Tips for hanging Artwork on walls

Are you planning to give a new look to your home? Does your office wall feel mundane and lifeless? Want to add some charismatic appeal to your shop/ studio/ boutique ?  If yes, then go ahead and try adding some stunning pieces of artwork to your walls and see for yourself the transition in the atmosphere of your space.

Displaying artwork is the most subtle way of adding glamour to a room, it is the simplest way one can transform their space. Your collection of artwork reflects a bit of who you are, it gives a glimpse of your choices and preferences.

Whether you like the touch and feel of an original painting, photographs and prints or simply like to put your family pictures on the wall, hanging a frame is a work of art in itself. It is a fantastic way to refresh your space with personality.

Before any eye rolling begins, I would like to put a disclaimer that I am an ardent supporter of design and art rule breakers. After all, rule breakers are the trendsetters.

Coming back to the point, a lot of factors come into play when you have to decide on hanging a work of art. Of course, factors are different for every kind of space – like height of the ceiling, size and weight of the painting, space between your furniture and ceiling, how heavy is the furniture etc. – there is no universal thumb rule that tells you where exactly on your wall the art piece needs to go.

There are, however, few mistakes that most people make when hanging art that can diminish the impact of your art and throw off the proportions of the room.

Let’s get to these common mistakes one by one.

Hanging artwork too high or too low

The first common mistake I have seen most of the people make is hanging the artwork too low or too high.

Art hung too high gives the sense that the piece is floating in space, with no relation to the other objects and furniture in the room.

Art hung too low can make your room feel too cramped and lessen the impact of your art, forcing viewers to look down at the piece instead of seeing it at eye level.

 

To avoid this faux pas, hang artwork at eye level, typically 57 inches from the floor to the centre of your artwork. Step back and see if you get a comfortable view of the painting. If you have to crane your neck or stoop your body to get the details of the artwork, then either it’s hung too high or too low.

If you are hanging artwork above a piece of furniture, make sure to leave 6” – 8” of space between top of the furniture and the bottom of your artwork. Again there are factors like size of the painting and height of the ceiling, but starting here helps in setting things up.

Hanging artwork that’s too small for the space

The second most common mistake people make when hanging artwork is choosing a piece that is too small for the space. If you choose an artwork that is too small, it will simply make the space and all the furnishings in it feel out of balance.

 

It’s always better to go too big than too small. But if you already have small sized paintings, I will recommend to arrange it in a collage or re-frame it with a bigger mat, this makes the artwork appear larger than the actual. Just be sure to plan the placement of your collage properly before hammering nails into the wall.

Pro Tips

The key is to keep the proportions in mind. It helps in balancing the area and make all your furnishings and decor look tastefully distributed.

• Avoid hanging frames on every single wall in the room. Negative space is necessary, balance your walls smartly.
• Avoid colour matching your art with the rest of the space, it can turn out to be very boring. Instead, add art with contrasting colours, this helps in breaking the monotony of the space.
• It is important that your art looks connected with the rest of the decor. Don’t shy away from adding floor lamps in front of a framed work, or let some greenery creep over the frames, add candles on the console table. The idea is to create connection by adding layers, leading to a more sophisticated look.
• Last of all, don’t restrict to only hanging art on the walls. Romanticise by carefully leaning them against a wall, or simply put them on shelves. Experiment with different combinations, and give an illusion of effortless yet organised arrangement.

So go ahead !! Get to displaying your art like a pro.

Let me know in the comments section if you have any question specific to your space. You can send me pictures as well, I would love to help you out.

 

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