Truth be known, we love to hang the work at the gallery and are constantly rehanging our shows, even between shows. Call us masochists, but we crave the “Aha” moments! These are the times when an unexpected pairing between two wonderful pieces causes the wall to sing, and we both stand back and say, “Aha!” Of course, hanging is a lot easier for us at the gallery because of our wonderful hanging system. (Neither one of us will ever move again without first putting in ogee molding and buying stainless steel hanging rods!) But because hanging is a little more permanent at home, here are some tips for hanging art that will avoid costly mistakes and help make your own walls sing. |
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| Ann and Meg Hanging Nasri Paintings |
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- Art needs to be anchored, either by a piece of furniture, a picture rail or other art
- Avoid hanging one piece alone unless it is something "important" or oversized which deserves to hang alone, with enough blank wall space around it to let it shine.
- Always hang at eye level and avoid hanging too high (we’ve found that to be our clients’ most common mistake)
- Hang in groupings if the pieces are small
- Hang in relation to something else, extending the lines of the windows, doors, furniture
- When hanging over a couch, dresser or piece of furniture, don’t hang it too high – usually 3 to 6 inches will do
- Hang according to where you will be viewing it and so you can enjoy it (may be across from a chair you sit in at eye level when seated); just make sure it’s anchored
- Avoid having the art float in space
- For great visual impact, consider a big piece for a small room as long as it doesn’t overwhelm it
- To avoid clutter and confusion, do not hang multiple disparate small pieces in a small room. Instead, arrange them in such a way to create the illusion of one big piece
- Small pieces in a grouping can add interest to a large room
- For large groupings of pieces, arrange artwork on floor first
- Group 4 small same-size pictures together in a four square to give the illusion of a bigger painting
- Or hang large in center and smaller on either size
- Small pictures don’t need to be on a wall; consider easel, or shelf
- The width of the frames can dictate the spacing between pieces. In general, you should hang larger pieces over smaller ones, unless the frame of the smaller piece is heavier. If you have several pieces from the same artist, hang in groupings.
- Hang work from different artists in a less strict manner to emphasize each piece's uniqueness.
- Try propping art instead of hanging it. Pay attention to overlooked spaces, too -- corners and over doorways and archways are prime decorating spots.
- For visual impact, group similar artwork together, such as black-and-white photographs. For even more emphasis, use the same style of mat and frame.
- Group a series of framed miniatures inside one large frame as a great solution to displaying tiny pieces.
- A grouping doesn't have to be a matching set. It can be hung according to common colors or subject matter.
- Pictures hung in a row horizontally will help to visually widen a space
- How you live in the space determines the best placement. Do you want to see the piece as you walk into the room? Or is it something you'd like to view while sitting on the sofa?
- Quieter works such as drawings, photographs and souvenir prints often work best in groups. These items may be strung along a hallway or clustered above a sofa. Together, they should create a rhythm or pattern that has a greater presence than each one would have hanging individually. Placing pieces on the wall in a line is a timeless technique, but you may try hanging pictures geometrically or using random patterns.
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| Finally, not to overstate the obvious, but when you buy art with your heart, you will find that it hangs well together. We find that at the gallery, our Aha moments happen daily as we move paintings around. Why is it that paintings by so many different artists can look so fabulous together, despite the differences in style or content or texture or color? Because the common thread is that this is a collection of paintings that we love and somehow that ties them all together. We can assure you that if a painting tugs at your heart, it will always hang well with your collection. |
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