On a wet, rainy Saturday afternoon, visiting your local art gallery can be a pretty fun experience. My art skills got stuck at the kindergarten level so I'm always in awe when I see how talented artists can be. Speaking of stuck, sometimes I have a hard time figuring out what colors go best with each other when I'm wanting to refresh my home décor. So I thought, why not learn from the best?
I've selected a few of the most famous artworks in the world and compared them to real-life examples of hotel rooms with the same color scheme. Have a look and see what you think!
1. Girl with a Pearl Earring – Johannes Vermeer c. 1665
I have to admit, I knew a lot more about this painting after watching the 2003 movie of the same name starring Scarlotte Johansson and Colin Firth. The painting is beautiful. Besides the fact that it seems like she's looking right at you and trying to tell you something, what appeals to me is the soothing tan and blue color combination.
The Nobis Hotel Copenhagen in Denmark seems to agree:
Look at how clean and contemporary this combination looks in a room. Next time you're trying to think of a color to go with your tan or light wood furniture, why not give blue a try? It doesn't always have to be gray!
2. Whistler's Mother – James Abbott McNeill Whistler c. 1871
I also have to admit, the first time I heard of this painting was in the movie Bean (BTW, I personally think Mr. Bean ranks up there with Friends for the most hilarious TV shows ever!). Black, white, and gray is a classy combination of shades that'll never go out of style.
Let's see how the InterContinental Paris le Grand hotel in France does it:
I do love bright colors though, so I likely won't use that throughout my home, but for a small space like a bathroom, I would totally give it a try.
3. The Great Wave off Kanagawa – Katsushika Hokusai c. 1831
You can never go wrong with white and blue! I think one of the reasons why that combination is so popular is because it reminds us so much of the ocean and beaches. I also heard that blue is calming and helps reduce stress. Maybe that's why my dentist painted her dental office blue – although I'm not sure how much it actually works on me!
Here's how The Rubens at the Palace in the United Kingdom uses this color combination:
If you spend a lot of time like me tearing your hair out when you have writer's block, consider decorating your home office in peaceful shades of white and blue!
4. The Starry Night – Vincent van Gogh c. 1889
I actually have a 1,000-piece puzzle of this painting that's hanging on my wall! My favorite thing about this painting is the swirly parts that make it seem like it's moving. And of course, the blue and yellow color combination is practically iconic.
The Hotel Clark Budapest in Hungary seems to like these colors too:
Silver seems to go really well with the blue and yellow. Maybe consider adding some silver vases or pots if you have this color scheme.
5. Mona Lisa – Leonardo da Vinci c 1503-1506, perhaps continuing until c. 1517
And of course, how can I possibly leave out the Mona Lisa? Most of the focus seems to be on her enigmatic smile, but I think a big part of the appeal is also how well the different shades of brown and earthy tones go together. Put it all together and you have one of the most recognizable paintings in the world.
Let's see how brown tones are used by the Arijiju safari lodge in Kenya:
It'll be so amazing to actually see one of these artworks in person. Hopefully I'll get the chance to do that soon! Have you seen any of these in person? What was it like? Let me know!
