One Decorating Mistake You Can Easily Fix? Here’s the deal…some common interior design mistakes are expensive to correct. But this is…
The One Common Mistake You Can Easily Fix
Hang your art at the right height!
Here are four good Art Hanging Tips for your home decor. Many times, I see that it is hung too high. It could be a couple of inches off or several like below…
1. How High Should Art Be Hung
Basically, it depends but…
- A good rule of thumb is to hang art at approximately eye level so that its midpoint is between 57 and 60 inches from the floor. This is what we did in the living room.
- Aim for the lower end of the range if you will mostly see the art while sitting in a dining room or you want it to relate to something below it like a sofa.
- In rooms with ceilings higher than eight feet, artwork can be hung a little higher than 60 inches off the floor.
- If you’re hanging your art above a piece of furniture, it can be 4-8 inches above the piece. Often I like to place the art layout on the floor before hanging.
2. Not every wall space has to have art
…give the eye a chance to rest.
3. If your art consists of small pieces
…find a smaller wall, or book shelves, or group small art together for greater impact. It’s nice to have compatible frames.
Even small art can be a focal point in a small space.
4. Hang Gallery Walls With Consistency
Make sure the spacing is cohesive. Hang large and medium pieces 2-3 inches apart, and smaller pieces 1.5-2.5 inches apart. They can be different heights according to your preference.
The One Decorating Mistake You Can Easily Fix And…
I have a confession to make. This mirror was about two inches too high for the past several years…and before writing this post, I got Howard to help me lower it. Don’t wait as long as I did 🙂
And you can see some of the uniform spacing on the gallery wall in the reflection.
And that’s the One Decorating Mistake You Can Easily Fix…hang your art at the right height!
You make also like 5 Tips For Arranging Art For a New Look.
Unfortunately this rule does not always work. My ceilings are a little lower than 8 ft. Art hung according to the 57inch rule ends up too high.
Yes…I alway “eyeball” it to take that into consideration.
What a great reference post. Art hung too high is definitely one of my pet peeves. I find men are especially guilty including my own husband ha!! He has gradually come around though.
When you say 58-60 inches, do you mean from the top of the piece?
In our AirBnBs, the ceilings are an insane 14 feet high and the art does indeed have to be a bit higher or it looks way too low, and also very large. Even big paintings look small when they are up on the wall.
The center of the art should be 57′ to 60″ from the floor. In your case, it can be a few inches higher but you still want it to relate to the furnishings and be human scale.
MA – you have no idea how many discussions 🙂 we have about the right height for art. Jim’s 6″ taller than me so he thinks everything must be hung at least a foot high than I do. I’m saving this post!!! xo
Great post and excellent info. One of my pet peeves is art hung too high. Hope you’re having a wonderful time in Arrowhead!
Thanks, Gail!
Great tip for us. I like rules like this because it’s easy to forget or be unsure.
Have a wonderful upcoming weekend.
Karen
What a great resource. Love the exact details in inches. It makes me crazy to see things hung poorly or god forbid crooked. I have to gently ask permission to straighten the picture. But now I have a place to send people who are hanging pictures. Great idea for a post. You did it again.
Thanks, Sandra, I hate crooked pictures too.
SUCH A GOOD TOPIC!
EXCELLENT INFO especially giving us the INCHES!
I am a wee bit jealous of your LAKE EXCURSION……………
XX
I have had many discussions about the height at which pictures should be hung, and if every wall needs something. I always prevail, but it takes a lots of convincing!
You sound like you know what you are doing, Debby!
I see this all the time. Especially in homes that have art hung by a man 6 feet or taller. I am only 5’ 4” so it really jars my eyes when I see it. It was nice to see a blog post about it.
Thanks, Pam!