Interior Designers Say This Is How To Style Art

When it comes to decorating a carefully curated space, any designer will admit that the art is just as important as the furniture and decor. Similar to what jewelry does for an outfit, art finishes the space, giving that final touch that makes a home feel collected and lived in rather than one-dimensional and a bit, dare we say, cold. So, we chatted with New York City interior designer Brian McCarthy to get his take on both why and how to display your art at home as stylishly as possible.

Ahead, McCarthy invites us into his own home where art is on display on almost every wall and surface, so if you’re in the market to incorporate a painting, sculpture, or even unique piece of furniture into your space, but aren’t quite sure how to master it, you’ve come to the right place. McCarthy has plenty of tips and tricks for seamlessly incorporating art into a room—no matter how big or small it may be. Keep reading to discover this expert’s advice on mastering the art of, well, art.

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Go Big—Literally

When shopping for art, the general rule of thumb is to only buy pieces that speak to you. Don’t buy a piece you don’t love simply because it will look good in a room. So, if you stumble upon a piece that just so happens to be enormous, don’t shy away from it. In fact, lean into the size, as it will command attention in a way furniture simply cannot. Of course, before you pull the trigger and buy it, make sure it will fit on the wall (and through the front door), but otherwise, don’t let a large-scale piece intimidate you into buying something smaller you don’t really like. In McCarthy’s dining room, he covered almost an entire wall in a diptych by artist Pope.L.

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Choose Complementary Colors

Apartment size is often determined by the number of bedrooms, but since McCarthy didn’t really need another bedroom, he transformed one of the spares into a blue-walled sitting room. The bright yet soothing shade works as the perfect backdrop to the myriad salon-style gallery walls adorned in mixed-media pieces of art. Of course, you can never go wrong with white walls to let art take center stage, but choosing a primary color is never a bad idea—especially in a smaller space with plenty of focal points scattered throughout.

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Play With Texture

There is no rule stating a wall hanging must be flat and live under a sheet of glass. Art—any art—can take quite a few shapes, sizes, and forms. Such is the case in McCarthy’s dining room, where a piece of framed art quite literally comes off the wall. There are pieces that protrude and pieces that dangle, and that’s all part of the fun. Plus, when you have plenty of wall space, the question of how to display your art at home has myriad clear answers.

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Start a Conversation With Your Art

Everyone who comes into McCarthy’s home tends to pause in front of this colorful Mel Bochner painting. After all, when there are bright letters in the room, stopping and reading is basically a must. What’s more, it almost doesn’t fit in with the eclectic space’s surroundings, which skew more traditional and demure in terms of style and color, so embracing a standout piece of art that will, at the very least, inspire conversation, is a fun way to fill up wall space.

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Enlist Your Surfaces

Art takes various forms, plenty of which don’t belong on the wall. If you have a dresser, media console, or even a small end table that could use an aesthetic boost, pop a piece of art on there. McCarthy’s ability to fill a surface with smaller pieces that not only add dimension and texture to an otherwise flat and quiet space gives the whole room a bit more visual interest. If you have collected pieces you adore and want to display them, find a relatively empty table that could use a little aesthetic facelift.