A Gallery Owner’s Honest Advice
One of the questions I’m asked most often in the gallery is:
“What type of art should I hang in my home?”
People usually expect a design rule. Something about colours, trends, or what works best above a sofa.
But after years of helping people choose artwork, I’ve learned the answer is actually much simpler — and far more personal.
The Short Answer
The best art to hang in your home is art you feel a genuine connection to.
Not art that matches your cushions. Not art that follows a trend. Not art chosen purely because it suits the room.
The artwork that belongs in your home is the piece that makes you stop, look again, and feel something.
That might be a painting, a photograph, a print, or a mixed media piece. The style doesn’t matter nearly as much as the connection you feel when you see it.
At Gallery Unbound in Northcote, I see this happen all the time. People walk in unsure of what they’re looking for, and then suddenly one artwork pulls them in. They keep coming back to it while they walk around the gallery.
That’s usually the piece they take home.
The Most Common Mistake People Make
The biggest mistake I see people make when choosing art is buying something to match their décor.
It seems logical at first. If your sofa is beige and your walls are neutral, you might feel like you should find something that fits that palette.
But art isn’t just decoration.
When people buy art purely to match their interiors, the artwork often starts to feel tired over time. As soon as the décor changes, the art suddenly feels like it needs replacing too.
Art deserves a more meaningful role in your home.
I often tell people something that surprises them at first:
The art you buy doesn’t need to match your décor. In fact, if it doesn’t — change your décor to match your art!
When you choose artwork you truly love, it becomes the most important piece in the room. Your space can evolve around it.
The Types of Buyers I See in the Gallery
Running a gallery means I see many different types of art buyers.
Some are first-time buyers who have never purchased art before and feel a little unsure about walking into a gallery.
Others are people decorating a new home who want something meaningful on their walls instead of mass-produced prints.
Sometimes people arrive looking for a gift and unexpectedly fall in love with a piece themselves.
What’s interesting is that most purchases happen the same way.
Someone connects emotionally with a piece of art. They keep drifting back to it while they walk around the gallery. They leave, come back, look at it again.
Eventually they realise they simply don’t want to leave without it.
That emotional connection is the real reason people buy art.
Do You Need a Big Artwork for a Big Wall?
Another thing people often say when they visit the gallery is:
“My wall is huge, so I need something big.”
But that’s not always the case.
Sometimes you might fall in love with a smaller piece. The challenge is that a single small artwork can get lost on a large wall.
But that doesn’t mean it’s the wrong artwork.
You can build around it. Over time you might add other works and create a gallery wall that reflects your taste and experiences.
On the other hand, sometimes a large statement piece is exactly what a space needs.
There’s no strict rule when it comes to scale. The connection you feel with the artwork should always come first. Once you’ve found the right piece, there are always ways to make it work in your home.
Original Art vs Prints
People also ask whether they should buy original art or prints.
There are lots of reasons someone might choose prints. Sometimes the original has already sold. Sometimes the original artwork simply costs more than someone wants to spend.
Prints can be a great way to bring an artist’s work into your home at a more accessible price. If you’re exploring different original art and prints, browsing a range of works can help you discover what styles and artists you naturally connect with.
But regardless of whether it’s an original or a print, the most important thing remains the same: you should love the artwork you’re bringing into your space.
A Simple Question I Ask in the Gallery
Sometimes someone will stand in front of an artwork for quite a while and say:
“I’m not sure if I should buy it.”
When that happens, I usually ask a very simple question:
“Will you miss it if you walk away?”
It’s surprisingly common for someone to visit the gallery, leave, and then return weeks later saying:
“Do you remember that piece you had hanging in the window a few weeks ago?”
Sometimes they’re lucky and it’s still available.
But often it has already sold.
If a piece stays in your mind after you leave, it usually means it connected with you.
Imagine walking into a room in your home and seeing that artwork every day. It might transport you somewhere. It might lift your mood. It might make you pause and think.
That feeling is the real reason people buy art.
The Best Art for Your Home
So what type of art should you hang in your home?
The honest answer is simple.
Choose the art that moves you.
Not the art that matches your couch.
Not the art that follows a trend.
Not the art that someone else tells you to like.
The right artwork is the one that makes you stop, look again, and feel something every time you see it.
And when you find that piece, you’ll know.
If you’re not sure where to start, that’s completely normal. Many of the people who visit the gallery are buying art for the first time and aren’t quite sure what they’re looking for yet.
But that’s something we can help with.
With a little information about your space, the kinds of things you’re drawn to, and how you want an artwork to make you feel, we can often connect you with an artist whose work will truly resonate with you.
Because finding the right artwork isn’t about following rules.
It’s about discovering the piece that moves you every time you walk into the room.
If you’re ready to discover artwork that speaks to you, explore the original artworks available in the Gallery Unbound shop.