How to Hang Artwork

In my previous post, I hope I got you inspired to buy new, big, and modern artwork for your home.  Once you get the artwork, you'll probably wonder how in the heck you are supposed to hang it?  One of my pet peeves (and I have many which I will share with you) is to see artwork that is improperly installed in a room.  I think I am going to put a small hammer in my purse so that I can undo all of the bad artwork installations I encounter.

Q:  How high should artwork be hung on a wall?
A:  It depends on the height of the wall.

Confused yet?  Here is my general rule for the proper height for hanging a single piece of artwork.  If your ceiling height is between 9 and 10 feet, try to hang the artwork between 70 to 75 inches up on the wall, assuming the hanging hardware is 5 to 6 inches below the top of the picture.  This is the point where the hooks should be inserted.  Why this measurement?  Artwork looks better if it is hung at a level where you can see it.  You should never look up to see artwork.  Also, if the artwork is hung too high, it will look as if it is floating in the room.  You want your artwork to ground the room, not get lost in the room.

If your artwork is hung over furniture (table or sofa), allow about 6 inches between the bottom of the artwork and the furniture piece.  This will keep the artwork from looking like it is floating over the furniture--not a good look.

For taller ceiling heights, 10 to 12 feet, you will need big art or groupings to fill in the larger spaces.  Try placing the hook 75 to 80 inches on the wall.  The thing to remember with taller ceiling heights is that you don't have to fill in the artwork to the ceiling line, unless you have a grouping that will be stacked.  It's okay to have empty space over artwork. 

This artpiece is hung in a breakfast nook of a house I decorated.  The ceiling height in the breakfast nook is 12 feet.  The artwork measures 4 ft by 3 ft.  The artwork is not floating in the room.

Big art, big impact!

Here is another one of my pet peeves:  Never hang your artwork taller than your door frame or window.  This is when you know your artwork is installed too high.

Look at the artwork in my living room.  My ceiling height in the living room is 9 ft/10 ft.  I have a trey ceiling that goes up to 10 feet, but the wall space measures 9 ft.  Notice the placement of the artwork:  it is hung below the door frames.

The artwork is not floating in the room, it has a relationship with the furniture.

Next, I want to show you the artwork in the living room of a realtor/interior decorator Cara Wilkerson.  She has a great blog called, "Live the Home Life".  Cara's blog can be found at http://livethehomelife.blogspot.com/

This is a great example of grouping artwork together.  Individually, the artwork is not that big, but hung together, the artwork makes a big impact.

Isn't this a great way to hang artwork?

Another example is shown in this photo from House Beautiful magazine.  Notice that this artwork is hung at the ceiling height, but it still grounds the room.

Take a look at the artwork in your home.  If it is hung too high, try lowering it and notice how this small change wil transform the room.  Get your hammers ready!