Getting the hang of hanging art

One of the things we've found that makes a huge difference to the look of a room is its artwork. Well-selected artwork can announce the color scheme of your room and reflect your personal style. Because its selection and placement is so important, we always hang or re-hang client artwork as our final step. We want to get all other room elements in place, then get the art in the best spot.

Two common missteps we've encountered are: art hung in the wrong orientation, and art hung at the wrong height. Our rule of thumb is to fill as much of a horizontal space as possible with a piece of art, thus making it a focal point. Unless you are hanging art above furniture, the middle of the art (or grouping of art) should be at eye level of a 5'6" person.

Speaking of groupings, we love to group art. It's a fun way to get more bang from your pieces, and make a color or thematic statement. The space between each piece should be the same. When arranging a group, hang the middle piece and work out from there. Keys to a successful grouping, or any piece of art hung on a wall, is staying mindful of the colors and how they interact with your room (this includes frame color). A fun website that simplifies the process of hanging groups of art is 

http://www.thepicturewallcompany.com/

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For families with kid art, hanging them together, gallery style, can look great in a hallway or on an ENTIRE wall of the main living space. We've also had fun using non-traditional items as "artwork"-in one instance, tribal masks and woven food rolling mats. In another, pottery and a piece of hammered metal.

(Credit to 

Country Living

Oct 2009 for this beautiful photo.)