Picture Perfect: Accessorize last. Hang pictures only after you have determined a room’s layout and all your furniture is in place.

Define Boundaries: To reinforce a sense of order in your groupings you need to define your positive and negative space. The negative space on the wall is the area where you can hang your picture. Take a look at the overall shape of where you plan to hang your picture and mimic that shape. For instance, the square space above your mantel should house a square picture frame.

Picture Overload: You don’t have to hang a picture or a grouping of pictures on every wall. This often appears busy and prevents you from creating a focal point in the room.

High Art/Low Art: As a general rule, hang art at eye level (58” to 60” from the floor to the centre of the image). Don’t hang pictures at different heights in the room. Keep them at the same level so your eye is not bouncing from picture to picture.

Size Counts: A small picture over a big sofa will look awkward. A common mistake people make is hanging a grouping that is too small for the furniture under it. Plan your arrangement so that it covers at least two-thirds of the wall space. For instance, if your sofa is 7 feet wide, your grouping or picture should be 5 feet wide or more. Although it can be wider than two-thirds of the sofa, it should not be wider than the sofa or furniture itself.

Space Issues: Keep the spaces between your pictures from 2 to 3 inches apart. Spacing should be consistent vertically and horizontally throughout the grouping. The larger the art, the wider the space can be. If you have too much space between pictures your composition will look disjointed. The pieces of art will look like they’re floating away from each other.







Picture Integrity: When hanging a picture over a piece of furniture leave 6 to 8 inches above the sofa, table, chest, sideboard, or mantel. Remember, you want to place art low enough that it relates to the furniture but not so low that it gets hidden by accessories. If you have artwork over a chest you may have to adjust the suggested height in accordance with the items you have placed upon the chest (vases, lamps, books, etc.)