Hanging art is like an art in itself! If you get it wrong, the entire room can feel off and unbalanced. I have been so fortunate to work with clients who have incredible art collections. Curating that art and hanging it perfectly is something I love to do. So here are my 4 best tips for placing art correctly on your walls!

1. Keep Your Eye on It

The #1 mistake most people make is hanging art far too high up on the wall. The center of the art should always be right at the eyeline for an average height person. That would be about 57 to 60 inches off the floor. Any higher and the room will feel off kilter! You can see that perfect height in the dining room I designed above - the piece not only influenced the room’s color palette, but it is at the right height to enjoy both standing and seated.

2. Keep the Furniture in Mind

If the art is hanging behind a sofa or other furniture, a good rule of thumb is to hang it so the bottom of the art is about 4 to 6 inches off the back or top of the furniture. That gives you a great sightline in the room, but also avoids anyone hitting the art while seated on the furniture. You can see a great example of that in the primary bedroom I designed above!

3. Heavy Lifting

There is nothing worse than having a heavy piece of art fall right off the wall, often in the middle of the night. It can also take a good chunk of sheet rock or plaster with it, causing a lot of damage. The key is to always - and I mean always - find a stud behind the wall that can act as an anchor for your heaviest pieces. You can get a stud finder at most home improvement or hardware stores. You’ll have better piece of mind and you’ll protect your art!

4. The Perfect Gallery

The key to a great looking gallery wall is placing the pieces exactly the same distance from each other. That creates a pleasing and harmonious set of lines on your wall. A good rule of thumb is to go for about 2 to 3 inches between each frame or edge. I like to use butcher paper cut to the exact dimensions and then placed on the floor to create my templates for gallery walls. It works every time.

Try these tips for hanging art in your home! And let me know how it goes in the comments section below.

Warmly,

Beth