The first rule of decor is, of course, that there are no rules. Every situation, every sense of style and everyones "eye" is just a bit different. That said, there are a few guidelines that can make getting started on an art hanging job just a bit easier...
Top 3 Tried and True Guidelines for Hanging Art
1. 60-65 inches on center is a good place to start when establishing the height of a piece of artwork. Keep in mind that this is just a guideline, it all depends on the overall design of your room. Start there and adjust to what looks comfortable or interesting to your eye. Ceiling height, size of furniture, intensity of color and amount of pattern all will effect the height and position that looks right. In the wonderful example shown above, from Living Etc., the highly graphic butterfly piece can stand out and be noticed in relation to the bright red sofa and patterned wallpaper due in part to its off-center position.
2. Generally, the scale of hanging artwork should be in proportion to furniture. Artwork should usually not be longer than the width of the widest piece of furniture. A guideline to aim for is that the artwork be approximately 75% of the furniture width for a pleasant proportional relationship.
3. If hanging multiple pieces in one area, think about the general direction of your grouping and the overall feeling or impression you wish to promote in your particular space. Horizontal arrangements of frames generate the feeling of expansiveness and width, whereas a more vertical layout gives an impression of height.
These are the basics - please add any tips that you have found helpful in the comments below...thanks!
Image: Living Etc., March 2009
Comments (5)
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60-65 inches works because it is eye level for the average human. Males average 5'10" females are 5'4".
If you're not these heights you may want to adjust higher or lower. Personally since I'm 6'1" I set my centers at 68". It may be a little high for some people who come to visit but I'm the one who looks at it most often.
view Zytkiewicz's profile
Use plenty of matting on the picture to divorce it from the pattern on the wall. I recommend lots of cat pictures, personally :-)
view Laughing Tiger's profile
57" on center is too low for some people, but I love it. 57" or 59" seems to be the art gallery standard. Instead of floating above the room, it's right there in it with you. To each his own, though!
view hurly03's profile
As a whole.. what i do is basically figure out who is going to be in the room mostly...
I then observe which is the center of the artwork... (which is not necessarily the geometric center)... I then level it with the eye level of that person (or agree on an average among persons)...
Of course this is for one piece.... groups are another thing but it does have a similar (though more complex) approach....
view manu_pty's profile
4. If you're centering something on a short expanse of wall (2 feet wide or less) that runs into a corner of the room, move the center point a smidge in the opposite direction of that corner.
It's really easy for a piece to look like its smushed against the joining wall. It's one of those visually unsettling things you just can't put your finger on, but you know something looks off. No one will notice that it's an inch or so off center.
view akay's profile