There seems to be a huge fear when it comes to hanging wall art. Are you are afraid you bought the wrong painting for your space or hung it incorrectly on the wall? Are you thinking of displaying an entire collection but don't know where to start?
Well fear no more. There are some basic rules anyone can apply to display their favorite artwork anytime, anywhere. You just need to know some tricks of the trade!
Keep Art at Eye Level
One of the most common mistakes when hanging art is installing it far too high. Follow the museum rule, which is that MIDPOINT of the art piece should be at eye level - about 57-60 inches from the floor. If most members in your family are tall, aim on the higher end and do the opposite for a family on the shorter side. In homes with ceilings higher than 8 feet, you can break these rules a bit and hang slightly higher. Also, some decorators like to hang artwork lower in Dining Rooms so that seated guests can have a bit more of a good view.
There is another exception, when artwork is being placed over a piece of furniture such as a couch or console. There, you will want to keep the bottom of the frame about 8-10 inches above the piece. If you are only using one smaller sized painting over a long furniture item, I like to add a pair of other elements to the left and right of the painting to help balance out the space. See the blue photo of ferns as an example. Items such as candle sconces, decorative wall brackets or even a pair of shelves work well. A terrific source for these pieces are Ballard Designs, Bed Bath & Beyond or West Elm.
Collections
Here's the easy peasy way to display your art in collections.
First know our space. When you are placing art over a very long piece of furniture, try to follow the two-thirds rule if you want a super clean look...The art should space about 60% - 70% the length of the long item below it. If you prefer a more eclectic look, abandon this rule and keep reading!
Know thyself. If you are an organized, type A personality, you probably much prefer symmetry to organized chaos. This will mean you should choose collections
with the exact same size and/or subject matter/colors. You can display pairs or trios of framed art horizontally or choose a double high set of 4 or 6 set of prints (2 over 2 or 3 over 3). This is known as "the Grid". If your brain enjoys more creative, right-side thinking, you might enjoy asymmetrical collections, aka "Clusters". See below for more suggestions.
Spacing the art is easy. When there are multiples, follow this advice:
For a trio or pair horizontally, I like to use the single hand rule. That is, space them apart about 5-6 inches each. And for a 4 set or 6 set as mentioned above, you space tighter - just 2-3 inches is probably best.
Asymmetrical Collections. If you feel law and order are too confining in your living space, you will find the clustered display approach quite pleasing. Besides paintings or prints, you can add three dimensional objects such as plastered animal heads or baskets (see photo at top of blog.) TIP 1: Try to envision you have an invisible vertical line in the middle of the artwork display so that the left and right sides are somewhat balanced. Painters tape can help. TIP 2: Start with the largest pieces first.
A Focal Point. Sometimes it is fun to display a main feature piece in the center and then scatter other smaller items around it. This is a good idea when hanging over a pieces of furniture. Again, remember to balance both sides of this focal art.
The Test Run. Designers often use this trick of either displaying the art on the floor first and measuring or using painters tape to outline each piece onto the wall. This way you will avoid a lot of unnecessary re-do's and nail holes. Again for placement trials, start with the largest pieces first.
Don't Forget Shelves
I love using shelves to lean artwork on. Its adds dimension to the walls and you can switch the art around by season or taste. A combination of smaller staggered shelves, a long shelf or inside built-ins are all designer ways to bring colorful, interesting artwork
into your rooms.
So there you have it! What are you waiting for? Stop staring at those blank walls and start hanging!
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