Choosing abstract artwork for your room just got easier.

Decorating and styling your home is one of the most exciting and fun parts of being a homeowner. A huge component of room styling comes down to art selections — abstract art is a long-standing winner in this area.

Aside from choosing the style of abstract art you’d like for your room (not to mention, the art itself), one of the first things you’ll need to think about is the colour of it. More specifically, the colour of your chosen abstract art and how it will work with — or against — the overall dynamic and colours of your room.

You’ll need to consider the colours, tones, and hues in your art, walls, and décor. These elements will either enhance one another or compete in visual chaos (not the good kind…).

Whether you decide to coordinate with a perfect match or contrast with a striking mismatch, here are some helpful tips for selecting complementing colour choices.

The “purist” approach.

The “purist” approach embodies the mentality that stunning artwork is best displayed on a crisp white wall with no distractions. Most Australian homes are quite neutral, so many homebodies opt for this approach without even realising it.

The good news is, this makes colour coordinating easier because really… there’s nothing to coordinate with — you’ve got a blank slate! If you’re starting with white walls and neutral furnishings as a base, basically any artwork will look striking in your space. In particular, you can go for bold and more colourful abstract art pieces because there are no competing elements around.

Hero purist pieces.

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Draw out key colours.

Certain hues in your art piece will stand out more depending on its surroundings. Look around your room to find key colours in your décor, fabrics and furnishings. Then, you can strategically select an artwork that will draw on these colours and make them “pop”.

For example, if you have predominantly blue-green toned décor, you could opt for an Australian coastal print or riptide setting to emphasis those tones even more. If you have more earthy hues lying around — browns, burnt oranges and natural reds — an inland print will be beautifully complementary.

Utilising key colours you currently showcase and love is a good approach if you already have an established home and aren’t looking to change up your cushions, furniture, drapery, and so on.

Our top picks for key-colours.

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Go monochromatic. 

Usually, the term “matchy-matchy” isn’t a compliment — unless you’re striving for that monochromatic aesthetic. Here, matchy-matchy is the goal!

The monochromatic trend is sweeping through wardrobes and homes. If you don’t already know, this refers to a colour palette built from variations of a single colour. For example, using red as a “base colour” — white and red creates pink, black to red creates maroon. Then, you could build a monochromatic colour scheme from pinks, reds, and maroons.

The monochrome dynamic can be applied to any colour, including neutrals. If you were going for this look, ideally you’d be painting your wall in your chosen monochromatic shade as well. It’s not that you want your abstract artwork to blend in to the point of becoming unnoticeable, it’s about creating a harmonious and soothing atmosphere from a single shade. Instead of your artwork being the central “wow” moment, your entire wall becomes one.

Honestly, it’s pretty hard to nail, but is breathtaking when done well.

Our favourite monochrome prints.

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Before we go…

Remember that choosing art prints for your home isn’t an exact science. It’s a lot of personal preference and intuition, as well as trial and error. Perhaps the image you bought for the lounge room actually looks better in the study, or those greens you were hoping to emphasis are more distracting than engaging. The most important bit of advice we can give is to experiment and enjoy the process.

If you’re really stuck and feeling overwhelmed, you can start by collating a mood-board with art and colours (Pinterest is the easiest way to do this). Don’t overthink it — you’ll naturally be drawn to certain colours and styles, and probably surprise yourself with your selections at the same time.

You’ve never seen Australia like this.

Ginger Imagery for abstract art prints.

At Ginger Imagery, we create captivating wall art that effortlessly blends the Australian outback with abstract art. We love showcasing organic textures through natural landscapes and seascapes, with many people viewing our work and asking, “is that a photo or a painting?” — which we find the greatest compliment!

Explore our collection to find the perfect print or canvas for your home or workplace.