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I am curious how you guys buy art for your new/existing homes? I bought a new home in Mumbai and was hoping to decorate it, either myself or through an interior decorators.
I am confused because I cannot picture myself going to galleries or shops to buy art. Do you guys buy online? Are there even websites where you can buy art?
I am just very curious.
Well, there are at least two ways to do it. Some people who love art and know what they love will buy the artwork first and then decide on how to furnish the home to go with the art. But I think that's fairly rare. I believe most people furnish their home the way they want it and then pick out artwork that goes with the furnishings. It seems to me like it's easier to do it the second way.
If you're totally on your own with these decisions and you can afford it, by all means consider hiring an interior designer. Just make sure you like their style by asking to see photos of their work. However, if you do it yourself, I would select my furnishings and stick to mostly solid colors. That way you don't have as much difficulty trying to find things that 'go with' what you have.
The other reason to buy the furnishings first is to get artwork that suits the room as far as scale is concerned. That is the size of the items in relationship to the other items. For instance you wouldn't want to buy large furniture and pick out small artwork or vice-versa.
Also, depending on your budget, you may decide to go with framed prints rather than original artwork. There's nothing wrong with that. I don't know where you're located if they have framing stores there. Framing stores often sell art and if they do, you may be able to order something from their catalogs. Your frame will also need to blend in with your furnishings. One frame may give a totally different look to the artwork than another frame. Then there are decisions about matting and what kind of glass to get. That will apply unless you are buying original paintings.
Personally, I have bought art that I loved when I saw it. But although I have a lot of art, (but nothing very expensive) I am now faced with deciding what will go where in my new home. We bought some of the furnishings from the previous owner and a lot of what I have doesn't really go, color-wise or theme-wise. So I don't know what I'm going to put where. It's not an easy process.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
And yes, you certainly can buy online. Just make sure the sizes fit properly in whatever location you have designated for that piece.
Last edited by jadedlady; 09-20-2013 at 04:17 AM..
Reason: Edited to add additional information.
I bought a piece of art online once and was disappointed in what I received. It was an oriental print with gold leaf. I thought that since it was a print I wouldn't have to worry about it not looking like the photo. But that's what happened. It was the same image, but the photo they posted online looked much more dimensional and like better quality art than it did when I saw it in real life. And the gold leaf added to my print was splotchy in places.
Lesson learned--art, like shoes, are things I want to see in real life before I buy.
I recently bought a Onyx tile lightup . There are many websites who deliver online. But the who offered it quickly and at an affordable price were eskandari. They also had a huge collection compared with other websites.
There are typically art shows and events in every part of the country which would give you an opportunity to develop a familiarity and aesthetic to art that you like that would then make you more comfortable and confident when you are ready to purchase.
There is an event around here called C-Notehttp://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/...2m27cnote.html sponsored by the San Diego Art Institute held a couple of times a year where regional artist's works are featured and every piece is available for purchase for either $100, $200 or $300, and as the article notes it really is like getting Nordstrom art at Walmart prices. We have purchased several original pieces this way that have found treasured spots in our home. The event is a bit of mayhem as it gets underway, kind of like a super discounted day at a wedding dress shop lol, but it's well worth it to get on in there and grab some original quality art. I'm well past my days of prints and posters purchased online, only the real thing for me.
I would suggest trying to find something like this to get your feet wet and start your collection. Developing a collection of art does and should take time though, not something to rush, buy original, one of a kind items that you like and you can never go wrong.
Thanks T.Damon..That helps..BTW, u mention about buying prints and posters online..how about if originals were to be sold online..would you then buy it? Or would you still prefer to go see the artwork physically before making a decision?
I'd look into your area having an art sale in a hotel or a conference center. Like an art expo. It's helpful to see stuff in person, but we have bought art online and liked it. I guess it depends on the site and their return policy.
Art.com and Mywhitewalls.com are the 2 sites we have used (I assume you are not talking about fine art).
This site is good for original art, but is currently offline 20x200.com
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