{"id":353962,"date":"2021-04-05T16:45:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-05T20:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/?p=353962"},"modified":"2024-11-26T16:36:38","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T21:36:38","slug":"how-to-arrange-wall-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/how-to-arrange-wall-art\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Arrange Wall Art: The Complete Art Placement Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This downtown Manhattan loft designed by Shawn Henderson<\/a> features a colorful grid layout of prints by artist Robert Indiana<\/a>. Photo by Steve Freihon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Creating a wall of art<\/a> is a wonderful way to enhance your space, showcase beautiful pieces and tie an interior design together. It allows you to evoke emotions in a room while also showing off your tastes and interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, arranging artworks on a blank wall can be daunting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s why we created this guide. Below, we show you, step by step, how to arrange wall art in different ways to maximize your wall space, including specific tips for designing a gallery wall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With these pointers, you can deploy your art to have the greatest impact in your space, personalizing it in the most beautiful way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Choose Your Wall<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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First, decide where you want to hang your artworks. Should you go for the obvious large wall or smaller spaces?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Large walls need to be filled. Small pieces on an expansive surface can look lost and isolated, so don\u2019t be afraid to go big with one sizable work<\/a>. Another good option is to create a grouping of pieces, and a spacious wall allows you to spread them out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smaller areas, like those between windows and doors, are the perfect places to display your more petite pieces. These can also be deployed in a cluster as a gallery wall<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hanging isn\u2019t the only way to display your artworks. You can stand framed pieces<\/a> and stretched canvases on an easel<\/a>, a mantelpiece<\/a>, floating shelves<\/a> or on the floor leaning against a wall. This creates a casual look and also allows you to change your arrangements more easily and without damaging the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked how they decide where to hang art, Gabriela Gargano and Kyle McVey, partners in Manhattan design firm Grisoro Studio<\/a>, explain, \u201cWe typically begin a project by reviewing any furniture and art a client already owns and wishes to incorporate into their home. As we work through the furniture layouts and design, we’ll review art \u2014 existing and future pieces \u2014 for color, medium and scale. This allows us to truly incorporate art into our designs<\/a>, instead of trying to place it at the end. We believe this creates an authentic and artful home where each piece is highlighted in a beautiful way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Make a Plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you pull out the hammer or drill, you should plan how you will arrange your works. You can do this using digital tools or low-tech methods, such as kraft paper and tape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1stDibs app<\/a> includes a handy \u201cView on Wall\u201d feature that allows you to see how a particular artwork will look on a particular wall. Using your phone\u2019s camera, it maps the surface you’re considering, then shows you what the work will look like there at the proper scale. This is great for envisioning how a piece will fit into your overall design before you purchase it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a complex arrangement involving pieces of different sizes, you\u2019ll want to see how it looks before putting any nails in your wall. One easy way is to lay out the works you want to display on the floor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can go a step further and visualize the pieces directly on your wall by making templates of them. Trace the works\u2019 outlines on kraft paper and cut them out. Then, tape the cutouts to the wall with painter\u2019s tape in various arrangements, stepping back to see how each looks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you find an arrangement you like, use the cutouts to mark where on the wall each work will go. Now, you can hammer in the nails with confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. Hang Art at Eye Level<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A good rule is to hang an artwork so that its center is at eye level, for easy viewing. Eye level, on average, is 57 to 60 inches off the ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may want to hang your works lower if the room has a low ceiling, or in a living room<\/a>, because its occupants are often sitting, so their eye level isn\u2019t as high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Consider the Furniture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Art can add interest to a sofa<\/a>, console table<\/a>, sideboard<\/a> or bed<\/a>. So, what should you consider when hanging artworks above furniture? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From an aesthetic standpoint, an art arrangement should usually be no wider than the piece of furniture it hangs over. In the case of a sofa, it should span an area two-thirds the width of the piece and start about 8 to 10 inches above it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also practical considerations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI recommend leaving enough space above the piece of furniture to allow for usable workspace and to protect the art from other items damaging it,” says Susana Simonpietri, of Brooklyn home design studio Chango & Co.<\/a> “For example, if the art is to hang above a bench or a sofa, I think about the head height of the client when seated. When arranging above a console or dining buffet<\/a>, I think about space for flowers or even food. When placing art above an area that will likely have hot items underneath and around it, I’ll consider the steam and how it might affect the piece over time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tips for Arranging Wall Art<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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When deciding how to arrange art on a wall, there are lots of factors to consider: the surface, the spacing and the tools needed, to name a few. Below, we provide pointers to help you decide on the right layout, achieve visual balance, choose and pair artworks, hang on different types of walls and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Symmetrical Wall Arrangements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A symmetrical wall arrangement is traditional, formal and orderly. It may comprise a grid of four to six pieces or, for an odd number of works, a horizontal row. The spaces between the pieces need to be nearly identical, and it works best if the pieces are all the same size and have identical frames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such arrangements are perfect for over furniture or lining a hallway<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asymmetrical Wall Arrangements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Asymmetrical arrangements have a more collected and eclectic feel. They may be small clusters of art or large, salon-style gallery walls. Both approaches enable you to mix pieces of different sizes, styles and orientations, as well as frames of different types and widths. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A gallery wall also presents the opportunity to intersperse paintings<\/a>, photographs<\/a> and prints<\/a> with such items as wall sculptures<\/a>, baskets<\/a>, plates<\/a>, mirrors<\/a> and sconces<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These less-structured arrangements allow more room for creativity, but it can be difficult to maintain visual balance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Grisoro Studio partners remind us that size isn\u2019t the only factor to consider when striving for harmony on a wall: \u201cTexture, color and style are as important as size. Reviewing the visual weight of the furnishings and art, on their own and as parts of the full room, allows us to create balance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Creating Visual Balance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To maintain a pleasing balance in an arrangement composed of artworks of varying sizes, draw an invisible line in the middle of the wall or in the area you\u2019re covering and make sure you don\u2019t put too much \u201cweight\u201d on either side of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hang the largest, most prominent pieces first, either in the center or near the bottom of the arrangement, to create a focal point<\/a>. Then, add smaller pieces<\/a>, working outward. The arrangement can be expanded over time as your collection grows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To keep it cohesive, try to repeat a certain color or style at least once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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