When it comes to interior design, a lot of the hard work goes into creating schemes and themes for each room. Furniture has to make a statement while playing nicely with flooring, paints and wall fixtures. Lighting choices can make or break a space. Even when working with interior designers — which you should always be doing — it can seem like a thousand consequential decisions must be made. But then, there is the fun part: choosing your art.

The art you decorate your home with is the sort of cherry on top of your interior design sundae. It’s the conversation piece that reinforces the statement of the rest of your aesthetic approach. Intensely personal and intimately revealing, what you’re hanging on your walls or placing on your shelves has to be open and strong at the same time, affirming and communicative.

For some, this sort of realization can add even more weight to the decisions interior design demands. This need not be the case. You already know what you love. You already understand what type of art best expresses your inner self. From there, it just becomes a matter of balancing that with the rest of the room, setting tones in different stretches of your home and telling the world who you really are.

Still feeling a little shy about your self-expression? Here are a few things to think about when considering adding art to your luxury home.

Lean Into You

As already stated, art is all about what you love. There’s no need to run from that. There’s no such thing as “bad” art. If you love a type of art or fall in love with a particular piece, feel the confidence to embrace and exhibit it. Gathering art is an exercise in excitement and discovery. Whether you’re actively scouring galleries or you just happen to bump into an awesome painting at an estate sale, trust your eyes and trust your heart when you encounter something inspiring.

In fact, you may already have a bunch of your interior design art pieces queued up. Treasures procured from travel may deserve to be pulled from the boxes, dusted off and placed in their rightful spaces. Friends and colleagues may have gifted you a piece you weren’t sure about that may now find purpose. Artist contacts you’ve been on the fence about can now be tapped for a commission. These types of situations can be the first step in adding art to your home.

Big, Small, Scatter and Sprawl

Once you start collecting your art pieces, the time comes when you must figure out where to place them. There are a few key elements when considering these schemes. For one thing, there is the matter of size. Larger works should be reserved to dominate a room, such as a living room space or perhaps a parlor. Smaller pieces can be used to congregate as a graceful accent across the span of a foyer or hallway.

Spaces will tell you whether they need a whole lot of little art or a little bit of really huge pieces. Whether you are looking for a scattered approach employing multiple pieces or just one imposing painting commanding a sprawling chunk of wall, be sure it really fits the space while not losing its own appeal.

Listen to Color

Another incredibly important thing to think about when it comes to art is color. Interior spaces are intensely visual. If you’ve got a salon set in white and beige tones, a garish kaleidoscopic piece will bring too much noise to the space. Conversely, a warmly bespoke setting featuring deep reds and bold purples can be seriously disrupted by a minimalist alabaster sculpture.

Matching your colors is already something you are thinking about with interior design. This may make a favorite piece of yours hard to fit into a particular space. Don’t worry! Beloved works that don’t make sense in the bedroom might make perfect sense in the dining room. Your eyes will find the right place each and every time.

Chase Your Dreams

While it’s easy to think about art as “accidentally” discovered, perhaps on holiday or when casually antiquing, there are those among luxury homeowners who are more proactive about procuring art pieces. Serious gallery hounds will always find themselves going after hot new pieces from established and up-and-coming artists that will not only beautify the home but may also serve as valuable investments.

If you really know the aesthetics that turn you on, you can even follow art movements and draw your home’s vibe from there. Creators are often approachable at art shows. If they’re working in a style that appeals to you, order a commission or find out who else is in their scene so you can expand upon your tastes. Remember, collecting art is a way of chasing your dreams.

Light It Up

Now that you’ve landed on your artistic aesthetics and even chosen the perfect space for your artwork, don’t forget to properly light it all up for a perfect exhibition. In many cases, natural lighting will be enough. But for sculptures and paintings hanging far from the window, choosing the right illumination can make or break your display.

Avoid harsh lighting, especially for art that has a lot of texture and can create loads of random shadows that will be distracting. Lean into concealed LEDs that add a soft bath of light, making the works easier to see and snap up its beauty. Larger pieces may demand more of a spotlight approach but consult with an interior designer, so you don’t go overboard.

Lighting will be especially important if you are curating your own gallery space. A library or drawing room can become your own mini-museum showing off the wonders of your collection. If you’re creating such a space, go all out and find a professional who understands exactly how the room should be lit.