What to Avoid when Hanging Art

Have you ever walked into a home, looked at the art, and thought something didn’t feel right, but you couldn’t quite figure out what it was? I do not mean the good v. bad art distinction (that’s a discussion for another day).

The most common problem I see is that the artwork is placed too high.

When I walk into a room and see a painting floating alone in a vast expanse of wall space, disconnected from furniture, well, I get a bit anxious.

How High Should It Be?

A general rule of thumb is to hang your pictures at eye level, which means the center of the art will usually be 57 to 60 inches from the floor. If you are shorter or taller than average, this may vary. Fifty-seven inches feels too low to me, but I’m 5 feet 7. I prefer 59 or 60 as a midpoint.

And when hanging a gallery wall, treat the whole group as one unit. Apply the same height rule.

There are exceptions to the height rule, however.

No

Yes

When To Throw Out The Rule I Just Gave You 

When placing a painting above a sofa, the art will look best when the bottom edge of the picture is above the couch by 8-10 inches (some interior designers prefer even less). Any more distance than that creates a distracting gap. As an aside, it is visually pleasing if the art measures 1/2–2/3 the width of the furniture.

If you have art larger than 120 inches tall (lucky you that you’ve got walls that high and no little kids, see below), disregard the height rule. Just be sure the bottom edge of the art is about a foot off the floor.

Kids

Do you have small children at home?

If so, all bets are off.

If you live with children, you will be lucky to have any art at all that isn’t splattered or smudged—and not necessarily by the little ones. In addition to small hands with peanut butter, touching the art, sleep-deprived parents have been known to slosh coffee around early in the morning.

I recommend purchasing high-quality, inexpensive works on paper in cleanable glass frames (My shop offers plenty of examples).

Although I do not recommend huge paintings over the sofa till the children get older, do have high-quality pieces in your home. Children need to be exposed to art early, so they learn to love it and grow up to become collectors!

Ultimately I believe in trusting your instinct, but try the 57-60 inch rule and see how it feels. I am confident it will not make you anxious. It may even bring you pleasure, which is what art is supposed to do, right?

More useful tips on displaying art are coming soon.

What do you think? Do you follow “rules” when you hang your art, or do you go with your gut feeling on what looks good?

Let me know in the comments section below.