Tips for Hanging Art

Hanging artwork baffles many home decorators.  How high should a picture be hung on the wall?  What color should the matting be?  How can you decide what goes where?

A general guideline is to hang artwork so that the center point of the picture or grouping is at about eye level for the average person. While this won’t be possible in every situation, it’s a good guideline to keep in mind.

If you plan to hang pictures as a group, think of them as one unit. Start by testing an arrangement of your pictures by laying everything out on a large table (or on the floor). Play with combinations until you hit upon one that works. And here’s a tip – lay the pictures out on paper and then trace around each piece, figure out where the picture hangers should go and then tape the paper up on the wall as a template. With this approach you’ll be done in no time!

Another trick is to lay out pieces of tape onto the floor to form the outside boundaries of your picture grouping. This will help you keep your arrangement the proper size if you’re dealing with boundaries on your wall, such as a stair rail, windows or heating vents.

Here are some more things to keep in mind when selecting and hanging art in your home:

Relate your art to your wall size – Choose smaller pictures for narrow walls and larger pieces for big wall spaces. 

Relate your art to the size of your furniture – Typically, if you’re hanging art over a piece of furniture it should not be longer than the width of the furniture. A handy formula is to size your picture (or group of pictures) to about 75% of your furniture’s width.

Match or contrast your art to your room scheme – Choose artwork that underscores the mood or theme of your room’s décor. Is the room vibrant, pastel or neutral?  Is your furniture casual, formal, modern or traditional?  These are clues that will help you zero in on the type of artwork that compliments the color and scale of a room.

Think about your color choices – Vibrant colors bring excitement to a room, while neutral colors are more calming.  Which do you prefer? 

Bigger is often better – One large painting makes a statement and keeps things simple. A major statement piece can also call attention to the focal point of the room, like a fireplace.