Finding Art for Your Apartment

After you’ve moved, arranged your furniture and carpets, and settled into your new place, the blank walls can be disconcerting. If your landlord failed to paint before you moved in, you might be tempted to cover your walls with art decorations as quickly as possible and be done with it. But if you really want your apartment to feel like home, you’ll want to put real thought and effort into finding the right wall decorations. Fortunately, creating a unique home decor can be fun and rewarding. There are a number of places you can look to find art for your apartment. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Print shops

On a renter’s budget, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to afford pieces by well-known artists. But you can buy prints of famous paintings and photographs at all kinds of places — from national chain stores to independently run print shops. If you’d rather your apartment didn’t look like a college dorm room, stay away from run-of-the-mill images. Gustav Klimt’s classic “The Kiss” hangs on the walls of half of America’s female college students (on the walls of male college students, it tends to be that photo of John Belushi in Animal House). Stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond and Wal-Mart are common destinations for college students looking for inexpensive prints and posters. If you want more unique offerings, check out independently run print shops that offer more unusual pieces. To make your apartment look even more like an adult lives there, frame your prints instead of using tape or tacks. While framing is more expensive, it will protect your prints and the paint on your walls.

Your favorite cartoons

For a whimsical yet grown-up addition to your walls, consider framing and hanging cartoons. Simple black and white sketches can add a playful touch to your apartment and fit in places that larger prints and paintings might not. If there’s a particular comic strip you’ve always loved, try hanging each frame of the strip separately in simple picture frames. Space them evenly down the hallway or vertically on a narrow wall pane. Of course, if you’re going for the adult look, it won’t do to cut your cartoons out of the paper. Instead, visit the cartoonist’s website and see if prints of his or her work are available for purchase. If the cartoonist is less well-known, you may be able to afford a few original sketches.

Museum stores

If you’re searching for inspiration, take a trip to your local museum to look for paintings and photographs you might like. Check out any special exhibits or retrospectives — prints from these artists are more likely to be found in the museum store. If you already have plenty of poster-size images on your walls, pick up a few postcards. Display a series of them in simple frames or explore your own artistic side by making a collage with the images.

Creating your own art

If you have the time and inclination, see what you can create on your own. Enlarge and frame personal photos of loved ones or landscapes. Display multiple photos of the same image, such as the view from your apartment during different seasons or your childhood home over the years. Dig through old photo albums for pictures of your parents and grandparents when they were young. Even damaged and yellowed photos can be repaired, enhanced, and enlarged. Not only can these photos help you remember your loved ones in a unique way, they also serve as great conversation pieces. Think about other things from your past that might look good on display. What about old record albums with color schemes that complement the rest of your apartment? You can mount them on frames or, if your landlord allows, hang them from the walls like paintings.

Children’s art

Remember the last time you went to a museum of modern art? Maybe one or two (or more) of the paintings made you think to yourself, “My kid could do this!” Well, why not? Children’s art isn’t just for the refrigerator. If you have kids — or nieces, nephews, younger siblings, students, or young neighbors — hang their best pictures, or display their pottery bowls in your apartment. You may find a few finger paintings that do look like they came from a museum. You don’t have to tell inquisitive guests the truth.

Explore the local art scene

Oil paintings, sculpture, and mixed media works aren’t necessarily out of your price range. Local artists and students often sell their work for affordable prices. Just because their names aren’t well known doesn’t mean that their work isn’t good. If your city has an art institute, visit their website to see whether galleries are open to the public. Visit these student exhibitions and meet the artists themselves. The pieces you like may or may not be for sale, but you’re sure to flatter the student artists when you express interest in their work. Check out small galleries — the work here is often for sale. If you live in New York, San Francisco, or any large, artistically inclined city, the sheer number of galleries can be mind-boggling. It can be hard to know where to start. Turn to magazines and newspapers that list citywide events — usually a section is devoted to museums and gallery shows. You can also ask the friend with the museum membership or art school diploma. He or she may be able to steer you to places that suit your interests and budget.

Enjoy the process

Decorating with art can be a lot more fun and interesting than picking out carpets or furniture. If you aren’t a painter, photographer, or sculptor, you might find that your artistic talent lies in selecting great pieces that complement each other as well your apartment. For best results, take your time to enjoy the process of exploring and discovering art that you love and experimenting with the best way to match it with your apartment.