How to Hang Art

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By Alisa Murray | Credits:  Elements of Style by Erin Gates –

Perhaps the most important one thing you can do to personalize your home is to hang pictures of your family. That is why almost every Realtor asks first thing for new listings to remove all personal items before they show the house. There on your walls is so much space that can be personalized, and not just with actual portraits, but with art, with cool grids and textures. Walls are a very important part of any space, and hanging art creatively will dramatically change the way each space feels.

There are several ways that I like to hang art. Here are some examples of what you can do to elevate your living space with your photography or paintings.

Make a Statement

Make one large statement by selecting a piece of art that hangs alone, and make it a size worthy to see and admire, such as 20” x 30”, or larger.  Add a cozy chair or an accent table in front of it.

Gallery

The gallery wall style is nice because it allows to showcase multiple sizes and multiple mediums freely without creating an unorganized and lost look. I recommend using different but coordinating frames and showcase collections, such as all of the art is in one medium, such as photography, and all of that is the same, such as sepia or black and white. This keeps a streamline of consistency in the look. However, mixing multiple mediums, such as paintings, shadow boxes and photography, is equally interesting, and the best way to do it is to trace out the design first and then place painter’s tape on the walls.  Then using the tape as a guideline, start hanging.

Collector

I call this style the collector. Collect several pieces of art with varying sizes, and stack them on floating shelves along the wall. This style is very free and appears that you are more creative and laid back than the prior.

Balanced

Traditional hanging is best described as balanced. It is comfortable to your eye and easy to achieve by first selecting a mirror as the center star, and then surround the mirror with a vertical hanging on either side in exactly the same size smaller frames and spaces in between each.

On the Grid

The most structured style of hanging is the grid. It is very simply achieved by hanging in a tic tac toe pattern of six exactly the same size in exactly the same frame. For those who thrive on symmetry and are never able to just purchase that one lamp because they feel they will be off balance, this is what I recommend. You must measure all of this out, similar to the gallery style, so that exactly the same space is calculated between each picture. I usually allow one to two inches between the frames.

Mantle

The mantle is one place that should always feature art. Coupling candles and leaning pictures with a mirror is aesthetically pleasing and personalizes the space.

Vertical

Small spaces between windows or accent panels of brick can always be dressed up by hanging art that is vertical. Whether it is hung as one long piece or as a vertical grouping, vertical groupings offer more interest in spaces that are often overlooked in decorating.

Bookworm

For the library or home office, utilize the bookcase. The bookworm is really cool because it stares back at you from a backdrop of books. And, it’s easy to install, because all you do is hang it on the actual bookcase!

As you can see, there are many ways to hang art in your home and countless ways to create beautiful spaces with art. The design is created once you select the style that best suits you. Each delivers an impact to any space, and I advise hanging in multiple styles throughout living spaces.  In this way your home will be a unique statement of you!