“The absolute key is space,” says Lisa Dawson, an interior blogger and author of Resourceful Living. “Make sure you turn off your artwork regularly. You can mix up the frames, you can mix up the media, just make sure the spacing is right.”
You can even lay your art on the floor before hanging it on the wall to see what goes with it. But don’t feel like you have to make everything completely straight and perfect, says interior expert Flora Soames. “It doesn’t have to be flawless,” she explains. “Framing personal things is just a lot of fun when you’re in that room.” Although Soames often makes squares with her artwork, she adds that it’s not a “hard rule.” Adding it to a gallery wall over time, while framing new pieces, and that feeling of a collage on your wall, is very satisfying. I like a bulletin board on the wall. I like a little mess.”
Of course, you don’t have to hang your art on the wall. “I love hanging pictures on bookcases,” says Soames. “Often I don’t hang pictures, but put them on the mantelpiece or on the bedside table – it gives the feeling that something just ends up somewhere, instead of being bought specifically to hold a court in certain rooms, what can it do?” soften.”
How to frame your art
Choosing the right frame for your artwork can really help it make an impression on the wall. Online services such as: EasyFrame you can upload an image of your artwork and see how it looks with different frames, then order one custom.
On a gallery wall, matching frames provide continuity if you have many different media or styles. Alternatively, if you prefer a more rustic look, different frames can look good, although the same rules apply as with the art itself – spread them out so you don’t all have the same frames together.
“When I have large works of art, I tend to make them float [where the artwork sits on top of the mount, rather than behind it], because I think it makes the art stand out a bit more,” explains Dawson. When in doubt, it’s fine to go for a simple black frame. On a gallery wall, try to keep the frames the same color while mixing up the thicknesses and textures of the frames.
“If you have elements of wood in the room, such as oak furniture, it can be nice to have oak moldings that grab your attention in the room,” says Kendell. “It’s worth keeping in mind what color wall they’re coming on, and whether you want there to be a contrast. If you have dark walls, a lighter frame will be more obvious.”
How to hang your art
There are rules about this, but let’s ignore them for now, for there is no greater and more reliable guide than your own eye. Trust your judgment. Be playful. Experiment. You’ll know when you got it right, but here are a few guidelines from me.
The biggest mistake people make is putting pictures too high. They should be about eye level so you can really enjoy the details. If you hang a group of photos together, place your favorite or most interesting painting at eye level in the middle of the group.
If you are hanging pictures in groups, arrange them on the floor first until you have the combination you like. Note the distance between each piece. People often hang things too far apart. This is especially unfortunate with groups of small paintings, because they look small and insubstantial. Then comes the very boring part with tape measures, drills, hammers and hooks, but it’s well worth the effort you put in at this point to get it right.
Pay close attention to the weight of a piece and make sure the materials you use to hang it are appropriate for the job.
In any case, use a spirit level to make sure everything is straight, but above all rely on your eye. If you live in an old house, you know all about uneven floors and walls and strangely tilting door and window frames. Just because it’s straight doesn’t mean it looks straight. I know from my own home that if I use a spirit level in the dining room photos to technically straighten them, they all look like they’re tilting to the left.
However, make it a habit to make sure everything looks good all the time. Wonky photos have a disturbingly neglected air about them.
How to light up your art
“A general principle when you think of lighting is light from above,” says Harry Triggs, co-founder of TM Lighting, a London-based design firm specializing in lighting artworks in both galleries and living spaces. “A lot of what we try to mimic in artificial light is what we see outside. Think of the light from the sun, that’s the perfect light and it comes from above.”