Hanging art can be tricky If you aren't sure of the rules. Normally in design I would say rules can always be broken but when it comes to hanging art in your home sticking to the rules is best.
Art and furniture that it's above should feel connected to one another.
So how high should you hang art?
The simplest answer is you should hang art or pictures at eye level, because we come in all different heights, eye level is different for everyone so in the design world we stick to an average.
So what's the magic number? for eye level in-between 57'' to 60" from the centre of your art or photograph to the floor.
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This method is used in art galleries all over the world. Placing your art at eye level helps the space flow nicely, allowing you to see all the details in the art on the wall.
pictures or art that are placed to high can make a room feel off. It's stressful to the eye we need things in our spaces to flow nicely to create a calm inviting feeling.
Here we will go through a few different scenarios you may have in your home and the best rules to hang your art pieces accordingly so you to can create a cohesive space.
This post is about how high should you hang art? A detailed guide from a stylist.
Choosing pieces that further reflect your style helps to show more of your personality.
In my opinion using art pieces in your home finishes off the space and it's also good to utilize vertical space in your home is just another way to help create a space that you and your family love.
Here we will go through the basic steps on how to hang your art in the correct ways to create a beautiful space just like the pros.
1. A single piece or art
The general rule is to hang your Single art piece 57'' to 60'' from the centre of the art piece to the floor.
we do this because this generally places the art right at the eye line making it pleasing to the eye and connected to the furniture pieces it's above.
Using a single piece of art make sure your art is to scale for the wall space or for the furniture you are placing it above.
Over furniture pieces it should be 2/3 of the width, and for your walls it should be similar as well.
If you have a large wall and heigh ceiling you may want to add more than one art piece or have one large in scale.
How you do this
- Lay your art down
- Measure the height of your art piece
- Take that number and divide in half that will be the centre point of your art piece or picture.
- Measure anywhere from 57'' to 60'' from the floor up I would start with 57'' if it doesn't feel right you can move higher if needed up to 60''.
- Place a pencil mark or piece of tape on wall and line the Center of your art to that line.
- Make sure your you use a level and that alert is straight
- Then place on wall with hooks, nails, command strips I have a list of my favourites below.
steel picture drywall hanging hooks
There you have it a perfectly place piece of art.
You can shop all the art in the post at The vintage fox shoppe co
Things to know when places a large art piece over a Console table, sofa, bench or fireplace.
Make sure your art piece is 3'' to 8'' from the bottom of the art to the top of the console, the back of the sofa, top of the bench or the top of the fireplace mantel.
This will all depend on what you are styling your art over, just step back and see how it feels to you but as long as you stay with in these numbers it will be perfect.
If you are styling over a bench you can go any where from 6'' to 10'' from the top of the bench to the bottom of the art.
2. Two or three art pieces
Whether they are side by side or stacked on top of each other you still want to keep the 57''to 60" centre to floor rule.
However, when vertically stacking two art pieces you may need to adjust a bit.
Vertical stacked art
when you measure and map out where your two art pieces are going if the top one feels high which I find sometimes with lower ceilings it can.
Keeping some part of the space in-between in or close to the 57'' to 60'.' I like when the space between the two vertical stacked art is your eye level 57'' to 60''.
I think it's a great place for the eye to hit so it can focus on both pieces of art.
You can leave a 2'' to 5'' space between each picture. If it feels too high just keep the space between art at 2''. make sure your eye level is somewhere in between this area.
All depends on the look and the art pieces so this in-between number may be different though out your home.
Picture #1
In this photo, art is place way too high. All the art pieces don't have enough space in-between.
This is confusing to the eye, makes the space look smaller and there is no connection from the art to the sofa because they are place to far apart form each other.
Picture #2
Both pieces of art are placed perfectly apart. Art is at the right position from the back of the sofa and is approximately 2/3 the width.
The space looks more balanced, there for feels bigger and the art feels connected to the rest of the space making it feel balanced and approachable.
Horizontal art side by side
Follow the same rule as #1 measure your centre of each art piece and place 57'' to 60'' from centre of art to floor.
If placing over furniture like a console or over a mantel I like 3'' to 5'' but over a bench or sofa you can go to 4'' to 8" above.
Spacing them from 3'' to 5" apart. If your sofa is smaller you can go as low as 2'' in-between as well so your art pieces end up being spaced 2/3 of the width of your sofa.
3. Gallery walls
Now gallery walls are a bit more fun especially if you are going for more of an eclectic look. With multiple size frames, shapes and styles I say be more playful with it.
If this is your vibe I would start off your first art piece and the one you want to be the main focus at that 57'' to 60" centre point but then be more organic with and switch the space sizing between each picture.
Hot tip: keeping all the centre row art pieces in your organic gallery wall landing somewhere between 57'' to 60'' level I think looks best. Doesn't matter where each art piece is placed as long as each piece of art is at the eye level point. See example picture below.
See how every art piece in the centre the gallery wall all hit at 57''. Not all hit in the centre of the picture but that's okay when doing a gallery wall. I did it on the lower side because I'm in a basement apartment so my ceilings are 8 ft. Everything else is organically placed I wanted it to be eclectic and more at random.
Now if you want something more streamlined and uniform then stick to the rules below.
Let's say you are doing 4 prints all the same size frames measure 57'' to 60'' from the floor. place top row art just above this so your art is above eye level.
Leave 2'' to 5'' in-between the top and bottom art.
When it comes to hanging art when can you break the rules?
The thing with rules are alway made to be broken, and to focus on the feeling of styling something and not so much the rules.
Hanging art this is more a standard, art place to high or to low can really change the way a room feels which is never what we want.
Most importantly making each item in the space feel connected helps with creating the cozy put together space we love.
We need our art to connect to our space height plays a big part In that. So following the standards here is very important.
I will say when doing this style I often find myself opting for the 60'' centre so the bottom row doesn't seem too low.
Tip this will all depend on you wall size, height of ceilings, and art print sizes and if you have a sofa, bench, or console table underneath.
I suggest marking it out first if you feel like something looks off remember as long as one row of art prints sits somewhere above the 57'' to 60'' range it's okay if it's not your centre point.
Remember there are rules but sometimes we have to go with how we feel. So making adjustments is okay too.
Most important part is that your art and furniture feel connected to one an other.
Check out how I did my hipstoric office gallery wall here
4. Leaning art
Well, this is by far the easiest of the 4 and for those who don't like to measure and follow the rules, this one has no rules lol well not really!
However, this will only work on a console, dresser or over a fireplace.
Place art on your place of choice and lean, it's that simple!!!
If you would like to elevate it a bit more try layering art in from of each other.
I love having a large scale horizontal art piece then placing a smaller vertical art piece in front.
You could also do this with a large mirror then add some art in front.
To me it look best when your layered art piece sits close to the centre point of your first layered piece.
I love the relaxed organic feel this brings to the space. To me it feels welcoming like come on in and put your feet up.
Best part is there is no measuring, no need for a level, nails or tools.
Tip if you have small children, or cats that climb on everything I would add command strips to the back of your art that leans on the wall to provide some safety. Especially if it's a mirror.
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