How Art Makes a House Your Home
- Anthony Roberts
- 17 hours ago
- 4 min read
Disclaimer: The words here are from the author and ArtMatch clients without AI editing.
A house is full of things we need to make us feel human. The walls and roof shelter us from rain and snow and safely hold our personal property. The sofas, chairs and beds give us rest. The clothes in our closets warm and cover our bodies. Sinks, tubs and showers channel water that keeps us clean. Refrigerators store our food and stoves provide heat for cooking. Books, televisions, and games spark conversation and stimulate our minds. Phones allow us to communicate with the outside world.
But beyond function, a house and the things in it can make us feel like ourselves. Where a house is located creates ties to a place ― its past, present and future. The architectural choices of lay out and material give a house a certain look that we love and a flow that syncs with our lifestyle. Moving inside the house, there are tons of choices we make about the interior design. We choose furniture for various rooms, wall colors, bathroom fixtures, lighting, plants, and pillows. With these choices, a house starts to become a home. It becomes a place that is personal. It brings joy, peace and a sense of grounding. While the choice of furniture and pillows bring a home together, a home isn’t complete without artwork, which is perhaps the most personal choice.
Why is it the most personal? Personal is defined as something belonging or relating to a single, specific individual rather than to the public, a group, or an organization. With this definition in mind, let’s break down how art is personal. First, art is created by a single, specific artist. Second, art pieces belong to a single, specific person*. Third, many art pieces are unique, not mass produced. Only one exists in the world. Those pieces that aren't unique have multiples in very limited quantities. Finally, art gives you an experience that is personal because you interpret the piece differently than anyone else based on your mind and life experience.
Art is that personal touch that makes a house your home and communicates who you are and what you value to your guests…in a way that furniture or pillows can’t do.
*Unless art is acquired by a museum or other institution.
What our clients say:
“Art turns a house into a home by making the walls speak in your voice. Furniture serves function; art serves feeling. It's the one thing in a room chosen purely because it moves you. That choice becomes a quiet signature, marking the space as unmistakably yours.
It also slows you down. A hallway you'd normally walk past becomes a place your eye catches and lingers, even for a second and that small pause is what turns "arriving" into "being home." Because good art rewards a second look, it stays alive in a way most objects don't; it can feel different on a hard day than on a good one, which is exactly what makes it comforting and thought-provoking at once.
Finally, art carries memory. A piece from a certain trip or season holds a little of that time inside it, so over the years your walls end up tracking your life alongside you which is, in the end, what makes a house feel lived-in rather than just decorated.”
“Art gives a special feeling to every room, each piece is filled with a backstory and a constant reminder of your story. It reflects your experiences, values, culture, and aspirations. It creates emotion, it becomes part of your family’s memories. A painting can make a room feel energized or calm.”
“Art brings warmth, personality and tells a bit more about who we are as a family or at least who we'd like to be. Both me and my husband have been very intentional about taking our time furnishing our place and bringing art into it because we wanted it all to be reflective of us, and not just some quickly sourced generic piece from TJ Maxx or something for the sake of it. One of the paintings that we have in our place now is by Timi Kakandar, a Nigerian artist. We saw it last year when we visited Lagos on a trip to see family. We were immediately drawn to it, loved the colors and the expression of the woman featured. Still, it took us some time to make a decision to purchase. We decided to pull the trigger because it stayed with us days after seeing it and had a vibrancy that we wanted reflected in our home. When we have friends, family, or whoever visits us at home, we want them to leave with feelings similar to the ones we had when we saw that painting. And, it's an added bonus to say that it's a painting by a Nigerian artist (pride of home for at least one of us) and in purchasing it, we supported an artist pursuing a career in an often difficult environment to do so.”
“Art adds character and vibrancy to a space, most notably a home. It can communicate values and humanity to those who encounter it; in my case it states the importance of seeing beauty, strength and brilliance across the African diaspora, most acutely the African American experience.”
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