Wall art such as framed paintings or posters can add completely different character, or a feel if you like, to your home. And even the lack of this type of decor can be very expressive and set the tone of an interior. Although I’m a huge fan of traditional art and have a few classical paintings in our home, I do agree that the art industry is very difficult to navigate these days. Do you buy a painting at an auction? Do you buy it from the artist? From a flea market? From a gallery? It’s very time consuming and unless you rather enjoy the process, it can become overwhelming very quickly.
That’s one of the reasons why I’ve been drawn to poster art lately. They are much easier to acquire, to have posted (or carried home from a shop), there are so many to choose from. They are easy to store and for they are so affordable and varied, they are super easy to set the mood of an interior with, and to change it as and when you please.
5 types of posters that add a unique character to your home
Vintage educational posters
These are excellent for every study room and kid’s room but look also beautiful in a living room. I used to have a huge optometry table in the bedroom which looked very neat and didn’t distract from the rest of the vintage decor. If your home is full of foliage then you can easily add a botanical poster. Or perhaps one of a periodic table that breaks up the green jungle without too much disruption. For those who love a good curiosity cabinet – I absolutely urge you to get an anatomy poster of a human body or even a dentistry one. They are brilliant and yes, very very creepy in the best sense of the word.
Blow up photo posters
Blowing up your own photo is beautiful way of creating an absolutely unique piece of art (and home decor). Was that Santorini holiday the best week of your life? Have that sunset printed on a poster et voila – a very meaningful piece of art, and YOU made it! And it doesn’t need to stop at holiday memories. Love those singular leaf posters with block coloured background? Take close ups of your favourite houseplants, edit them in photoshop and you have a unique piece of minimalist art for your lovely home. They set the mood for any type of interior decor. And you can update them as your photography skills, travels or taste changes!
Movie posters
Film posters used to be only suitable for kid’s bedrooms, but those times are long gone. Be it Pulp Fiction or the Pride & Prejudice, you can totally add an element of your cinematic love into your interior. It’s definitely a conversation opener and it makes your space truly yours. We’ve recently added an absolutely stunning poster of the Queen of Sheba (Betty Blythe in 1921). She fits perfectly with the vibe we’re going for. It’s a mix between vintage, plant jungle and a touch of IKEA (which, I let you know, is perfectly fine for adding that modern element – you just have to choose only certain bits and bobs and not overwhelm the space). I think the black & white photograph framed in smoked ash just fits in beautifully. And she’s a little cheeky too, look!
Map posters
I’ve seen so many pieces of wall art inspired by maps and with map themes lately! Maps have been loved throughout the years and even centuries, and it doesn’t matter whether you pick a vintage map showing you all the intricate trade routes from the 1600’s or whether you pick a modern Google-like scan of Paris. They add a piece of memory or perhaps an aspiration into your home. You can choose a map of the place where you met the love of your life. Or the city where you spent your study years. Or a country where you’re planning to move to one day.
Natural and earthy posters
Natural tones bring the ultimate cosiness into any home. Surround yourself with warm earthy shades and create a beautiful inviting den that allows you to relax as soon as you step in after a long brain-wrecking day at work. Choose either muted geometric tones, splashes of paint or watercolour clouds in green, brown or cream colour. Or perhaps burnt orange or muted pink. Majority of colours can be turned into muted or be down-played a little to create a calming ambience, which also allows you to play around with different colours throughout the year. Burnt orange and green for autumn, muted ochre and peony pink for spring.
These are 4 of my faves from the Photowall website (photos are also off their website) – an illustrative guide to the art of shadows, a map of Europe, a Labyrinth film poster and a desert cactus.
Where do I get my posters?
I used to make mine – here’s a snazzy little tutorial but as we upgraded the furniture and the overall decor a little, the posters needed sprucing up too. You can see our first big one from Photowall in this post on our bedroom makeover. The hiding tiger is my favourite! And our most recent addition is the Queen of Sheba one for our living room. Photowall delivers super fast (both time the poster arrived in about 24 hours – and that was a Sweden-Prague journey, believe it or not) and their posters are a beautiful quality. They come rolled up and you screw them into the wooden edges yourself, which is ever so easy to do. I’m in love with both of them, what do you think?
Photowall were kind enough to gift me this stunning poster and they are also offering you a 25% off code on anything of their website. Use this code: “CITYSCAPE2021“. It will be valid for the next month. Have a browse through their website, they don’t do just posters – you can also get canvas prints, framed prints and murals (which we’re totally getting when we have our own place, they are stunning!).
