Tips for Hanging Art on Your Walls

Hanging decorative items or art on your walls is one of the final steps you can take to really pull a room together and make it your own. If you’re feeling anxious about how to hang things properly without causing damage to the walls (or the art) or you aren’t sure how to group items together to create a cohesive look, read on for tips that can help.

If you have a collection of pieces and you just aren’t sure how to start, try separating them into A’s, B’s, and C’s. Your A pieces are going to be your priority pieces that you will find a place for. Your B pieces are ones you can use to fill in spaces, and the C pieces are ones that might not make it onto your wall after all. Another way to separate your pieces is by what kind they are. Travel photos, family photos, and art prints or originals look best when they are kept separated into groups, instead of all together.

When choosing the walls you’ll be using to hang your art, consider where your eyes rest when they scan a room. If you have large, blank walls in the living room, that’s the ideal wall to start with. Keep in mind that not every wall needs to be covered. Smaller walls may benefit from just one piece hung at eye level as a focal point.

If you’ll be hanging a large art piece over furniture, you’ll want to plan for the art to be slightly smaller than the furniture is. Leave about 4-6 inches of space between the top of the couch or table and the bottom of the art. Choose a piece of art that is about 75% narrower than the furniture it is hanging over.

When you have multiple pieces that you want to hang in a grid pattern, you will want to pay attention to the spacing between the pieces to keep them uniform. Lay your pieces out on the floor first to create an arrangement that is pleasing to you before you start hammering nails into the wall. Spacing between each piece should be about 1.5 – 3 inches. You can go big and bold and cover an entire wall to make an impact. Try to keep the frame colors all the same, or all of the images in black and white to keep it cohesive.

It’s vital that whatever pieces you are hanging, you are using the correct hardware for the job. You can use the wire hangers that some pictures come with, just add mounting putty to the corners to help keep the picture from shifting on the wall. For heavier pieces, you can use drywall anchors and screws. Be sure to check the weight limit on other hardware, it’s better to go over than under. If you are hanging something that weighs 60 pounds, it’s better to use two 50-pound hooks.

If you’re looking for places to get more art, try: Etsy, AllPosters.com, Lumas.com, ArtFinder.com, and Zatista.com.

Your home is a place where you can express your individuality and personality through your art and decor. Find pieces you love and display them to share with others.