Jeremiah Brent Proves You Can Hang a Small Painting On a Large Wall

Everyone’s made the mistake of hanging the “wrong” painting on the “wrong” wall, which results in a wonky-looking space. But Jeremiah Brent just showed his followers that it’s possible to place a small painting on a large wall without it looking like it’s floating out in space.

“The final touches for this California guest room,” Brent captioned his March 1 Instagram post, which is a clip of him wrapping up the styling of one of his latest designs.

“Love the small pic on the expansive bare wall,” a follower commented. “Wouldn’t have thought of that yet it’s impactful.”

So how did Brent make this styling go so right when we all know from experience that it can go so wrong? When you break it down, it’s all about creating a cohesive vignette within the larger space.

Rather than hang the small painting by itself, Brent intentionally worked it into a seating area centered around a side table flanked by two chairs. He then anchored the painting down to the seating area using a tall floral arrangement.

Your eye goes to the collection of items on and above the side table, which feels cohesive, intentional, and complete. If he had left the painting alone on the wall without accessorizing the side table — or even hung the painting a few inches higher than he did — that “floating out in the middle of nowhere” feeling would return.

The myth of thinking you need a large painting to fill up a large wall has been destroyed. As long as you give your painting a few friends and a purpose, it should feel and look right at home.