Walk into a room you love and it is rarely the sofa you remember. It is what hangs above it: a painting picked up on holiday, a print from a friend, a photograph that has followed you from home to home.

Art is one of the few things in a house that has no job to do. It does not seat anyone, store anything or keep the light out. It is there to be looked at, and that is exactly why it matters. It is the most personal part of a room, and often the part that says most about the person who lives there.

Yet art is often the last thing we think about. Walls stay bare for years while we wait for the right piece, or we fill them quickly with whatever fits the space. Neither leaves us with much we love.

There is no right kind of art for a home, but some kinds suit some rooms better than others. A busy kitchen asks for something different from a bedroom. A dark hallway needs something different from a sunny sitting room.

So instead of telling you what to buy, here is a simple guide to six kinds of art, and where each one tends to work best.

1. Landscapes. A view of hills, sea or sky gives the eye somewhere to rest. Best in a room with no view of its own.

2. Abstract colour. Large, simple shapes in soft colour set the mood of a room without asking to be studied. Best in a sitting room or bedroom.

3. Botanical drawings and prints. Plants and flowers, drawn in detail. Quiet and easy to live with. Best in a hallway, kitchen or bathroom.

4. Black and white photography. Calm, graphic and timeless. Best hung in a group along a corridor or up a staircase.

5. Textiles. A woven hanging, a framed piece of fabric or an antique rug on the wall adds warmth and softens sound. Best in a bedroom or a room with hard floors.

6. Sculpture and ceramics. Art you can walk around and touch. Best on a console, a shelf or a kitchen island, where the light on it changes through the day.

One rule: buy what you want to look at every morning. That matters more than what matches.