Today for my favorite things with Annie and Cindy I’d like to share the ways to display art perfectly in your home. Art personalizes and creates an aesthetically pleasing environment that makes it YOUR home.
Also, there is a new academy award winning movie that Howard and I both liked that you can stream at home and a healthy breakfast recipe.
Here are the things you should consider when displaying your art.
1. Curate Your Collection
Build your collection with art that resonates with you personally and your home’s interior design. Mix different mediums, styles, and sizes to add depth and interest to your space.
We’ve collected our art over decades from galleries, flea markets, artist friends, eBay and even Etsy. Consider art posters from museums or festivals that have meaning to you.
The midcentury paintings above are from the Long Beach, CA flea market.
You can have your travel photography enlarged and made into art, too. Small walls are good for vertical compositions.
These photos are from our vacation in Provence: Beautiful Farmhouse Manor in Provence. The frames are several years old from Pottery Barn, these are similar.
Wide mats add prominence to small prints in an office environment.
2. Consider Scale and Proportion, Height And Uniformity
Pay attention to scale and proportion when hanging art. Aim for balance by considering the size of the wall and surrounding furniture.
Generally, the center of the art should be about 58″ from the floor (eye level) but this changes with the ceiling height and furniture below it, if any. That is why it’s always best to “eyeball” it in the space.
Note below that the mid-way point between the two antique shell prints in the foyer is about 58″ from the floor and they relate to the bench underneath. The prints next to the staircase in a room with 10′ ceilings are slightly higher.
Place each piece of the art collection about 1″ to 3″ apart (keep the distance consistent for a uniform look) like with these photographs here.
These wooden frames are from Pottery Barn.
Four prints together on a grid like this create the look of a large piece of art.
3. Create a Gallery Wall
Use templates or arrange the art pieces (which is what I usually do) on the floor first to visualize the layout before hanging. Consider mixing and matching frames. Alternatively, opt for a cohesive frame style for a more uniform look.
The above works of art creates a focal point in a hallway with a combination of vintage pieces. Start in the middle and work your way out for symmetry.
You may also like The Best Classic Ways To Hang Art In Stairways.
4. Affixing Art To The Wall
You can buy picture hanging supplies on Amazon or from the hardware store in a variety of sizes for different weights. If something is really heavy, have a professional use screws and find the stud. Command Strips are a good option to hang on glass and I like velcro strips to hang small art on tile.
5. Free-standing Easel Or Art On Book Shelves Or Mantel
This adjustable easel showcases small art. It is something to consider for a special smaller piece.
Notice above that in this little painting that my cousin, Janice did there is the French chest (commode) that is the same one that the easel is sitting on? She painted it from a photo she took of our apartment in Paris.
A bookshelf or mantel above a fireplace is also a good place to display artwork.
6. Embrace Negative Space
Embrace blank space to allow each piece to shine individually. Consider leaving some blank walls so that your eyes have “a place to rest.”
7. Rotate Your Collection
Rearranging art can breathe new life into your home. The picture ledge here makes it easy. Here the composition is of oil painting canvases.
You can shop our home here.
Trust Your Instincts
Above all, trust your instincts and let your personal taste guide you. Your home should reflect your unique personality and style, so don’t be afraid to showcase art that speaks to you.
What To Have For Breakfast
Cindy H. and Steve are visiting us and I remembered that Steve likes an overnight oatmeal yogurt parfait (my friend, JoAnn’s recipe) that I featured years ago. So I made it for him.
This is great for a quick breakfast. Mix the night before you serve it. It keeps as long as the expiration date of the yogurt
- 32 oz container vanilla yogurt
- 2 cups plain uncooked oatmeal
- 1 small can crushed pineapple, undrained
- 2/3 cup sliced almonds
-
Mix the ingredients the night before. Stir and serve in the morning with fresh fruit. I've used strawberries, blueberries, apples, and peaches…whatever fruit we have on hand.
What To Watch: The Holdovers
This was a good movie. We watched it on Peacock but you can rent The Holdovers at home on Prime Video, Apple TV, and YouTube.
“A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school remains on campus during Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go. He soon forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged troublemaker, and with the school’s head cook, a woman who just lost a son in the Vietnam War.”
Da’Vine Joy Randolph won Best Actress in a Supporting Role in this film.
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Let’s see what Annie and Cindy’s Five Faves are this week:
K C says
I had guests this weekend and made your yogurt parfait recipe. Delicious! I served it topped with blueberries, bananas and granola. Thank you for sharing your recipes with us. i have also made your pasta with Italian sausage and broccolini which was also delicious!
Mary Ann Pickett says
Thanks for letting me know. I need to make that pasta again!
cindy says
This was such a great post! I love the adjustable easel as well, and you know Steve loves your parfait!!
kim says
Mary Ann, I love all the art in your house. The little painting on your easel is perfect! I have to try the overnight oats. I know Max would love it with pineapple. Hope you’re having fun with Cindy.
Annie Diamond says
Mary Ann, I love seeing your art in your new home. Your gallery walls are gorgeous. I always loved the painting that Janice did of your apartment in Paris. And…those midcentury paintings have always been a favorite too! You have a beautiful collection of art.
We still haven’t seen The Holdovers!
tina/mormormedstiletter says
Love the idea absit rotating art in the home. Tend to forget and just let everything stay the same year after year:-)
Katherine says
Hi Mary Ann,
Thank you for your detailed and informative
knowledge and tips on hanging anything.
So nice you prepared Steve’s special Oatmeal for his morning breakfast. I relate to that way of being.
Have a lovely week.
Mary Ann Pickett says
Thanks, Katherine,
Linda Henderson says
I really enjoyed The Holdovers. Paul Giamatti is such a great actor. I am curious. In the lovely area where you live, are there nice cinemas to attend? Being a movie lover, seeing good movies enhances any vacation I take. Thank you and also thank you for the good design ideas.
Mary Ann Pickett says
Yes, Linda…we have a Cineplex. I was so happy to find it AFTER we moved here!
Carol says
We too have a Cineplex here. It’s such a great theater for our area. Just last week I met girlfriends to see Cabrini. We highly recommend!
Mary Ann Pickett says
Oh thanks, I will see if its playing in ours!
Lyn says
I love the adjustable easel idea. I will start on the hunt for one in brushed brass. I would say that about 90% of the artwork in our home are different forms of photos my husband or I have taken over the years during our travels. I select the photos that I use being careful to make sure they are complementary to our chosen decor colors. Some are printed on canvas, others I have matted and framed. They mean a lot to us, especially as we have gotten older and don’t travel like we used to. A number of them we have installed art lights to highlight them. There are a few that belonged to my parents which I treasure as well. I also had vintage ties that belonged to my father matted and framed. In our dining room I do have a group of botanical prints that we purchased in an antique shop in Asheville, NC year ago. They all mean so much to us. I love your blog!
Mary Ann Pickett says
You are definitely taking the “art that has meaning to you” to heart! I bet its all lovely.
Susan says
About the overnight yogurt and oats…do you mix the fruit in the night before also? I want to try this but wasn’t sure!
Mary Ann Pickett says
Only the pineapple goes in the day before. Then the next morning you can add the other fruit.
Francesca B says
Hi Mary Ann,
Thanks for the framing advice l always struggle with that one! We loved the Holdovers and the 1970’s aspect, very atmospheric.Enjoy your lovely guests!
Happy week!
Mary Ann Pickett says
Thank you, Francesca!!
sandy says
Can you put a link to the vase on your dining room table with that beautiful flower arrangement?
Mary Ann Pickett says
Sure… from Target https://rstyle.me/+iUab9Wi8UNBfyuC39so8TQ