How to Choose Art for Your Interior Style (Japandi, Coastal, Mediterranean and More)
You've picked the sofa, the rug, the tiles and the paint colour. You've lived through the dust. Now the walls are staring at you, and every decision feels like it has to be the right one.
Here's the good news. Art is the easiest part to get right if you start with the style you already have, not with what's trending.
Start with three things in the room
Before you look at a single artwork, pick out three things in your space: the biggest colour (usually the sofa or bed), the main material (timber, linen, stone, rattan) and one accent you love (cushions, a rug, a vase). Good art picks up at least one of them and adds something new.
Art for Japandi and minimal interiors
Japandi is calm: natural timber, soft neutrals, clean lines. You don't need to go beige to match. Look for art with a muted, natural palette and one or two grounding colours like terracotta or eucalyptus green, so the room feels warm rather than empty.
Two of my artworks were made for exactly this:
- Blue Gum Forest: terracotta, navy, soft blue and warm tan. The palette was inspired by an ancient Incan quipu, coloured with natural pigments from minerals, plants and flowers, which is about as Japandi as it gets.
- La Vie en Rosé: eucalyptus greens, terracotta, tans and soft pinks under a peachy sky. Gentle enough for a calm room, with a hidden bottle of rosé for those who look closely.
Photo above: "Blue Gum Forest" above a white sofa.
Photo above: "La Vie en Rosé" brings soft colour to a calm space.
Choose one large piece rather than lots of small ones, and frame it in natural timber or oak.
Art for modern coastal homes
Coastal doesn't have to mean a painting of the ocean, anchors, a fish or a Hamptons beach scene. Think sea blues, sandy tans, a hit of coral or blush, and plenty of light. Botanicals feel coastal without being clichéd, because that's what grows near the beach.
I live and paint on Sydney's Northern Beaches, so coastal is in my blood. Two of my favourites for a modern coastal home:
- Avalonia Sunrise Full Landscape: the sun rising over the Pacific Ocean to greet the morning swimmers, with a clifftop, an ocean pool, palms, Norfolk pines and succulents. It's extra wide, so it's made for the long wall above a sofa.
- Coastal Gone Postal: my answer to people who ask if I do "coastal" art. A crazy collection of Australian botanicals in a spectrum of blues, with the odd shell, seagrass and coral woven in for fun.
Photo above: "Avalonia Sunrise Full Landscape" above an extra wide sofa.
Photo above: Anna standing beside the original "Coastal Gone Postal".
For more, have a look at my Blue collection.
Art for Mediterranean and Spanish style homes
Terracotta, limewash, arches, olive trees and long lunches. Mediterranean homes love warm colour, so this is your licence to be brave: peachy pinks, terracotta, olive greens and deep blues.
Two of my favourites for a Mediterranean home:
- Puglia Viva and Mediterraneo pair: everything we love about a Mediterranean summer. Palm trees, whitewashed architecture, bougainvillea, cactus, Roman patterns, urns, huge sun hats by the pool and even the Trulli houses of Puglia. Hung side by side, they make a big impact on a wide wall. Viva Italia!
- Formentera Dreaming: painted for my solo exhibition in Ibiza, inspired by the neighbouring island of Formentera. A blush sunset sky over local flowers, shrubs and trees in blush, white, olive green and rust, with an abstract windmill as a nod to the island's ruins. Perfect against limewashed walls.
Photo above: the "Puglia Viva" and "Mediterraneo" pair, hung side by side.
Photo above: "Formentera Dreaming" in a living room.
For more warm colour, see my Pink collection. My work already lives in homes in Barcelona.
Art for Hamptons and classic homes
Crisp white, navy, timber floors and a touch of polish. Choose art with a strong blue base and some energy to stop the room feeling too formal. A framed piece in white or oak keeps it fresh.
Two that work beautifully in a Hamptons home:
- Jacaranda Bay: named after my favourite tree, which blooms on my birthday every year. Its blues and purples sit perfectly with crisp white and navy, and you can decide if you're looking at the bay from above, below the water, or as a reflection.
- Botanical Gallop: ever wondered what it feels like to gallop through the Australian bush on horseback? This is what it looks like. A thunderous riot of wattle, kangaroo paws, flannel flowers, waratah, banksia, protea and eucalyptus that brings energy to a classic room.
Photo above: "Jacaranda Bay", framed.
Photo above: "Botanical Gallop" bringing energy to a classic room.
Art for eclectic and maximalist homes
If your home already has pattern on pattern, you want art that can hold its own. This is where my boldest, most colourful pieces shine:
- Bend Like a Banana: painted for a friend I've shared many adventures with, including trying to ski in Europe while our instructor begged us to "bend like a banana". Ultramarine blue, hot pink and golden yellow, and pure fun. The original now hangs in her home in Ibiza.
- The Wild Women collection: portraits of women drawn in a single unbroken line over my botanical backgrounds, celebrating the strength of women everywhere. Meet Wild Child, a fire sign who needs to cool off in the ocean; Melonie, a jazz club chanteuse with feathers in her hair; and Chick with the Crazy Hair, which you could argue is a self portrait.
Photo above: "Bend Like a Banana" in a bedroom.
Even my busiest paintings use a deliberately limited palette of six colours plus white. That's what stops a maximalist room tipping into chaos.
Does the art have to match the room?
No, and it shouldn't match exactly. Art that echoes one or two colours, then adds a surprise, makes the whole room feel finished. What it does need to do is make you happy. Please choose with your heart (not just your head).
Quick answers
What art suits a Japandi interior? Calm artwork with a muted, natural palette and a grounding colour like terracotta or eucalyptus green, in a timber frame.
What art goes with Mediterranean decor? Warm colour: terracotta, peachy pinks, olive greens and deep blues.
What art suits a coastal home without being clichéd? Botanical and landscape art in sea blues, sandy tans and soft pinks.
Should wall art match the room? It should echo one or two colours, not match everything.
Not sure which artwork suits your space? Send me a photo of your wall, its width in centimetres or inches, and the artworks you're considering to hello@annalohe.com. I'll send you a free mockup so you can see it in your room before you decide. Anna x
Anna Lohe is an Australian contemporary artist working from her studio in Palm Beach on Sydney's Northern Beaches. She paints joyful, expressionist botanical artworks, sold as originals and limited edition prints, and ships worldwide. Read Anna's story or email hello@annalohe.com.
Written by Anna Lohe
