How to Hang Wall Art

August 12, 2014
Don’t you love walking into a room with thoughtfully placed pictures? Whether it’s a large piece that immediately captures you or an entire wall of frames that draws you in, what’s on the wall can really make or break a room.

We agree with Suzanne Kasler that home decor should be meaningfully curated, so we do encourage everyone to try to bring a piece that’s inherited or given to you by a special person or purchased on a memorable vacation. And here’s some more advice on hanging wall art, along with photographed examples we found on houzz.com.

  • Keep a ruler or measuring tape handy when playing around with your space, and be prepared to do a little bit of math.
  • A good rule is to hang art at eye level, keeping the center of the piece (not the top of it) at eye level. If you want to get mathematical, 58 inches from the ground is an average eye level.
  • Hanging art at eye level also applies to salon walls, which we adore. With salon walls, keep the centerpiece of the gallery at eye level.
  • Ledges are great ways to display wall art, even salon walls. See?

More on Salon Walls:

 

  • Color coordinate: Stick to a palette if you’re bringing some colors onto a neutral wall.
  • Keep it cohesive: If you want to keep it cohesive, bind the pieces together with a central theme like a color or a theme within the art.
  • Stay low: For kids’ rooms and sitting rooms, it’s OK to keep the gallery lower to the ground since the “eye level” is considerably lower.
  • Grid style: If you’re doing a  more uniformed, grid-style wall, keep the frames two to three inches apart.
  • The centerpiece: When doing a salon wall, place the biggest piece first in the center or off from the center, and work around it. If you don’t have a centerpiece, use the darkest piece as the centered picture.
  • Stay simple: Since salon walls are busy enough as it is, it’s best to use simpler frames. Large, ornate ones need their own space.
  • Practice before you hang: Use wrapping paper or brown craft paper to cut out the shapes of your frames. Play around with the arrangement on your wall using tape. Or arrange the actual frames on the floor to test out your placement before you get the hammer and nails out.
  • Be different: You don’t just have to use framed art or photographs. Get creative by using out-of-the-ordinary methods like hanging clipboards with lovely art or photos. We’ve also found examples of using baskets, hand mirrors, and framed art paper or fabrics.

Have fun: This is the most important rule of them all. As long as your wall of art brings you joy, that’s all that matters. Whether it’s a minimal-style wall or a comforting collage of everything under the sun, make sure it makes you smile.

What have you been meaning to frame?