The Art That Shaped My Spaces
I grew up surrounded by art — oil paintings on the walls, still lifes and landscapes that had always simply been there. They were part of the scenery of my childhood, so natural that I hardly noticed them. Looking back now, I realise they shaped how I felt in a space long before I had the words to describe it.
When I began painting myself as a teenager, I started to hang my own large abstract works on the walls of my room — bold colours, confident strokes, pieces that were more about energy than restraint. My space was minimal then: high ceilings with ornate stucco, no curtains, stacks of books on the floor, a few CDs, a clothes rail. It was stripped back and raw, almost like a loft, as far as my mother would allow. That simplicity wasn’t an aesthetic choice so much as a feeling — the need for a room to be a place of calm, a space that grounded me when everything else felt loud and fast.
From Minimalism to Material Depth
Over the years, that feeling has stayed, even as my taste has changed. My love of minimalism never disappeared; it simply deepened. Today, I am drawn not just to empty space but to the substance within it — to materials that carry a quiet presence: stone, clay, wood. These things speak without shouting. They ground a room and give it a soul.
For me, a space can still be clear and uncluttered — because clarity itself brings a kind of inner stillness. It allows me to focus, to breathe, to slow down. But I also want rooms to hold depth. They should have texture, weight, and stories embedded in their surfaces. That’s where art enters the conversation.
How Art Transforms a Room
Because art — especially large abstract paintings — doesn’t just fill a wall. It transforms the way a room feels, the way it breathes. A single work can shift the mood of a space from cool to warm, from distant to inviting. Nature-inspired art in earthy tones can create a grounding atmosphere; a piece layered with soft greens and clay-like neutrals can make a minimalist interior feel more alive, more connected. And a canvas with lighter hues can open a space, letting it feel expansive and bright, while deeper shades invite intimacy and reflection.
I’ve witnessed this countless times — both in my own home and in the homes of collectors. The same room can feel completely different depending on the artwork that lives within it. It’s a kind of alchemy: colour, texture, and composition interacting with architecture, light, and material. The painting and the space begin to speak to each other.
This is what fascinates me most about abstract art for interiors: it doesn’t just change how a room looks; it changes how we inhabit it. It shapes our behaviour, our mood, our daily rituals. A carefully chosen original abstract painting becomes more than an object — it becomes part of the rhythm of a home, part of the way we feel when we walk through the door.
Beyond Aesthetics: Choosing with Emotion
Art is never just an aesthetic decision — it’s always an emotional one. Choosing a painting means choosing the atmosphere you want to live with, the stories you want to be surrounded by, the feeling you want to come home to.
And yet, for many people, this process can feel overwhelming at first. There’s so much out there: galleries with their carefully curated shows, endless scrolling on Instagram and Pinterest, new trends emerging every week, price tags that raise questions. What is “real” art? What makes something valuable? And does it have to be an investment to matter?
The True Value of Art
The truth is, Art can be an investment, but its deepest value lies in connection, not price. A piece can grow in value, outlast generations, become part of a collection. But it is above all meaningful when it touches something inside us — when it turns a room into a place we long to return to. That, I believe, is what truly matters.
From an artist’s perspective, that is also what drives us: the desire to create works that make people feel something. Paintings that hold space for calm, curiosity, joy, reflection. Works that offer a sense of belonging. And when a painting achieves that — when it resonates with someone’s inner world — then it already has immense value, no matter what the market says.
I’ve always found it a little sad when artworks spend their lives sealed away in temperature-controlled crates, too precious to be seen. Museums and public collections are different — they give people access to art that might otherwise remain hidden. But in private homes, art comes fully alive. It breathes with the rhythm of daily life. It becomes part of morning light and evening shadow. It shares the room with conversations, meals, silences. It witnesses change — and, in its quiet way, anchors us within it.
A Companion, Not a Decoration
That is why the art we choose matters so deeply. A painting that speaks to us will never feel like decoration. It will be a companion — something we recognise again and again, something that still stirs us years later.
So take your time. Let yourself be guided by instinct rather than trend. Notice which colours you return to, which textures feel right, which compositions make you pause. The most meaningful piece for you is not the one that others praise the loudest — it’s the one that speaks softly and still stays with you.
If you’re drawn to nature-inspired art, to large abstract paintings on raw canvas that hold a sense of grounding, quiet, and timelessness, then explore what resonates. Look around. Let the work speak. And trust your own eye — because the most beautiful artwork for you will always be the one that looks back. Warmly
Liv