to inject some personality into a kitchen, living room, hallway or bedroom.
Here, we’ve curated our top tips on choosing the perfect prints for your space. Whether it’s a cheerful quote for your kitchen that brings a smile to your face each morning, a minimal look for the bedroom, or something fun and exciting to wow your living room guests - we’ll guide you through the important things to consider when choosing prints for your home, and show you the best examples of wall art done right.
Photo @ourgreyhaven
1. Colour Scheme or Chaos?
If you prefer everything to match in a room, then choosing the prints you know will work with the existing decor and colours is the best way to make sure everything ties together. If you’re starting afresh with decorating, then you can buy your prints first and style the room around them. But another way - and our favourite way of doing things - is to buy the prints you love and work out where they’re going to go later. You’re going to be seeing them every single day, so find ones you love and hang ‘em proud.
Photo @beautifulhomesinthenorth
2. Think Outside The Frame
Create your ideal look by choosing your frames to match your prints - not the other way around. For darker prints, choose lighter or white frames to balance it out, and for mostly white prints, choose a black frame to give it definition. Similarly, if a print has a lot of colour, a black frame can really make the colours pop.
Photo @ourgreyhaven
3. Size Matters
The right prints can tie a room together, but choosing the wrong size prints can throw the balance off completely, so it's important to keep this in mind if you’re looking for prints to fill a specific space. We like to start big, choosing the larger prints first, then filling in any gaps left in the room with smaller prints to complete the look.
This also works for curating a gallery wall. Choose one large piece as your focal point, then curate the rest of the wall around that - getting smaller as you go. Our top tip is to think of your gallery wall as one large artwork so that you have an idea of the rough shape you’d like it to take once completed.
Photo @ourgreyhaven
4. Don’t Put A Square Peg In A Round Hole
The prints you choose should match the shape of the wall behind them. Is the wall portrait or landscape? A portrait wall should have a portrait print, and a landscape wall should have a landscape print. Choose the right orientation, pick a print large enough to fill the wall (but not so big it feels overwhelming) and it will make a real difference. If you can’t find a large enough landscape print to suit your wall (they can be hard to come by, but we’ve got you) we recommend making a landscape gallery wall instead.
Photo @ourgreyhaven
5. Go With Your Gut
Art is expressive, so while you might be tempted to follow the latest trends, the prints you choose should align with your own tastes and interests. Think of them as an extension of who you are and choose prints you love, so that when you see them every day, they make you happy.
While there are no set rules for using prints to decorate your home, here are some of our favourite Instagram home accounts that we think have done it right, along with some printspiration for each area of your home...
The Bedroom
Your bedroom’s a place to relax, and your prints should reflect that. Choose minimal art in soothing colours to create a haven to escape to when you need to wind down.
Photo @casa_olive_
Photo @our.yorkshire.scandihome
Photo @old.house.new.castle
Photo @our.yorkshire.scandihome
The Kitchen
Even though it’s the heart of the home, the kitchen often gets neglected when we think about buying prints. But a kitchen’s small nooks, shelves and counters are the perfect places to display smaller prints that bring a smile to your face whilst making your morning coffee.
Photo @homewith_hayley
Photo @new_build_forever_home
Photo @53houseplantsandme
Photo @everlongprintco
Photo @ourgreyhaven
Photo @beautifulhomesinthenorth
Photo @momocup
The Bathroom
The bathroom’s another room that often gets forgotten when we think about shopping for prints. But, it’s another opportunity to make your house a home by decorating it with your unique style. Some great places to hang bathroom art are by the toilet, over the bath, or above the towel rail.
Photo @alexandralouisewu
Photo @townhouse_on_the_park
The Office
Prints are a great way to keep you feeling inspired in your WFH space. Create a floating gallery over your desk using floating shelves and a selection of prints you love. The best part is you can rotate or interchange these prints when your space needs a refresh, to keep you feeling inspired during the 9 to 5.
Photo @ellaiconic
Photo @everlongprintco
Photo @homewithazul
The Living Room
The living room can often be the scariest to decorate because this is the room your guests will see and spend the most time in. With this in mind, it's important to choose prints that will wow them, set the tone of the space, and spark a conversation. You could go for one large print, a gallery wall - or another idea is to choose a line of images. We love this look from @our_townhouse_by_the_sea which takes our coffee, cocktail and gin prints right across the wall, leading to the bar cart.
Photo @our_townhouse_by_the_sea
Photo @53houseplantsandme
Photo @dramy.watson
Photo @everlongprintco
Photo @everlongprintco
Most importantly - your home is your space, and it’s where you should surround yourself with prints that best reflect your personality and the things you love. If you’re on the hunt for prints packed with personality, don’t worry, we’ve got you. Shop our range of prints here and you’re sure to find something you’ll love.