Designer Art On A Budget

Whenever I'm looking for art, I tend to be drawn to organic inspirations and I prefer photography more than anything. I find the simplicity of black and white photography simply stunning and it makes such a big impact. I recently worked on a dinning room for a good friend and have been on the hunt for some unique and special art. Good art can be very costly yet very worth the investment, but the average Joe has to think a little out of the box to find the right pieces at prices they can afford.

Here are some ways and places that you can acheive the designer look without the designer price tag:

Ikea has some great pre-printed photography and canvases as well as fantastic frames. They are sold by the bulk so they aren't original, but they are pretty fantastic and can be hung in a series or on beautiful shelves. Here are examples of both as seen in my home:

Another great resource for finding budget art is by taking posters and framing them in nice clean frames or you can cut them and hang them in a series. The frames I love and use often are the Ikea RIBBA frames that are large, chunky and perfect squares for $19.99.

Here are some black and white posters from allposters.com for only $4.95, but you can pretty much find them anywhere.

You can also find some pre-made and pre-framed art at local retailers such as Z Gallery that are a great quality. Here are a few examples that I love for $139.95 each but they measure 32.75" squared. They are substantial in size and scale.

Another trick is to find an artist that you love and seek out their art. I recently found that a series of art that I love is all from the same artist Steven Meyers. With a little research I have found his prints everywhere framed and unframed. You would know his work from the x-ray flowers and leaves that have you drooling. I personally own the set of the first two which I bought in white lacquered frames from Z Gallery for $199 each (and plan to put on my a-maz-ing wall from our new makeover) Take a look.

Lastly, for some unique art that is truly one of a kind check out some local artists and online artists. One in particular that caught my attention is Jenn Ramos as seen in http://madebygirl.blogspot.com/ who's rocking her artistic talents and blowing up the blog world with her amazing art through her site http://cocoaandhearts.com/. It's affordable and vivid, and it is truly unique. Take a look.

The bottom line is that you can find great art at amazing prices, and it's really a matter of what appeals to you and your home. Feel free to share with us any of your resources for finding great art~