You have your new furniture set up in the room exactly how you want it and now comes the hard part…how to hang the art to make the furniture look even more amazing? The purpose of your art is to accent your existing pieces of furniture or to create a focal point in the room. The most common mistake people make is hanging their art to high or using pieces that are too small for the space.
Artwork should be hung so that the center of the piece is between 57”-66” from the floor, meaning that the center of the art is at eye level for most people. If you have a really tall piece then the bottom of the top third of the picture should be at eye level. If your ceilings are high then you can place the art a little higher but staying in that range keeps the art in a site line where everyone notices.
Putting your art over a sofa, buffet or bed you want to keep your art visually connected to the furniture piece and not have it floating up on the wall. With these pieces the art should be between 1/2 and 2/3 the size of your furniture piece and if that isn’t the case it is better for it to be too big rather than too small. The art should be hung to start between 6”-10” above the furniture.
If the art piece is too small it will look very insignificant on the wall and should be used in a grouping or hung on a small expanse of wall. This width of wall also looks great with a vertical grouping on it. When you are combining smaller pictures keep about 1 1/2”- 3” between each frame to maintain the look of a grouping. Place the frames on the ground first and create a collection that is balanced and pleasing to the eye. Once you have the order figured out start placing in on the wall. You can also use another technique and trace around each frame onto a piece of craft paper. Tape the paper on to the wall exactly where it fits in your plan and when you are happy with the placement of the paper start hanging each frame in its proper spot.
If you are hanging art in your bathroom above the towel bar or toilet the distance between the top of each and the art should be between 5”- 7” so there is no disconnect.
Armed with these guidelines all your art can be hung and you can enjoy your new furniture and art!
