Hanging up family photographs, unique paintings, and framed drawings or prints can be one of the most rewarding ways to decorate your home. Wall art adds character and a unique beauty to each room. However, it can often be difficult to decide where to hang art and how to arrange it on your walls. These art-arranging tips will help you get started when deciding how to display framed works in your living space.
How to Plan
First, make sure to plan your arrangement before you get out the hammer and nails. If you are on the fence about purchasing a certain painting, many interior design apps now let you virtually view the art piece on your wall through your phone. That way, you’ll be able to easily visualize the piece in your space and make sure the colors complement your existing decor.
Alternatively, if you are planning to hang up multiple pieces of art on a single wall, you can cut out pieces of paper that correspond to the sizes of your art pieces. Using paint-safe tape, place these pieces of paper on the wall to help determine where certain pieces will fit best.
How to Hang Art Above Furniture
It’s usually a good idea to hang art so that the middle of a piece sits at eye level, which is around 57 inches above the floor. However, there is an exception if you are hanging art above a piece of furniture.
If you are hanging art pieces above a sofa or table, it looks nice for the art to span roughly ⅔ the width of the furniture below. This way, the art looks “contained” within the width of the furniture and appears well-integrated with the rest of the room.
When placing art above a couch, make sure to consider the height of a seated person’s head. Leave enough room above the couch so that your art isn’t blocked from view each time someone sits down. Similarly, when hanging up a framed work above a console table, leave enough space below the art for vases, flowers, or anything else you might wish to place on the table.
Create Visual Balance
To create visual balance in a wall art arrangement, find the exact center of your wall or the area where you wish to place the art. Mark or imagine a line down the center of that wall space, from the ceiling to the floor. Then, as you hang up your pieces, make sure everything stays balanced on both sides of the center line.
It also helps to hang up large pieces first to create a strong focal point. Place large pieces near the center of your wall, and then hang up smaller pieces around it.
For more guidelines on showcasing wall art, check out the visual guide by 1stDibs below. However, remember that arranging wall art is a creative endeavor. Ultimately, it’s best to pursue whatever placement and configuration speaks to you.
Please include attribution to 1stdibs.com with this graphic.
