We all leave the most important part of our home design to the last minute.

Wall art
is probably one of the best ways to introduce colour and style into your home. You
can take a blank wall and introduce a canvas print, painting or other type of art to
transform a space within minutes.

Here I have set out some of the types of art that can help you to transform any space.

Canvas prints

These have been around for a while now with the advancement of digital technology
and with digital cameras we can print images quickly and without much knowledge.
Canvas prints are basically an image printed onto canvas and then stretched around a
solid wooden frame. These tend not to have a sub frame and hang by use of a nail,
tack or screw in the wall.

The great thing about canvas prints is that you can print almost any image as long as
you have permission from the copyright holder or artist. Ideas for canvas prints on
the walls can be an abstract , photos of your favourite city, a graffiti piece such as
Banksy or even your own photos.

Original paintings

Most of us think of original paintings costing a fortune but this doesn’t need to be the
case. Companies all over the web such as Four Blank Walls are set up by artists that
don’t have a middle man or galleries to sell their wares and can therefore sell them at
reduced rates or “studio rates”.

Types of paintings to make your walls look better can range from a simple abstract
flower to shades that match your colour scheme. If you have, for example, black, red
and silver in your room then why not ask the artist to create a painting that matches
that scheme. Most will be able to email you a sketch before starting any piece.

Try some texture in your paintings too and silver or gold leaf. Split a painting over
two or three canvases for extra style.

Perspex art

Perspex art or Acrylic prints are a relatively new idea from the digital art world. This
incorporates printing any image onto special photographic paper. This can then be
sealed to the reverse of a thick piece of acrylic. The acrylic is then suspended and
attached to the wall by use of four stainless steel bolts that sit approx 1 inch from the
wall. The idea is that he extra thick Perspex enhances the image in both colour and
depth. The fixings standoff from the wall so that light can get behind the image and
further enhance the image.

Your photos on canvas or Perspex

As mentioned in “canvas prints”, why not print your own photos onto canvas or
Perspex. This shouldn’t cost any extra to the standard prices and companies such as
Four Blank Walls offer free design on pop art, sepia tones and other special effects. It
is amazing what you can do for a few pounds.

If none of this floats your boat then why not hang a rug or frame some items onto the
wall. One of my favourite tricks is to gather old frames from flea markets and hang
them in a random fashion with my favourite items.

What ever you choose, think about colours, textures and sizes. Don’t go for
something too small on the wall or too large and ask the gallery to help you with
planning. They will be more than happy to help.