Feeling Stressed? Use Artwork to Create a Calm Environment

Too often in interior design, art is overlooked, treated as an afterthought. It’s usually what comes last after everything is set in place, when really, because of how powerful art can be, it should be given more urgency.

When chosen well, the right piece of wall art will set the tone for the entire room. As a matter of fact, if you’re feeling any sort of unduly stress, art just might be the thing that you need to relax.

How Wall Art Sets the Tone

One of the basic principles of interior design is that the room should have a focal point, meaning a single design element that draws the attention of the viewer. Though it may not sound like much on paper, the focal point lays the basis for what the viewer unconsciously thinks they will expect to see, feel, or occur in the room.

A nice, calming piece of art will do the trick. Not only does it set the mood for the entire space, but it also provides an instant color palette, which is usually a very daunting facet in putting together a room.

It can be increasingly difficult to narrow down the color possibilities that best fit your vision, so our advice is to choose a piece (or a set of pieces) of wall art that you absolutely love, and let it do the heavy lifting for you.

The right piece of wall art also brings about a sense of texture, especially when artworks of different mediums are placed together in one setting. Those extra bits of texture can help add the visual weight that you need to your interior, which helps immensely in determining how a room feels or should feel. Keep this insight in mind: rough textures make a space feel intimate, whereas smooth ones give off an aloof tone.

Lastly, wall art simply makes the room appear more finished. You might have seen interiors in which there were empty spaces, spaces that felt rough, unfinished, forgotten. Wall art is exactly the element needed to help bring the space together, taking it from a basic, functional room to something that came right out of a magazine. Artworks become essential when looking for an excellent framework with which you will use to plan or envision the rest of the room.

How Art Styles Can Calm You Down

Art has the amazing power to heal. To calm, to placate, to provide balance.

With heavy work, hard times, and financial worries, who wouldn’t be stressed?

However there exists an easy solution to this: look at art. There is solid evidence that looking at art can have a most positive influence on your mood, as well as your state of mental being. Studies have shown that viewing (and creating) art decreases stress levels. The next time you look at a work of Monet or Rothko, take some time to really take in the colours, the textures, the art as a whole and allow your thoughts to wind down and your mind to relax.

Watercolour, for example, is the most common art style associated with serenity, due to its texture, its fluidity, the way it just runs across the paper and mingles with the rest of the colours. The artist works masterfully to create a piece that becomes cohesive, one that brings the viewer in, and lets the mind run free.

See the piece, String of Pearls, Watercolour, as an example. Its subtle contrast against the white backdrop makes for a very calming work of art. When you look at it, you instantly feel more tranquil without even realising it, or without even knowing why.

Giclée is another style of art that can be most peaceful to look at. Let’s take a look at The Harmony, Abstract Art, Set of 2 as an example. Giclée is actually a type of print that is a reproduction of an original work of art or photograph. They are typically art paper or canvas prints that have been printed out using an inkjet printer. They follow certain standards to ensure that the sharpest detail and highest resolution shows through, capturing every aspect of the original work. 

Perhaps it’s the appearance of the highly refine giclée style that makes it so enchanting to look at. The Harmony, though abstract in nature, observes colours and strokes that are truly majestic in their own way. Its flow around the frame encourages you to let go, to flow alongside it. Its colours also blend perfectly together, which is certainly a feast for the eyes as well as the palette.

How the Subject Makes a Difference

Although art isn’t always meant to have a subject, sometimes when there is one, it helps in setting the mood tremendously. This is attributed to our associations with the subject, or what kind of scene is being shown or even implied in the painting.

Take this set of wall art prints, Sunrise by the Ocean, Ocean and Beach Landscape, Set of 3 for example. It depicts the beach and ocean in all its glory, creating a serene picture that invokes a sense of calm and collectedness.

This is because when we see the ocean, we think fresh air. We remember the refreshing sound of the waves. We see blue, which is scientifically proven to be associated with feelings of calm and peace. Everything about the piece is a symbol of quietude and repose, and so naturally, we are inclined to feel that way upon laying eyes on it.

Similarly in the piece, Dandelions, Style C, we see a dandelion dancing in the wind. We associate this with positive energy, with strength and hopefulness, with growth. Though it might be a common sign to see a dandelion, the depiction of this lone dandelion against a simple background is greatly impactful.

A bright but humble flower, the dandelion is a powerful symbol in many cultures. Its colour and its cultural history represents innocence, youth, purity, healing, happiness, optimism. All these things equate to a better and healthier state of mind, which would explain why when looking at this print conjures up such positive feelings.

On the other hand, let’s observe the muted colours of the Light as a Feather, Style A. Many people associate different things with feathers, but some common perceptions that come to mind are usually those that have to do with positive symbols as well. Angels, wind, being connected to a higher realm. Sleep, spirit, strength. There are some that believe that seeing feathers in unexpected places means to say that your guardian angels are watching over you.

It’s also an element commonly associated with birds, which are another symbol for freedom and escape. It’s no surprise why this piece brings about such calming energy, especially with the subject’s roots in spirituality.

Art is a powerful, awesome force that, when picked correctly according to style, placement, or subject, can summon positive, soothing feelings. This can be especially helpful when in times of peril.

Having a lovely piece of artwork on your wall can completely transform not only your mood, but your whole mindset.

You can easily add artwork to your home with the help of Gioia Wall Art. We offer a huge range of wall art prints in almost any style you can imagine. Shipping for free all over Australia, set the tone in your home with our help today.