I Tried My Dad’s Simple Trick for Hanging Art, and It Transformed My Living Room

Written by

Blair DonovanSenior Editor of Style at Apartment Therapy
Blair DonovanSenior Editor of Style at Apartment Therapy
As AT’s Senior Style Editor, I cover the latest interior design trends, expert decorating ideas, and must-see home products. Whenever I’m not keeping tabs on the next TikTok “core” or buzzy IKEA collection, I’m most likely reading, online shopping, or looking for the best tacos in New York (recs are encouraged).
published Jul 21, 2024
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
White living room with white sofa, piano, bold art, and dining area in background
Credit: Lula Poggi

I’m aging myself here, but I’ve discovered a lot via my dad over the last almost three decades — my favorite band (My Morning Jacket), the perfect margarita recipe, and an appreciation for good art, rugs, and antiques. My dad has a keen eye for design and is perpetually decorating our family house in Kentucky with some newly acquired paintings or vintage chairs (much to my mom’s chagrin). As I’ve furnished my so-called “adult” apartments, he’s essentially doubled as my built-in interior consultant, too.

I hold my dad’s design opinions of my own home in high regard, but he doesn’t get a chance to visit New York often. Any “Hey, do you like this couch?” convos have transpired over text or FaceTime. Both my parents were in town this past fall, though, and it was my dad’s first time seeing my current apartment IRL. By that point, I desperately needed his expertise on where to style a pile of art prints I’d collected, and he came fully prepared to put on his proverbial decorating hat, nails and hammer at the ready (which, yes, he packed in his checked bag).  

I did know exactly where I wanted to put a pair of prints we’d picked out together at an antique store in my hometown. My living room has a window cutout above my sofa that opens up into the kitchen, so I’d planned to stack them in a row on the sliver of open wall space to the right of this. I already had a woven side table with a tall CB2 lamp styled on the floor next to my couch, which the matching art would look perfect above.

My dad started to work his art-hanging magic and held up both frames against the wall so I could visualize the right height. But before he started nailing, he asked me to do one step I’d genuinely never thought of for hanging art in my apartment: turning on my table lamp below.

Credit: Blair Donovan

While still holding the two frames against the wall, my dad wanted to see how high up the light would project. Then he hung and leveled the pair accordingly so that the glow from the bulb hit both prints in the perfect sweet spot. It’s so simple, but something that wouldn’t have crossed my mind if I’d been hanging the wall art up myself. To be honest, I’m lucky if everything looks aligned, let alone has a spotlight emphasizing the right points. 

This trick works not only for table lamps, but also floor lamps and sconces, or even pendants and picture lights — flip them on before installing any wall art in close proximity to see how they can play up each piece. My dad fortunately visited on a gloomy, rainy afternoon when we could easily see the light bulb’s reach during the day, but you may also want to try this out at night to get the full effect (or even just a sneak peek of the ambience). I love turning on just my one table lamp to illuminate two of my favorite decor finds, which also look just as prominent on their own in the daylight. 

The next time you’re mapping out a gallery wall or trying to decide where to put a cute Etsy print, don’t forget this simple dad-approved styling trick before nailing any holes in the wall!