Add a Personal Touch to your Apartment with Artwork

Moving is both exciting and stressful. Once you get settled in, it’s time to add artwork to personalize your apartments in DC. Think of your apartment walls as a blank canvas. Art allows apartment dwellers to set the mood of their living space. The choice of a dominant color, abstract or Van Gough reproduction, beach-themed or modern art incorporates your style and a pop of color.

  • Living Room. Choose a large painting to be the focal point of your living room. If the orientation of the art is landscape, consider hanging it above your sofa. If the painting that you choose is a portrait orientation and you have a fireplace, that’s the ideal focal point for the area. Emphasize the dominant color in the painting by selecting accessories in the same color – a lamp base, throw pillows or base of a glass coffee table. Art comes in all price ranges. For a wide selection, order online or browse consignment shops for large paintings.
  • A pop of color or whimsy adds depth and character to your cooking space. Subject matters relating to food or drink add your personal touch. Vintage posters about food lend a warm touch. For foodies, framed prints of artichokes, lemons or herbs compliment your cooking area. If you’re looking for a sophisticated feel, choose photography of your favorite cocktails.
  • If the headboard of your bed is against a plain wall, then an oversized painting in tranquil colors could be the perfect choice for you. Suitable subjects for your bedroom include flowers, trees or forests, ocean and beaches or a nude. Your bedroom is also an ideal spot for family photos displayed as a gallery wall.
  • Many apartment dwellers love beach artwork in their bathroom – whether it’s ocean waves, mermaids, seashells or shorebirds, you’ll find prints and paintings to bring that vacation feel to your bathroom. If you’re looking for artwork that’s edgy, choose abstract or city skylines. You might make your second bathroom age appropriate if you have children. Consider whimsical prints of Disney characters or favorite animals – don’t forget the llama!

Think of artwork as jewelry for your apartment. Just as the appropriate jewelry completes your outfit, artwork is the finishing touch. There are no set rules for what’s right for you and your apartment. Choose an over-sized painting for above your sofa, or pick a gallery wall of botanical prints. Just find a place to start –opt for your favorite color or something that you really love (flowers, boats, abstract or animals). Don’t overlook the simple choice of classic black and white photography –historic photographs of Washington landmarks could be just what your apartment needs if you’re new to Washington, DC.