Choosing abstract art prints that actually work in your space can feel surprisingly hard, especially when you love a piece online but can’t quite picture it on your wall. I hear this all the time. People will spend weeks deliberating over a sofa or a rug, then feel completely lost when it comes to choosing art. After years of making abstract work for private collectors and luxury hospitality brands like The Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons — spaces where art has to work hard and feel right to thousands of different people — I’ve learned a lot about what actually makes a piece fit a room. Here’s my guide to choosing abstract art prints you’ll love for years.
Above: "Language of Magic" Art Print
1. Start With the Feeling, Then the Color
Before you think about what will look good, think about how you want the room to feel. Do you want calm and quiet? Or something bold and full of energy? A feeling of minimalism, maximalism, or something in between? Abstract art communicates feeling before anything else, and when you start there, you’ll make a choice you’ll love for years rather than one that just seemed safe in the moment.
Once you have a clear sense of the feeling you’re after, then bring color into the equation. Color is deeply tied to emotion. Cool blues and soft greens tend to feel expansive and calming, warm tans and earthy tones feel grounding and inviting, and soft neutrals create a quiet backdrop that lets other elements in the room get noticed. The colors in your art should work with the palette of your space: your walls, your textiles, your furniture. That harmony is what makes a room feel cohesive and intentional rather than assembled.
Ask yourself: How do I want to feel when I walk into this room? Let that answer guide both the mood and the palette of the piece you choose.
Above: "Mountains & Valleys" Art Print
2. Understand Bold Abstract vs. Soft Abstract
Not all abstract art is the same, and understanding the basic types will help you shop with more confidence.
Bold abstract tends to use strong contrast, graphic shapes, or high-energy mark-making. It creates a focal point that commands attention. If you want your art to be the statement in the room, this is your direction.
Soft abstract uses delicate mark-making, limited and subdued colors, and organic forms. This kind of work adds depth to a space without overpowering it.
The difference is that bold abstract art announces itself and soft abstract art makes a room feel better without you quite knowing why. Neither approach is better. But knowing which one you’re drawn to will cut your search time in half. My own work bridges these two categories but leans more towards soft abstract. I make it for people who want their home to feel like a place of rest, with soul.
Above: "Out of Office" Framed Print
3. Think About Scale Before Style
Scale is the thing a lot of people get wrong, and it’s a decision that’s hard to undo. A print that’s too small on a large wall will always feel tentative and unresolved, like the art isn't meant to be there. A print that’s the right size (or even slightly larger than you think you need) will anchor the space and make everything around it feel more intentional.
The general rule: your art should be roughly two-thirds the width of the furniture it sits above. So if your sofa is 90” wide, you’re looking for artwork that spans around 60”. That could be one large piece or two or three prints hung together. I have a full guide on choosing the right size art with specific recommendations by room and furniture type — worth reading before you order anything. And if you need a size that isn’t shown on my website, I can do custom orders in almost any size, up to 60 x 120” for truly large-scale walls.
💡 Tip: Before ordering, use painter’s tape to mark the dimensions on your wall. I know it sounds fussy, but it takes ten minutes and saves a lot of second-guessing.
4. Color Harmony vs. Color Contrast
Once you’ve nailed down the feeling and the scale, color comes into the picture. Here’s a simple way to think about it:
Above: "Mossy Stones" Framed Print
Color harmony means choosing art whose palette is drawn from colors already present in the room. Pull similar tones from your textiles, walls, furniture, etc. The art will feel like an intentional fit, both blending in and standing out, making the room feel cohesive. Consider the same tones when choosing the color of the frame. If you want a natural wood frame, try to match it to the other wood tones in the room. If you want a colored frame like black, gold or silver, try to match it to your hardware or textiles. When in doubt, white frames tend to work in any space.
Above: (L) "We Are One" Art Print, (R) "We Are Many" Art Print
Color contrast means bringing in a palette that introduces something new like cool colors into a warm room, or a muted blue into a space of neutrals. Done well, this is what makes a room feel alive, interesting, and curated rather than safe and expected.
Most people default to harmony without realizing it, which is fine, but if your space feels a little flat or too safe, then a piece with a touch of contrast might be exactly what it’s missing. My prints can be filtered by color (or orientation) on my art prints page, so if you have a sense of the direction you want, that’s a quick way to narrow things down.
Above: (L) "The Falls" Framed Print, (R) "Together Again" Framed Print
5. Giclée, Open Edition, or Limited Edition, Oh My
If you’re buying fine art prints rather than mass-market posters, you’re likely encountering terms like “giclée print,” “limited edition,” and “open edition.” Here’s what actually matters for a home collector:
Giclée prints refer to the printing process where archival inks on high-quality paper or canvas are printed at high resolution. This is what ensures your print won’t fade, won’t yellow, and will look as good in 25 years as it does today. This is the standard for all of my prints.
Open edition means the print is available without a set limit on how many are made. For those looking to decorate their home, instead of it being a possible investment, this is completely fine. What matters is the quality of the paper, ink, and printing process, not the edition size.
Limited edition prints are produced in a set number, usually 50 to 250 total, which makes them more collectible and more expensive. If you’re thinking of art as a financial investment, edition size matters more. If you’re thinking of art as something beautiful to live with, focus on the quality of the print itself.
Above: "Hazy Day" Fine Art Print
6. Trust the Pause
Here’s the thing I’ve noticed after years of watching people fall in love with art: the pieces that become favorites are almost always the ones that people paused on. Not the ones they talked themselves into. Not the ones that checked every box on a list. The ones that made them stop. If you’re browsing and a piece pulls your eye back a second time, that’s meaningful.
Abstract art works differently from figurative art. It doesn’t give you a subject to react to, so your response is more purely emotional. That second glance is your gut telling you something. When I make paintings, I’m trying to make pieces that create that pause...something that gives you a good feeling every time you walk past it.
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If you liked the abstract art you saw here, you can browse my art prints collection or start with my best sellers if you want a shortcut to the pieces collectors reach for most. If you're more interested in one-of-a-kind pieces, take a look at my available original paintings. And if you’re not sure where to start, feel free to reach out. I’m happy to help you find the right fit for your space.
Cover Artwork: "Letting It Go & Taking It In" Print Set