So when I shared my dining room this Christmas in my last post, you may have noticed I’d made a slight change in my mantle decor. Yes, my beautiful and faithful Marie whom I loved was just temporarily moved to make room for a new beauty in my life, Woodland Dance by London artist, Corinne Natel.

Guys, in pictures it looks gorgeous but trust me, in person it is DIVINE. Now, let me just say first of all that this piece would normally cost £1600 and genuinely, it’s worth every single penny. The colours and movement are spectacular and hidden amongst the gorgeous pallet of soft lilac, rich mulberry and soft neutrals, there are hints of gold glitter that shimmer when the light hits it just right. It’s a beautiful piece and a good price for original art. However, as you well know, I am not made of money and buying original art can be a very expensive prospect.

When you are buying online, it’s even more of a daunting prospect – how will you even know if you will love it in person? Will it work with your room? Are the colours on your screen really representative of the work in real life? If you are looking at spending four figures for an original artwork, it’s enough to put anyone off clicking that ‘buy’ button. It’s totally understandable. However, there’s another solution which I’m sharing with you today.

Why Not Art takes all these problems and flips them on their head. It’s the ultimate in trying before you buy. Believe it or not, having this gorgeous piece hanging in my home over the festive season is actually only £32 a month. Yep, £32 to enjoy its gloriousness for the whole of Christmas and to give me a fresh look in the dining room for the cost of a pub lunch and a couple of drinks. But there are other reasons why renting art instead of buying it outright (which you can do here too) takes so much stress out of choosing art.

So today I wanted to share a few scenarios when you might want to consider renting art instead of buying. I’m also sharing a few other pieces available on Why Not Art’s website that you might love as much as I do.

You Rent Your Home or You’re Planning on Moving

In His Cave No. 1 by KV-Duong – Rent for £31/month

As you know, we are moving house in the near future. I really wanted a new look in the dining room for the festive period but I didn’t want to commit to having another large piece that could potentially get damaged in the move. Renting the art gives the room a totally new look and knowing it’s not permanent is actually perfect for me right now. I don’t have to worry about moving it, I don’t have to worry about it getting damaged in a move and I don’t have to worry about where it will go in another house. For me, the timing is perfect for trying out a piece.

An Eye for an Eye by Christa Joo Hyun D’Angelo – Rent for £26/month

But let’s say you are a renter. This same situation might apply to you. You love art, you want to try something different for a large expanse of wall but you can’t find quite the right piece and you are fearful of committing because when you eventually move out, will you have a spot for it somewhere else? In this situation, you can try a few different pieces before you commit or well, you don’t have to commit at all.

You like to switch up your space frequently

World Leader by Roy’s People – Rent for £12/month

If you are anything like me, you like to change the look of your home frequently. Buying a large piece of original art just might not fit with your frequent redesigns so what do you do? Consider instead renting pieces which means you get an amazing look for as long as you choose. Change them up whenever the mood strikes and if you find a piece you can’t live without? Well, 60% of your rental fees go towards the purchase of the one you decide gets the permanent spot.

You’ve just moved into a space and it’s not quite done

Falling 2 by Revekka-Alexopoulou – Rent for £112/month

So let’s say you’ve just recently moved into your home and you want to have a bit of a gathering to welcome your friends to your new space. But that blank wall is really bugging you so do you run to IKEA in the hopes of finding something that will just do for now? Nope, you rent a piece to fill up that space, be the envy of all your friends when they marvel at your great taste and I promise, I won’t tell anyone that you are just renting it. It’s great for situations where you just need something temporarily to fill a spot.

You’re a commitment-phobe

Rise of the She Wolf by Paul Kingsley-Squire – Rent for £15/month 

If spending a huge wad of cash on some original artwork leaves you in a cold sweat, then trying it out in your home means you have time to make the decision whilst also enjoying the art. 60% of your rental price goes towards the cost of buying the piece. Plus, Why Not Art gives some great advice on choosing artwork you’ll love. Don’t love it enough to buy it? Send it back and choose something else. Or choose 4 things at once and decide which one you’re planning on keeping – if any at all. There’s never an obligation to buy.

You’re not 100% sure about spending the money

La Porte Noire by Christiane Guerry – Rent for £13/month

You love the look of the artwork, you really want it but you aren’t sure you will love it long-term enough to keep it around forever. Renting it makes it easy to take your time over your decision and gives you enough time to fall in love with a piece before committing. Or ya know, not committing. Either one. You can choose rental periods from 3 months to 18 months which should give you plenty of time to know whether or not that investment is worthwhile.

Bonus: You can’t resist a discount

So after all those reasons, I’m giving you a bonus one. Why Not Art has given me a discount code to share with you guys and it’s good until June 2018! Whoop!

Use the code SwoonWorthy50 at Why Not Art and save 50% off your first month’s rental! 

The discount code is valid for the next 6 months and can be used on any piece in their collection. They have a vast collection online from so many different talented artists in so many different styles that I have no doubt you’ll find something you love.

And so now, I’m wondering if renting art would ever be an option you’d choose? I actually adore this idea and there are so many reasons why I’d consider renting first before making a large financial commitment. The only downside? I don’t want to give my gorgeous piece back! Ha! Any favourites of the ones I’ve chosen? Which one would you choose?

Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by Why Not Art but as always, all opinions and words are my very own. I only work with brands I really love and think you’ll love too! Thanks so much for supporting the brands that support Swoon Worthy.