Let the walls speak.

I don’t mean, if only the walls could speak – what would they say. That’s a different topic entirely.

I’m talking about artwork, photos, things we attach vertically in the spaces we live. Posters in teenage bedrooms, a calendar in the toilet, paintings and art acquired on travels to far-flung and not so far-flung places, awkwardly-posed photos and randomly spontaneous ones, kids kinder drawings flapping on the fridge door, wooden carvings, and framed fabric. Walls and doors (and sometimes windows, floors and ceilings) were made for art.

But why do we do it? What’s the merit? Beauty? Memories? Setting the tone? Mood enhancement? Investment? Sentimentality? Peer pressure? Real Estate value? All of this and more.

One Washington art collector has said that art in the home ‘provides accents, invokes emotion and adds clarity’.

Reasons differ as much as style. And when people are co-habiting, styles are either going to clash or blend. Without sending all of your partner’s art to the shed, compromise with décor is akin to compromise across the whole relationship. Or just maybe, you’ve got the design-power in your house and the job falls on you to enhance the verticals. Or maybe, none of you have any idea (or confidence). There’s a reason that interior design is a burgeoning industry.

Those purporting or supporting minimalist ideals still have room for art, colour and expression in their houses. Although I’m not sure I’ve seen stuff stuck on fridges or blue-tacked to walls in such places (at least, not on their Instagram).

We’re unlucky (or should I say, lucky), like one of my friends, to have a lot of windows – which means that while we don’t have as much hanging space, we do have fantastic light, greenery and sky as a backdrop. Our choices for the remaining walls and spaces are about story-telling, beauty and colour. The story-telling may not always be from the artist, but in our re-telling as to how it came to be here, or our own insights, or a combination of all.

You probably already know the adage, choose what you like and the value will come from that. (Unless of course you are a legitimate art-collector). So, don’t worry about what others will say or might think. Select well. Change it regularly if you want (particularly the fridge art, because there’s probably more of that to come). Talk about it.

And let the walls speak.