Home. It’s more than wood and concrete. It’s a sanctuary. A place to be ourselves. Every chair, curtain and tchotchke says something about who we are and what's important to us. When we’re young, decor often amounts to whatever hand-me-downs we collect as we move. As we settle down, the desire to express ourselves often takes root. Nothing reflects personal style more than the art we choose for our home.
The hard part can be where to start. “Unfortunately, a lot of people choose their art first for what everything else looks like and they try to match that. What’s important is what you feel, what you see, what you visualize. What speaks to you is what’s most important,” shared Brad Robertson, local artist, and partner in Robertson Gallery. “If you put art in your house, it has to be something you enjoy looking at and seeing every day.”
“Art is a language of its own. When you find a piece, it's essential in decorating an environment, but it also needs to evoke a feeling, an attachment you have with it. Finding that piece you can connect with is everything and becomes more personal for you that you can share with others,” said Natassa Kouromichelakis, interior designer and partner with Brad in Robertson Gallery.
If you want your home to truly reflect your personal style, the best path is to start with a blank slate. “Forget you have anything else in there and start from your art. Figure out what speaks to you, and you build from there. Then organically, it just creates its own space. When you tie it around an art piece, that speaks volumes to anyone who sees it. For the owner, for guests, they will know this is thought out,” stated Robertson.
“It’s not only aesthetics. Of course, it will elevate your home aesthetically, but it becomes something personal, something raw, something you want to share,” said Natassa.
Many choose their home decor to evoke a theme or to reflect the local environment. If you choose art that speaks to you, and design your space around it, it will elevate the space beyond what you find at your local department store. “Some of the landscapes I do in blues that look like water scenes. People in New York City will gravitate to those just as much as someone in Michigan or someone down here in Florida because it reminds them of a place. They don’t have to be there, but they can go into that painting and see that place. It just brings that back,” shared Brad. “It leads back to that emotional connection,” said Kouromichelakis.
There are several options to try when exploring your personal art style. If you’re willing to commit to the time and effort, you could attempt to make your own art. If you don’t have the time or interest in getting your hands dirty, those on a tight budget can source art prints. Many local stores carry a range of offerings to explore your personal style. Those with more funds to commit will be rewarded by selecting one-of-a-kind custom art.
“Prints will fill spaces on a budget. When you’re buying a piece of original art, you’re investing. It lasts forever. It’s timeless,” said Robertson. “That’s the beauty of art. You can pass them down to your children,” added Natassa.
If you need more help, contact a local gallery for one-on-one guidance. Robertson Gallery, located at 5404 Main Street in Downtown New Port Richey, offers personal art consultations, custom canvas printing as well as many other art services.
What’s important is what you feel, what you see, what you visualize.