I asked Irwin if art anxiety plagues any of his clients. "Absolutely," he said, "and it makes a big difference in how a room turns out. To me if there is no art on the walls, I can't professionally photograph and include that room in my design portfolio or submit it to a shelter magazine. It's just not finished without artwork or some other elements that would take the place of traditional paintings on a wall -- things like tapestries, wallhangings, decorative panels, murals, sculptures, screens, or decorative wallcoverings."

When pressed further, Irwin observed that "art should be no different from any other part of the interior design of a home." A dining room table, going back to that earlier example, will have a practical purpose to fit a room, seat so many people, and be made of a certain type of material. It has utility, but it also has decorative value. There is a sculptural form with the best tables and chairs, and that puts it in the "art category," fairly and squarely. The stain on wood, the lacquer on a painted surface, and the fabric patterns and colors on the seat cushions and backs all add to the "art" of the room -- the texture, the palette, the mood, and all those other attributes we have a tendency to assign solely to works of art hanging on a wall.

So why is it that when we can't sit in it, eat on it, or otherwise use it, we get anxiety over making decorating decisions regarding art?

Here's my solution: I say let's look at art as if we were picking out a sofa, a throw pillow, or an area rug. Work with your art dealer, interior designer, or home staging professional and see works of art as teammates with your furnishings and accessories. Lighten up and toss away your art anxiety! Try fingerpainting and hang up your creation on the refrigerator with magnets. That's a good start. Now try appreciating someone else's artwork and hang it up on the wall. That didn't hurt much, did it?

I'm obviously being facetious here, but the point harkens back to Irwin's biggest observation about home decorating. "I see so many people with design emergencies," he told me. "They are in absolute crisis mode when it comes to decorating. My reply is usually to give them calming words, talk them down from the ledge, and tell them there is no such thing as a decorating emergency. Repeat this mantra: It's only decorating. Mistakes happen, but they can be undone. You won't be stuck with anything forever. Colors, fabrics, furniture, and artwork can all be moved around, freshened up, recycled, stored away, then brought back out again after you've had a rest."

Irwin's funniest observation, however, is this gem: "Art is not like a toilet or a bathtub. Thank heavens a picture is not permanently installed as part of the plumbing. You can easily slide it up or down, hang it more to the left or to the right, or move it to another room. You can swap it for something else that fits your mood, the seasons, or your changing taste. But again, if it were a toilet, you'd be stuck with it on your wall and it would be hell to change. But it's not, so take a deep breath and start to have some fun with it."

Here are a few tips to help reduce art anxiety:

• Try cramming loads of pictures floor to ceiling to create a richly interesting art gallery feel. That's a great decorating tip for an entry hall or second-floor hallway.
• Hang photos or artwork on the back of passage and closet doors. Use Velcro tabs on the bottoms of the frames to hold them fast to the doors and keep them from moving around when the door is opened or closed.
• Auctions and estate sales usually have great art buys. For a few hundred dollars you can pick up large canvases that would look smashing in your rooms. You can't go wrong when so little money is at risk. Friends of ours recently went to a NJ auction house and spent up to $15 for large works of modern art, far less than what the frames alone cost. Look for bargains.
• If you live in a large city or a community with a lot of galleries, jump into one of the regular "gallery crawls," usually on a Friday or weekend night. (There's even a great Gallery Crawl podcast series that features northern CA galleries.) Crawls are open houses where many galleries in a neighborhood open their doors to the public, serve wine and cheese, and encourage casual browsing. Go from gallery to gallery, make notes of what strikes your fancy, and take showroom cards and other information home with you. Revisit favorite works of art online or at the gallery sometime after the crawl. Do you still like them? Then swoop in for the purchase!
• Sit down with your art rep or design professional and make an Art Plan for your rooms. Discuss beforehand what might look great in your space. Art reps can show you online or offline artist portfolios or slides and you can get some great ideas of what might work on different walls.
• If you don't see 100% of what you want from an artist, but you're drawn to their style or media, you might want to commission your own work of art with a theme or color scheme that's right for you.
• Get a professional's second opinion on works of art. Trust the professional's judgment to help you coordinate works of art with the other elements of your decor. Oftentimes a designer has been schooled to know the best elements of different art styles and periods. Let a pro help you can feel better about your art purchases.
• Establish an art budget when you're professionally decorating your home. Then spend that art budget. It will make all the difference in whether your home looks finished or not.
• Remember, you can always sell a painting or other work of art. It's not a permanent fixture in your home unless you want it to be. Approach any art purchase with the attitude that you can't make a mistake.
• Are you buying art for an investment? That's another story, and you should do your homework.

Good luck to you as you conquer art anxiety. It's time to stop being paralyzed and understand that when it comes to decorating your home, art matters.

Inspired by the popularity of YouTube and videos on the internet, Irwin Weiner and Jay Johnson created Design2Share in November 2006, an online podcast of advice and inspiration on homes, gardens, and architecture.

Emer Schlosser
		About the author:
		Always a fan of words in various glorious forms – novels, dialogue, lyrics, etc – Emer translated her passion into a writing career in 2005. She has since supplied gossip on celebrities to Canadian Press, interviewed individuals from the arts for Inside Entertainment, expressed her fondness for food for Cheese Boutique’s blog, & co-founded, edited and contributed to iheartthemusic.com. At the moment she’s taking the mystery out of Green Living and providing some great tips on Home Renovation, Decorating & Design and Curb Appeal to the members of casaGURU.com. casaGURU, “the homeowner’s home online”, is a free web community that connects homeowners and local house experts.
	Read More >>