Luxury Interior Art
How the material makes the northern lights glow in your home
Artfully Explained

Acrylic glass, metal plate or art block: which material suits your interior?

Choosing wall art starts with the image. You are looking for a beautiful illustration, and where do you look? On your socials. Suddenly the image that makes you stop scrolling goes by. That is a good start. But the material, the surface it is printed on, decides how that image comes across once it is in your home. How it catches the light. How it looks from the sofa, and up close. Whether it glows in a dim hallway, or disappears behind the reflection of a window.

My illustrations are available on three materials: acrylic glass, metal plate and art block. I chose these three very deliberately, because each one does something different with light, and light is what almost all of my work is about. Below you can read what sets them apart, and how to choose.

Three materials

Acrylic glass: depth and glow

Acrylic glass is the most striking of the three. For my northern lights pieces and dark landscapes, it is the material I would choose myself.

What it is. The illustration is printed on a 5 mm sheet of clear acrylic glass, with a white backing that keeps the colours intense. Four or six silver mounting pins hold the panel a little away from the wall, so it seems to float.

What it does. The thickness of the acrylic gives the image depth, as if it were lit from within. Colours become richer, and the contrast between dark and light grows stronger. The northern lights seem to glow. The fine details I add, such as a twinkling star or a glittering sheet of ice, come into their own. White is truly white, and black is truly black, like ink: exactly what I am after in my BLACK collection.

Where it works best.

As the eye-catcher on a living room, dining room or hallway wall
On a wall with soft, indirect daylight, or one you light with a lamp in the evening
In hotel lobbies and lounges, where a piece needs to stand out from across the room

What to keep in mind. The surface is glossy, so it reflects. How much that bothers you depends on where you look from: more on that below, under reflections. The silver pins that hold the piece on the wall stay visible; they are part of the look.

Close-up of a 5 mm acrylic glass panel held off the wall by a silver mounting pin

Metal plate: slim and sharp

The metal plate is the slimmest of the three: a clean, modern surface for the wall.

What it is. The illustration is printed on high-quality photo paper, mounted on a rigid aluminium composite plate and finished with a glossy protective laminate. The plate is 3 mm thick: two thin aluminium sheets around a polyethylene core, which makes it light, stiff and heat-resistant. An invisible mounting system holds it about a centimetre from the wall, so it seems to float. No frame, no visible pins.

What it does. The fine lines of an illustration stay very sharp, and the colours are bright and clear. There is no thick layer in front: the image sits right at the surface. That keeps the light in the picture crisp and even, rather than glowing. With no frame and no edge, the piece becomes a thin panel floating in front of the wall.

Where it works best.

In modern and minimal interiors, next to wood, linen and wool
On smaller walls, or with several pieces together
In kitchens, offices and hallways, where you want a sturdy surface that is easy to keep clean

What to keep in mind. The metal plate is glossy too, so here as well, it matters where you look from. It does not have the depth and glow of acrylic glass: if a piece is all about luminous light, such as the northern lights at night, acrylic shows it more strongly. For pieces with soft, natural light, the metal plate often feels more natural and true to life.

Edge of a 3 mm aluminium composite metal plate with an underwater illustration

Art block: the North in your hand

The art block is the smallest of the three, and the piece that surprises people most when they hold it for the first time.

What it is. A block of clear acrylic, 10 × 10 cm and 2.5 cm thick, polished by hand. The illustration sits at the back, on a white backing. It stands on its own: upright, or lying flat as a paperweight.

What it does. Because the acrylic is so thick, the image has real depth when you look straight at it. The polished edges catch the light in a way a flat print never can. Look into it from the side and you will see something special: the illustration is reflected in the edges and seems to grow beyond its 10 × 10 cm.

Where it works best.

On a shelf, windowsill, desk or bedside table, close to where you sit
For anyone who would rather not drill into the wall
In a minimal interior with bare walls: no need to decide where to hang it
For anyone who likes a change: line up a few and swap them with the season or your mood
As a gift: compact and easy to wrap

It also travels home easily. In the souvenir shop at Northern Lights Ranch in Levi, twenty to thirty guests take one of my art blocks home every season, in their suitcase.

What to keep in mind. An art block is an object, not wall art. It will not fill a wall, but it looks lovely on a wall shelf, a sideboard, a bedside table or a drinks cabinet. A single block already draws the eye; put two or three from the same collection side by side and you have a small series of your own.

Art block in hand: deer under a full moon in the Scottish Highlands

An art block seen from the side: the northern lights illustration is reflected in the acrylic and seems to grow — The illustration is reflected at the bottom and appears larger.

Three art blocks side by side in front of a reindeer antler: a reindeer in pink winter light and two northern lights scenes — Three art blocks, one small series.

You can read more about the art blocks, and see the most popular designs, on the art blocks page.

Material selection guide

Which material for which kind of artwork?

