What You Need to Know About Hanging Pictures

Selecting wall décor and artwork is a very personal choice. However, it’s better to adhere to a crucial design principle when showcasing it in your room rather than haphazardly driving nails into your walls.

As a general rule, the distance between the center of the artwork and the floor is 57 inches. Typically, that is your eye level.

It makes it obvious that you would want wall art at eye level so you don’t have to strain your neck up or down to view it. But it also makes sense that this rule would not always apply especially if you are vertically challenged/enhanced or if you have some large pieces of art ready to be hung.

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The Eye Level or 57-inch Rule

It helps to have a measuring tape on hand before you go for the hammer and nails, even though you may have been eyeballing it every time you hung wall art in the past.

Hanging paintings too high is the biggest mistake. The ideal spot is often 57 inches in a space with a 10-foot ceiling, but feel free to veer between 55 and 60 inches without raising any red flags. Regardless of whether the ceiling is vaulted or higher, hang everything else in the house at the same level. You want the room to flow naturally to your eye.

Is the 57-inch Rule Breakable?

Of course, when it comes to home décor, you can always make the “my house, my rules” defense. But really, if you hang your wall art outside of the 57-inch rule of thumb, the interior design police won’t come after you.

Don’t be afraid to stack pieces to fill a room when working in an area with double-height or vaulted ceilings. Scale and balance are essential for preserving appropriate flow.

Ways to Display Art Above Furniture

“If the piece hangs over furniture, consider enough air space below for it to float properly above the piece,” is one specific exception to the 57-inch guideline. Depending on the size of the artwork, furnishings, and room, the typical range is six to twelve inches; however, eight to ten inches “works most of the time.”

Here’s where you need to use your best judgment. Make sure to leave a minimum of two to three inches above any products or goods that are situated on top of a console.

Think about the item in light of the actual furniture. No matter where you put it on the wall, wall art (or even a flat-screen TV) should be centered over any furniture. From the side, [the artwork] might appear off-center, but I see it as centered on a piece of furniture.

Think About the Dimensions of Your Photo

Small pieces on large walls are another design blunder. Scale is crucial once more, so if you run into this problem, use a salon-style display that fills the room with several items. Allow two to three inches between components, but still follow the height requirement.

A gallery wall with lots of art pieces of different sizes is a good way to get around the 57-inch limit. If you want to really nail the arrangement of your gallery or salon-style wall, try setting it up on the floor to see how it looks. After determining the composition’s dimensions, use that figure to calculate your center point by dividing it by two.

Read also: Decorating Mistakes That Makes Your Home Look Messy

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