Artwork is one of those things that can absolutely decimate a budget. So I'm always on the hunt for reasonably priced, great looking pieces for my clients.
If the budget allows, I prefer to use original artwork, for obvious reasons. I love to support artists, and there's something undeniably special about a singular piece. Plus there are good resources for well priced ones, Etsy and local art colleges among them.
Sometimes an original isn't in the cards, though. Maybe we can't find anything that the clients really love, or any that are in the right color palette. Or maybe we can't find anything affordable that will fill the space properly. In that situation, we often create a gallery wall: a collection of smaller pieces, clustered together like so:
home of Andrea Millar
But sometimes you just really need a large, singular piece to land a room, and that's when I like to turn to a canvas print.
These are a relatively new, and brilliantly affordable, addition to the designer's arsenal. They're usually created by emerging artists. They're often available framed, and in a variety of sizes, including quite large ones. They're often just the ticket for creating a great visual focal point. Some of my favorites are below.
Colorful Strokes diptych, 44" x 32", $299
Deep Water Current, 60" x 47", $800
Agatha, 40" x 40", $289
Homage to Dibenkorn II, 35.5" x 41.5", $469
Springtime, 40" x 31", $299
Blue Hole, 34" x 40", $369
I'm a fan of these because they instantly elevate a space. Large pieces of art are usually really costly, so these look much more expensive than they are. And I'm a true believer in the importance of scale. If things are too small for a space--artwork and rugs among them--the whole room looks cheap. These prints are a neat workaround to that problem. And since they're not terribly costly, if you can afford to swap in an original at some point down the road, it's not too painful to do so.
My advice when it come to art: go big, bigger than you think you might need. You'll be amazed at how much more costly your room looks with just this one change.