Home Decor - A Guide to Wall Tapestries

Today's larger homes and open floor plans are perfect for wall tapestries. Once the hallmark of mansions and castles, wall tapestries offer today's homeowner a terrific design solution that adds beauty, warmth and charm to the home.

Selecting the perfect wall tapestry for your home is an easy and enjoyable process, if you follow these simple guidelines.

Location

Unlike a painting, a wall tapestry demands attention. So you want to select a location before you start shopping for a size, subject or style. You want to select a wall that doesn't get a lot of direct light or constant sunlight. Direct sun can cause the threads to weaken and fade the color of wall hangings over time.

Size

Once you have a location in mind, you can decide on the rough dimensions for the wall tapestry. A tall and thin wall space will look better with a vertical work while a large wall space may look better with a horizontal piece.

Scale is very important in wall or home decor. A general rule of thumb is that a tapestry can occupy up to 80% of the wall (you can't do that with a painting!). You don't want to get a wall tapestry that is too small or too large for the wall you have in mind.

Subject Matter

The subject of the wall art tapestry is a matter of personal taste. There are an endless selection of styles - scenic, still life, heroic deeds, mythology, Medieval, portraits, castles, landmarks and a myriad of more contemporary designs and themes.

When selecting the subject matter, be sure you factor in the palette of colors used. You don't want to select a design where the colors clash with your existing furnishings and wall colorings.

Time to Buy

Now that you found the wall tapestry that fits your taste and your color scheme, it's time to buy. Most tapestries come in several sizes so you can select the one that most closely fits your wall dimensions. When selecting a vendor, you want to find a reputable one who can answer your questions, help you narrow your selections and provide you with the ideal size for your wall.

Installation

Most wall art tapestries come with a tunnel that you can thread a hanging rod through. This allows you to easily hang your tapestry, much like you would a curtain. Once you have your tapestry in place, you want to give it the proper lighting.

A repositionable ceiling fixture or track lighting works well for lighting any wall tapestry, large or small. If that's not possible, a floor lamp or even a table lamp may give the wall tapestry enough dramatic lighting, especially if the room has some indirect natural light filtering in.

No matter which wall tapestry you choose for decorating your home interior, you can be sure that it will quickly become a focal point for your decor that few other works of art can match. The rich textures, vibrant colors and dramatic scale of these tapestries are as inspiring as they are beautiful.

Looking for wall decor to decorate your home? You can use wall tapestries to enhance any room or home. Tom Matherson writes for Worldwide Tapestries which features a range of quality wall tapestries including large wall hangings as unique wall art to transform any home.