3 Tips on How to Hang Art and Photos the Right Way
October 25, 2010 in Purple, TIPS & TRICKS!
Before I started this blog I had no grasp on the correct way to hang art. I’d pick out a bare wall, pull up a chair and hammer a nail into the wall. Boy, was I misguided (or more correctly, unguided). I’ve later come to recognize a few rules for hanging art correctly, and now I’ll share them with you. Here are the three points I always consider when hanging art, photos and mirrors:
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1. When hanging art or framed photos on the wall, never ever pull up a chair to hammer in the nail. If you need a chair, you’ve aimed too high. Artwork should be hung at eye level. Just think about it; you would never hang a mirror at any other height than eye level, right? The same should go for art and pictures.
Design by David Kaplan See more pictures of this room here.
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2. When placing art over a furniture, never hang it higher than a few inches above the furniture. Why not skip the nail altogether and place the artwork on the furniture leaning back on the wall? By relating artwork to the furniture below it, you’ll create little interesting vignettes. You can read a guide on how to make a perfect vignette here.
Design by Elizabeth Bailey See more pics of this bedroom here.
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3. I’ve always seen art as a way to fill out empty wall space. Once I realized that art should relate to furniture, I started questioning how much bare wall was “acceptable”. Then I realized that the bare walls around the vignette actually aided in making the vignette a focal point. Moral of this point: Don’t fear leaving it bare!
Design by Charles De Lisle Workshop See more pictures of this room here.
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And that’s it! Of course there are always exceptions to any rule, but these three points have served me well so far. What’s your strategy when hanging art and photos? I’d love to hear it in the comments!
Archive for the ‘Purple’ Category
Dream Home?
On February 19th the winner of HGTV’s Dreamhome 2010 will be chosen. This is the fourteenth Dream Home since it started in 1997. The house is located in Sandia Park, New Mexico, and has eighteen rooms (counting the 3 car garage). Let’s take a look at a few of them:
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Calm green bedroom with light green walls with brown and cream accents. Also, all trim and window frames are painted a demure blue. If this was my bedroom, I would paint the ceiling, I have a personal war going on with bare wood surfaces.
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The same bedroom viewed from the bed. To the left is a “sunrise room”, separated by a wall with an open fireplace and a flat screen TV. To the right is the master bathroom, with blue sliding doors to the tub. You don’t of cause need to climb through the tub to get to the bathroom, there is a normal entry on the side.
Wall color is Sherwin-Williams Svelte Sage.
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The color scheme is the same in the master bathroom, but with less brown for a lighter cleaner look.
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One thing I noticed in this house is the extensive use of tiles. In this kitchen for example, the whole wall behind the stove is covered in tiles. This kitchen is in open plan solution with the living area though, so I guess it is a nice way of defining the kitchen area. What do You think?
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And with that I had to cover this beautiful “casita” (as they call it), a tiny bedroom with a built in bathroom (see below). I was really surprised they made a feature wall of tiles behind the bed…
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But it makes more sense when you see the bathroom placement. I would love to have a guest suite like this to offer my visitors, but personally I prefer a bit more privacy in the bathroom, lol!
The wall color is Sherwin-Williams Foxy.
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There is just something about the color scheme in this home office that really speaks to me. I’m usually not into these muddy olive greens, but the pops of blue and red really freshens it up. Do you like it?
Wall color is Sherwin-Williams Sycamore Tan.
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This second bedroom is lilac with whites and creams. Two single four poster beds invites guests to a cozy sleepover.
Wall color is Sherwin-Williams Ash Violet.
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I love this detail shot. The chair is to die for, and the framed wall sconces are a great touch.
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Which kid wouldn’t love this colorful bedroom with a Toy Story and Cowboy theme?
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Turquoise and orange is a fresh color combination, but these both have black in them, which tones the colors down a lot.
The wall color is Sherwin-Williams Reflecting Pool.
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Behind this wall is a bathroom shared between this room and the lilac guest bedroom.
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So what do you think, is this your dream home? Are you entering the sweepstakes?
shari @ little blue deer said on October 25, 2010
Love this! I am big on hanging pictures, great to know how to do it right! XX!
Nancy@marcusdesign said on October 25, 2010
These are such great tips!! I fully agree with you on each of them. I have a lot of bare walls in my house, but mostly because it’s so hard for me to commit to a piece that I love and want to look at every day…I’ll get there though!
Nancy
Brandi said on October 28, 2010
I wish I could say I have a strategy but I’d be lying! I have a large open wall with picture frame trim I’m struggling with right now. These are great tips to keep in mind. Perhaps you have a few pointers on a wall such as mine?!
Åse - Interiörguiden said on October 28, 2010
Thanks for the tips, I will keep it in mind!
JEN RAMOS said on October 29, 2010
Great tips! im STILL trying to figure out if i should add art behind my tv in my livingroom..its a large wall…just NOT sure what to do yet! :))))
http://www.madebygirl.com
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Erika @ BluLabel Bungalow said on February 27, 2011
Love a quick and dirty tutorial! Nice work!