Wall Art Styling Guide
Hamptons Elegance Guide to: How to Hang Wall Art
Art is a crucial ingredient in adding that extra touch to make your house feel more like a home. Choosing the right size and how it’s hung can be the difference in achieving a pleasing and balanced look that perfectly complements your interior.
As a general rule art should be hung so that the middle of the piece is at eye level. Based on what is considered the standard, this means that the middle of the art should be 145-152 cm from the floor.
The problem with this rule is that people are all different heights so art hung at this height may be too high for some or too low for others.
You might want to use the higher measurement of 152 cm if your family is on the taller side.
If your family is on the shorter side you might want to hang at the lower level of 145 cm level, especially in rooms such as dining rooms where people are mostly sitting.
Instead of hanging art at 'eye' level follow these guidelines.
Hallway or Entry
People are typically standing in hallways and entries so hanging art at the higher level of 152 cm is a better level for viewing. If you are using smaller pieces you might want to hang them a little higher at 165 cm from the floor.
If you are hanging a gallery wall the bottom edge should be at least 152 cm from the floor.
High Ceilings
If your room has very high ceilings, it’s best to leave at least the top third to a half of your wall empty. You may want to hang at 152 cm from the floor.
When you have a lot of wall space it’s best to hang one large piece rather than many small pieces.
This should help to keep the room more balanced.
Hanging above furniture
There are a number of things to consider here, i.e.
How far above my furniture?
As outlined above, your wall art should in general be hung so that the middle of the piece is at eye level. Many people make the mistake of hanging it too high. In general, your piece should be hung about 15-20 cm above your sofa or sideboard etc.
How big should my wall art be?
The width of your wall art should take up above two thirds the width of the furniture.
It really is all about proportion. If you have a large sofa, a large piece of wall art would look more balanced. If your interior is quite small you might want to try a mix of small and medium sized pieces to fill up that space.
What if I want to hang a set of 2 pieces – how far apart should they be?
You may have a set of 2 or more pieces of art that you want to hang together in which case you need to consider how far apart they should be hung. Again, you need to consider proportion. The pieces should be hung 7.5-15cm apart with the total width of the wall art two thirds the width of the furniture.
What about Mirrors?
The guidelines for hanging mirrors are the same as for hanging wall art.
Hanging Above a Fireplace
The guidelines are the same as hanging above furniture.
Summary
Always stand back and look at what feels balanced and adjust as necessary.
Remember this is your home and you want it to reflect your taste and personality.