Neale Whitaker is famous for evaluating the homes of others. As a former judge on The Block, and now a judge on My Reno Rules, Neale has made a career off his impeccable taste in interiors. It’s natural, then, that we would look to him for advice on the art we should buy for our homes.
However, short of offering advice on up-and-coming artists or the artistic styles he loves, Neale had only one thing to say about how he chooses his wall art: “Gut”.
Listen to Neale Whitaker on The Edit podcast:
“It’s instinct and it’s immediate,” he told The Edit podcast host and Home Beautiful editor, Elle Lovelock. Neale believes that art in the home tells an “independent” story to that of your furnishings — one that is deeply personal and reflective of you. For this reason, he recommends everyone select their art based solely on their personal taste alone.
“I know a lot of people like to match their art to the rug, to the sofa, to the furnishings. That’s not our style. Art for us has always stood alone. It’s independent. It tells a completely different story visually and aesthetically. And every piece of art we own has a story attached to it,” he explains. “If you were standing in front of our wall of art, and you said, ‘Neale, tell me about that one, or that one’, I’d tell you where it came from, why we have it and what it means to us.”
While gut instinct may not feel like a reliable source for everyone, Neale suggests that it’s the desire to appeal to everyone that often interferes with our selection process.
“I think we worry far too much about finding art that’s going to appeal to everyone. It’s impossible to do that. I can guarantee, Elle [Lovelock], that what you love is going to be different to what I love. That’s the nature of art. You have to put that fear of polarising your family and your friends to one side, and just choose what you love.
‘If you try and fill you home with art that tries to please everyone, you will fail!”
“You have to put that fear of polarising your family and your friends to one side, and just choose what you love.”
— Neale Whitaker on selecting wall art
Neale isn’t the only expert to share this sentiment. In fact, his fellow My Reno Rules judge and owner of Greenhouse Interiors, Julia Green, recently told The Edit that choosing art for your home often comes down to whether or not a piece “speaks to you”.
“When I look at an artwork and it’s speaking my name — and I’m talking full, 100 percent seduction, like, I have to have this in my life, I don’t know why, but it just is ‘me’ — you take it home because you’ll always find a home for it,” she explained.
However, before you think these two Australian TV titans are purchasing artworks that cost the equivalent of a home deposit, think again. While Neale has the odd investment piece, the art in his home shows a lifelong process of accrual.
“A few of the pieces that we own are expensive and come from galleries, but the vast majority have come from flea markets [and] all sorts of different sources,” he shared. “It’s a real mix of paintings, photographs… some are framed, some aren’t framed, it’s a real gallery.”
To use an inexpensive example, Neale’s partner, David, has a penchant for vintage plates — which have at times adorned entire walls in their shared home. Meanwhile, other rooms are covered in a blend of portraits, sketches, and antique impressionist landscapes.
The moral of the story is choosing art is a personal decision. From travel souvenirs, to vintage wares, to unexpected sculptures, just about anything can be art — and, if you love it, it belongs.
Watch Neale Whitaker on The Edit on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
