Do you have blank walls staring at you? Or a bunch of things you’d like to hang on those walls but don’t know how or where? Or what kind of art will work in your room? Here are some tips on arranging and choosing your artwork with an aesthetic eye.
A beautiful oil painting of an Italian landscape with an interestingly textured frame or large photograph of a peaceful deserted beach with no frame, just a canvas museum wrap instead. Or maybe an abstract piece with your favorite colors and shapes. Vintage posters, graceful figure drawings or fun prints of your favorite animals are all possibilities. Whatever your favorite subject or style, the options are endless for beautiful art to dress up your walls. Choose what ‘speaks’ to you.
Hang picture at eye level.
You bought the piece of art because you enjoy looking at it so it should be hung so you can see it! A good rule of thumb is to hang your art so the center of it is at eye level. In a living room, pictures should be hung so that people sitting in the room may view them while seated. A large picture behind the sofa may end up being as little as four inches from the top of the sofa.
Effective picture groupings.
Smaller pictures are more effective when grouped together as opposed to being scattered all over the wall. Balance and spacing are important when arranging artwork. Pieces should be of similar visual weight as nearby furniture. A rule of thumb is that the space between two pictures should be less than the width of a single picture. If you’re doing a large grouping of smaller pieces, an inch or two is a good distance between two.
Hang artwork right—the first time!
If you’re apprehensive about hammering nails into your walls, cut pieces of paper into the size of your pictures. You can even mark the placement of the hooks using this technique. Then arrange them by taping them on the wall until you are happy with the results. Once you are satisfied, mark where the hooks will go with a pencil, going right through the paper, and proceed to hang your artwork.
The type of artwork you choose will depend on your personal preferences and your budget. It can be simple prints, needlework, limited edition prints or original art. Just be sure to hang it where it can be easily enjoyed!
