Beginner's Guide to Artwork

You can put all the time and effort into designing your new space as you want to.  And the more creativity and imagination you use, the better it will look.  But without the finishing touch of artwork, your design will always feel like it's missing something.  The beauty of artwork is that there are so many options to choose from and you don't have to break the bank to get it done.  This week I'm going to show you the beginner tricks to putting artwork in your space so it feels polished and complete.

WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?

You can spend a good chunk of your budget on artwork.  But you don't have to.  Basically your options are:

1.)  Creating a healthy budget and working with a professional dealer

2.)  Going rogue and ordering online while having the pieces installed yourself

3.)  Bring in local artists to supply the pieces for you

Any of these methods is more than acceptable.  You just have to decide which one makes the most sense for your building and then commit to implementing a complete plan to get something on your walls.

WORKING WITH A DEALER

If you choose to set aside a budget for artwork (and I absolutely encourage you to do so) and you can afford to hire a professional art dealer to outfit your walls and open spaces with professionally-installed pieces, then by all means DO IT!!  The benefits are endless for starters and if you hire a reputable team, you won't be sorry.  I have one in particular that I use on all my designs called Art Initiative.  You can find their website HERE.  I highly encourage you to take a look at their site if for no other reason than to get some ideas for what all you can do.

To get started, I print out a copy of my floor plan and note all the blank walls (especially walls that are strong focal points) where I might need a piece of artwork, digital mural or sculpture.  Then I indicate them with a letter (for example, wall A, wall B, wall C, etc.).  I've given you examples following this paragraph.  I then hand that over to my art dealer and let them recommend size options and artwork options based on my design style.  Once they send back their assessment and quote, I decide (based on the budget) which pieces to keep and which ones to eliminate.  The price is adjusted and if it's acceptable, we decide on frames or other display methods and place our order.  They then put it all together, set a date for install and come out and place everything in it's rightful location with no hassle to me or my clients whatsoever.  It's that easy.  And they can even install with special locks to keep children from accidentally pulling or knocking them off the walls!

GOING ROGUE - DIY ARTWORK

This is super easy too and will undoubtedly save you money, but not time.  You can go to some great sites like www.art.com to select the style and sizes you need.  You can even select frames from their site so all you have to do is add everything to your inbox and place your order.  The downside to this is making sure you don't get sizes that are disproportionate to your space, the hours you will put into making your selections (trust me it has the power to consume a large amount of your time) and of course the installation process.  I for one am TERRIBLE at hanging artwork.  I just don't do it.  I will always hire a team to do this for my professional spaces.  Which brings me to a good point.  If it's not your thing either, you could always order the art yourself and then hire a team to come in and professionally install it for you.  Call your local art companies and ask them for recommendations.

BRING ON THE LOCAL ARTISTS

This option has some great pros to it.  I personally love the touch of local flavor when you bring in artists from your community to produce pieces for your space.  You just have to remember to be picky and make sure that whatever you select actually works well with your design concept.  Don't take random donations.  Be able to say no when it counts.  If you can't, then don't go down this road.  It's awfully nice for a loyal patron to donate their entire collection of artwork from their great-grandmother's personal collection, but it may very well confuse your design appearance and then you've defeated the purpose of outfitting your space with artwork as a whole.  

Bringing in frame systems that will allow you to change out pieces or displays each month or more, can be very beneficial too.  You could even have an area in your children's collection for this where they can display their pieces on your walls.  This type of installation can encourage the love of the arts to other children and also make the Library that much more special to your younger patrons.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Please don't skip out on your artwork.  Get your color scheme right.  Order the beautiful, functional pieces of furniture.  Maximize your layout space.  Do all the right things when designing your space.  But don't leave the artwork as an afterthought.  You will be so pleased with your completed design if you will add even a few pieces to bring it all together.  Artwork makes a huge difference!

Got any questions about artwork?  Join my DIY Library Design Facebook group HERE and let me know what's on your mind!  I'll be glad to help in any way I can.