Everything you need to think about when hanging artwork

The Two Things To Consider When Hanging Artwork At Home 

A common issue in homes that can make or break the feeling of calm and order is that of hanging artwork. It seems like such a small part of a room – but can make all the difference to how it feels when you’re in there.

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Everything you need to think about when hanging artwork

Time and again I have seen homes where the artwork is hung oddly – and it creates a sense of clutter on the walls – the last thing you want to achieve if you have been busy getting your home in order I’m sure you’ll agree.

Artwork is one of those things that a lot of people just put up on a wall without much thought as to where it goes and how it works with what’s around it – whereas it has the ability to transform a room if it’s hung right in the space.

Here are some ideas and inspiration of what to do to create the right feel in your own home – whatever look you want to go for.

Two main things to consider…

The main thing to think about when hanging artwork is what it’s being hung around.

Then you need to ensure that the artwork will enhance that area, and work with what it’s near, rather than against it.

It really is that simple!

Let’s look at each in turn…

#1  – What’s around the artwork?

Considering the wall as a whole will make sure that the artwork will feel part of the room, and not just hung randomly.

Here are some quick tips to help: –

  • Hang the artwork so it is central to the wall if the rest of the wall is blank
  • Hang the artwork central to whatever is underneath it – like a radiator, a sofa, a fireplace etc…
  • Hang it nearer the item than the ceiling – it shouldn’t feel like it’s hanging in mid air as it won’t look right. You want to “anchor” the artwork to something visually.
  • As a rule of thumb, hang it so that the top third of the art is in line with your eye line.

#2  – Does the artwork work with the room?

Artwork enhances a room when it fits with the room well – otherwise it creates visual clutter instead.

  • Do the colours in the art match the room scheme?
  • Does the style of the art match the style/look of the room (traditional, contemporary, framed or canvas etc…)?
  • Is the size and shape of the artwork correct in the room?

TIP – Consider grouping 2 or 3 pieces if you need to fill a larger space, and also look at how it’s framed (does the frame match the metal/wood/colours of the rest of the room). This can really make or break whether it will work even before you start to think about hanging it up.

If you follow these few simple rules then you will be a lot more successful with making your art work with the rest of the your room, and create that homely feel rather than adding more clutter to the look.

Examples of how to hang artwork

I hope these tips have helped, but as with most things it’s always easier to see things to understand what is being talked about, so here are a few pictures to give you some ideas of what I mean – Hope they help!

In our bedroom the wallpaper is relatively dark, and so we added mirrors to bounce light around and break up the pattern.

Having a group of 3 works well, and they are hung so that it’s easy to see into the mirror if we are using it practically, but also there is only a small gap between each of the three so that it feels like they are one unit:

608. master bedroom

These large canvas artworks fit really well vertically on the wall, with the top one being around eye level, but ensuring that the bottom one was high enough on the wall so as to still be able to add a chair or trunk etc.. underneath it (this also stops people walking too close to the canvasses!):

608. kitchen

These 2 taller pictures are the perfect fit for the space I had available in our kitchen. I hung them so that they were central to the height of the window right next to them, so the whole wall feels like it works well together:

608. kitchen art
Everything you need to think about when hanging artwork

Hopefully that’s some food for thought when you next come to hang any artwork in your house.

Have a look around your own home and see whether you have art that needs to be moved to a different room, or art that could be hung in a better place.

It really could transform how you feel about a room that hasn’t felt quite right up until now.

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