How and Where to Hang Art on your wall

How & Where to Hang Art on your Walls


If you're not sure how high to hang art (prints, photos, posters, collectibles, etc.) on your walls, maybe these ideas will be helpful. Just follow along and before long your walls could look like something out of a designer magazine
You may have heard that you should hang artwork so the center of the picture is at eye level. Well that is a good thought, so hold on to it for a minute. But if you are confused, especially if you’re 5 feet tall and everyone else in your house is so much taller. Then for whose eye level does this rule apply to. Is it the same no matter what size the art is? What about a grouping or if you are hanging it over a sofa?
This is the rule of thumb. Approximately 60 to 65 inches from the floor to the center of the art is a place to start. It may be the perfect place to hang your particular piece of artwork, or it could look terrible. How do you know? Well try by starting to think of the artwork you are hanging as it relates to everything around in the room. Whether you hang a framed picture over a sofa, on a stairway wall, or in the hall, each of these spaces will have elements to consider.
So, right about now you are probably thinking “Thanks a lot”, that was helpful. So let’s look at a few more things that could help you find just the right place to hang that artwork.

10 More Tips for Hanging Art
1. Will you mainly be standing in the room (as in an entryway or hallway)? Does the room have faulted ceilings or is two stories high? If so, it may make sense to hang artwork a bit higher than the 60-65 inch center starting point.

2. Will you typically be sitting in this room? Maybe it is a dining room, family room, or office. Hang pictures a bit lower here so they can be enjoyed while sitting. Try sitting in a chair and have someone hold the picture against the wall, moving it up and down so you can see how it looks.

3. If you are hanging a large framed print or grouping over a sofa or sideboard it will look better when hung so the bottom of the frame is positioned 6 to 12 inches above the top of the sofa back or tabletop.

4. Is your artwork very small. In that case, consider hanging it in a group of other objects.

5. When working with a grouping of pictures or objects hung on a wall, think of the grouping as one large picture and relate the bottom of the entire grouping to the furniture underneath it.

6. What if you are hanging a tall vertical picture, panel, or poster? In this case, it may be better to think about placing the art so that the top one-third area of the picture is near eye level. However, the actual height of the piece will determine the best position on the wall. Again, have someone hold it lower and higher as you see what looks best.

7.Be sure and think about the proportion of the item to the wall it will be hanging on. A small picture hung on a large wall can look out of balance. Look for narrow walls (such as the spaces between two doorways or windows) and consider hanging two or three small pictures in a vertical line. In this case, treat the center picture as the center of the grouping.

8. If you’re hanging artwork by itself, cut paper templates to size each piece of art and attach the paper cutouts to the wall with painter’s tape. This will give you the option to stand back and see how the artwork’s size relates to your room and your furniture. Move the template up and down to find the perfect spot prior to hanging the picture.

9. Another way to see how it will look is to clear the floor below where you will be hanging it. Now lay the print(s) or items out on the floor as you would if they were on the wall. When you step back you can see how they will appear on the wall.

10. Remember odd numbers of items if you are grouping smaller items together. 3,5,7, keeps it more balanced.

Now don’t be afraid to hang things on your wall. Be sure and lay it out before you pick up that hammer. But remember that you can also put a little spackling on the wall if you don’t like it. It is not the end of the world. Be brave – you can do it, I know you can.