The material depends not only on the room, but also on the image. After years of seeing my own work on all three materials, this is how I would match them:

Northern lights and night landscapes: acrylic glass. The dark parts turn deep, and the green starts to glow.
Natural light, such as the soft pink light of kaamos, a sky full of clouds, autumn gold or the midnight sun: a metal plate often feels more natural. The light in those pieces is soft and even, and without a thick layer of acrylic in front, it stays that way.
Underwater scenes: acrylic glass. Behind the acrylic, the deep blue of the ocean gains real depth, and the halo of light around the animals stands out even more. Take a look at the Scuba Diving Art collection.
A first piece, or a gift: the art block. It is the easiest way to get to know my work before choosing something for the wall, and a gift that is always well received.

Reflection

Reflections: look from where you usually sit

Acrylic glass and metal plates are both glossy. Whether that bothers you depends less on the wall than on where you are looking from. A piece on a side wall can look perfect from your sofa, and reflect the window when you see it from the door.

A simple test: hold a mirror against the wall where the piece will go, and look from the places where you sit most often. If you see a window or a lamp, you will see it in the artwork too, although the reflection there is softer than in a mirror.

Does another spot not help? A sheer curtain in front of the window already breaks much of the reflection. And for a custom piece, I can provide a matte finish on request, on acrylic glass or on a metal plate. Do bear in mind that on a metal plate this becomes a satin finish, and the colours turn noticeably duller than my original palette. Still beautiful, but quieter. Art blocks are not available in matte.

In figures

The three materials side by side

	Acrylic glass	Metal plate	Art block
Surface	Glossy	Glossy	Glossy, polished edges
Thickness	5 mm	3 mm	2.5 cm
In your home	Floats a centimetre off the wall on silver pins	Floats off the wall on a hidden mount	Freestanding
Light	Deep colours, glow	Crisp and even	Depth from 2.5 cm of acrylic
Best for	Main wall, eye-catcher, night scenes	Modern interiors, smaller walls, a row of pieces	Shelves, desks, gifts
Square sizes	40 × 40 and 60 × 60 cm	30 × 30 cm	10 × 10 cm
3:2 format	45 × 30 and 60 × 40 cm (landscape), 30 × 45 and 40 × 60 cm (portrait)	30 × 20 cm (landscape), 20 × 30 cm (portrait)	Square crop or 3:2, depending on the piece

Most collections are square. The Colorburst collection and some pieces from the BLACK collection use a 3:2 format. Most pieces are available on all three materials; the shop shows which materials and sizes exist for each one. Need a different size? A custom size is available on request.

A short note from Lapland

In Lapland, snow is almost never white. It takes on the colour of the sky: the soft pink light of kaamos, the polar night, pink and lilac in Frosty Winter, grey under a heavy blanket of cloud. Getting that reflected light right is the hardest part of every winter illustration I make. It is also why the material matters so much to me: the soft colours of the snow have to be right, and where I do use pure white, for a glint of light or a star, that white has to be truly white.

Caring for your piece

Acrylic glass and art blocks: dust with a soft, dry microfibre cloth. If needed, use a cloth that is barely damp with plain water. No kitchen paper, which can scratch, and no cleaners with alcohol or ammonia.
Metal plate: a soft, dry cloth, barely damp if needed. No scrubbing, no abrasive cleaners.
For all three: avoid hours of strong, direct sunlight and very damp spots.

Three questions to help you choose

Where will it go? On the wall, or on a shelf or desk? No free wall: choose an art block.
How much depth do you want? Deep and luminous: acrylic glass. Slim and sharp: metal plate.
What should it do in the room? Draw the eye and set the tone, or sit quietly alongside everything else? Acrylic glass for the first, a metal plate for the second.

Still in doubt? Send me a message with the piece you have in mind, and I will tell you which material I would choose.

For hotels, lodges and larger spaces. I can make a test print on the material you are considering, so you can see it on your own wall and feel it in your hands before you order. Test prints are made on request, for a fee. Good to know: acrylic glass is fixed with mounting pins, so guests cannot simply take a piece off the wall.

Luxury Interior Art · wall art

Find your piece

Every collection is in the shop. Not sure where to start? The luxury interior art page shows how the work looks in a room.

Explore the collections in the shop

Frequently asked questions

Can you hang an art block on the wall?

No, an art block is made to stand on its own: on a shelf, windowsill or desk. For the wall, choose acrylic glass or a metal plate.

Do acrylic glass and metal reflect light?

Yes, both are glossy, so they reflect windows and lamps that face them directly. Look from where you sit most often, and avoid hanging the piece directly opposite a large window. For a custom piece, a matte finish is available on request.

How do I clean acrylic glass wall art?

With a soft, dry microfibre cloth. For a stubborn mark, use a cloth that is barely damp with plain water. Never use kitchen paper or cleaners with alcohol or ammonia: they can scratch the acrylic or make it cloudy.

Is acrylic glass or metal better for wall art?

Neither is better in every room. Acrylic glass gives more depth and glow, and suits night scenes and eye-catchers. A metal plate is slimmer and sharper, with a hidden mount, and suits modern interiors, pieces with natural light and smaller walls. Both have a glossy finish.

contact

Let's bring your space to life

Whether it's a custom project for your hotel, a question about a piece of work, or just to say hello: I'll respond personally, usually within one business day.

Aurealis CreatiefEls Bancken

Boudewijnlaan 13590 DiepenbeekBelgium