The art of displaying art II

Layering and leaning art

Image via home edit

Whatever your tastes, displaying art in your home is a great way to express your personality in your interiors! Big art, small art, it doesn’t matter, as long as it makes an interesting impact and puts a smile on your face. In my last post I explored the way the traditional gallery wall is evolving into a fresh and modern way to display art....a little less structured and a little more unexpected than before... Building on from this I want to talk about an even more relaxed way to display your favorite pieces today: Leaning and layering Art!

Pablo Picasso in his studio, Image found on  Pinterest

This casual way to display art in your home is reminiscent of the artist studio, where works-in-progress are strewn across the space and leaned up against the walls... It adds a bohemian feel to your home and the apparent chaotic randomness of the display will make your interior seem less conceived....and more confident!
Living with art is to make it part of the way we interact in our personal space.  Leaning art brings it close: We can study it, pick it up and touch it, live with it in ways we can’t do when it’s nailed to a wall.

Image via pinterest

An eclectic collection of art looks great leaned up against the walls, from the floor or from shelves and furniture...

Image via domestic bliss

And it's a great way to make your art part of the interior in a way that just hanging your art can't.

Image via Lonny

Of course, we are not all blessed with large curated collections of pieces of art, or big living spaces that lends themselves to that "artist-studio" look...

Image via The pursuit aesthetic

But there are ways to incorporate some of this casual-ness into your interior without the need for easels and paint-splattered floor...or spending copious amounts on expensive artwork.

Image from Apartment therapy

Leaning art casually against the wall from sideboards and credenzas, is a great way to achieve this look...

Image via Design sponge

...And of course, if you are renting and hanging art is not an option.or maybe you suffer from "hole-in-the-wall phobia".....this is an ideal way to add some personality into your home with art without getting the power tools out!

Image via Apartment therapy

Family photo's , posters , postcards , children's drawings or DIY artwork are inexpensive and will all look amazing , framed or unframed, when coupled with a few great pieces in this apparently random manner, and mixing medias and types of art will add an eclectic flair to the display. 

And because you are free to move your art around as you please, it will also be easier to change out your art whenever you feel like it, meaning you can add and take away from the collection over time. This in turn means that you can curate art you love as your tastes and budgets change, without spending ages contemplating where to hang it!

Image via style-files

A big part of getting this look right is getting to grips with layering your artwork:

Much in the same way as when creating a gallery wall, considering the size , shape and colors of your artwork is important to create a successful composition...
 Cluster art in different frames, canvases and colors you want a bohemian look or in similar frames with a limited color palette if you want a more sleek look....Mix sizes and layer different heights.

Image via Nordic Bliss,Styling by Pella Hedeby

In the above image, one of my favorite stylists, Pella Hedeby , has artfully layered posters, photos and framed art on the wall ....all in a monochrome color palette, and accompanied by leaning a framed print xx against the wall on the floor next to the bed, and again in front of it...

This makes the art part of the simple furnishings and the overall expression of the interiors....she has also used books to further layer the decor and emphasize the casual feel of this room...

Image from Home life

By combining leaning artwork against wall hung artwork, you can create an interesting display, adding a touch of mystery, as you're partially obscuring the piece behind...

Image via Coco Kelly

Obscuring a beautiful piece of art may seem wasteful, but it will add a sense of intrigue, and make your guests curious to explore more of your interior...

Creating artfully leaning vignettes as a backdrop to displaying items of interest , collections , curiosity's and home accessories lets the artwork connect to the other objects in your vignette,sitting on the same surface in a more meaningful way.

Image from The Nordic Bliss

Create intriguing spots of interest by layering art and objects together.

Leaning art together on shelves is visually appealing.... especially if the artwork is similarly  sized and styled, it will give the same visual expression as an artfully created gallery wall, with the benefit of enabling you to rearrange the art display on the shelves, interspersed with accessories to fit your mood or the seasons. This will help create a casual, but sophisticated look.

Image via Analog/Dialog

Of course I cannot talk about leaning art in the home without mentioning the IKEA Ribba picture ledge...

Image via At dusk

As much as I am sure that there was people leaning and layering art in their homes before the Ribba picture ledge became available, there is no doubt that their existence has aided the popularity of this way of displaying art in our homes...

Image via The design chaser

It has enabled us all to embrace the interchangeable art display in a way that most people would not have considered before...

Image from Emma's design blog

...making full use of the wall space available to us!
Add a few pieces leaning casually on the floor as well,like above, and you've nailed it!!

Image via SF girl by bay

Leaning art in unexpected places adds to the appealing intrigue of the interior.....And making use of the floor-space along a wall lets you play with the relationship between the art and the furniture...

Image via Pinterest

As well as helping you create some of that essential negative space in relation to your display..

Image from Refinery

Again, playing with the sizes and layering the art in an artfully casual arrangement defines this look.

Image via A merry mishap

And of course it will save you the job of working out how to hang a particularly big and heavy piece of art on the wall... 

Image via Sarah Sarna

In fact, by leaning particularly big pieces of art from the floor against the wall, lets the artwork play peek-aboo in an intriguing way from behind, say a sofa or an armchair, like in the image above...

Image via Vosges Paris

Of course leaning just one huge piece of art on its own , from the floor makes a huge statement....but I will explore the power of One in my next post....so more on that later!

Maybe the leaning and layering artwork display is not for you, but it cannot be denied that there is a certain appeal about this casual way to personalize your home...
I think the trick to pull this off is to strike a balance between the unexpected casualness of it and not making it look like you're just too lazy to hang up your artwork!
There are no rules, but do try to keep in mind the relationship between the layers of art, your home accessories and your furniture and the space it all sits in!

What do you think?
Are you ready to give leaning and layering your artwork a go??

I can tell you that as my collection of art is growing, this seems to me the most practical solution, without retorting to a selling frenzy on e-bay!