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Tip for Hanging Pictures and Wall Art


As an interior decorator for 25 years, I’ve helped my clients hang many pictures in their homes, so I wanted to share some of my tips with you.

If you have a large empty wall where you’d like to hang lots of pictures, I’d like to suggest that you arrange the artwork on the floor first.  Then, measure how far they need to be from one another (each picture should be the same distance from the other, vertically and horizontally).  Next, take one at a time and put them on the wall.  I usually start from the center point and work on each side.

Another option would be to make a template of each picture and adhere it to the wall gently using a re-useable adhesive, which looks a little bit like putty, but it won’t tear pieces from the wall or the paper patterns.

For a grouping, consider a grouping of four of the same-size pictures, together like a four-square to give the illusion of a larger picture.  I’d like to recommend that the pictures have a unifying theme, such as cityscapes, landscapes, and florals – to name a few – and have the same frame color. 

Family portrait groupings should also have the same frame color and the same mat color so that they look good together.

If you decide that you would like a different configuration for your grouping, consider using a larger picture in the center, and then place two smaller pictures on either side. Odd numbers can look great in a grouping if they are placed correctly.

Hang pictures at eye level – but not too high.  For instance, if you are hanging a picture over a sofa, place the bottom of the picture no more than 12 inches above the top of the sofa.  If you hang it higher than 12 inches, the viewer’s eye will just go to the wall, not the picture.

Don’t place one little picture on a large wall – it will get lost on the wall!  If there’s not enough artwork to fill the space on a large wall, I’d like to recommend that you put mirrors or a shadowbox in the grouping.

I hope these suggestions will help when you’re hanging artwork. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions.  And, as always, Happy Decorating!

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