How to hang pictures at home

Hanging pictures, much like painting them, is a balancing act of spacing, colour and proportion. As any gallerist, curator or interior designer knows, the way art is displayed is crucial and transformative, non but to the space it is in, but to the feeling given off in the pictures themselves.

How to hang pictures on walls

Simon Upton

While what we have on our walls is important, the key to art looking good is more about how to hang pictures than what we choose. A Picasso masterpiece can await equally good as a cluster of affordable prints, and so long equally you lot know how to conform art on a wall. We're even addicted of using books of prints equally sources, and you can see a beautiful example of this in 1 of our favourite ornament shoots here. Nicky Haslam did the same in his famous Hunting Lodge: 'Behind the bust of Marie Antoinette is a group of sepia engravings of One-time Chief drawings. The whole lot toll about a fiver; but I framed them up "k" in rubbed golden.' If it'south good plenty for Nicky... We've canvassed the professionals to go all the tips and tricks you need to know how to hang fine art, no affair your budget or cognition.

Using the infinite

  • Recollect about the practicalities of the room. A pocket-size picture can exist lost on a large wall, while a more substantial artwork could dominate a room. Freddie de Rougemont, a specialist in the Sometime Masters Group at Christie'due south London, advises, 'The impact of an artwork, still g, can be greatly reduced if information technology is unsuited to the space.'
  • Consider what will surround the artwork and how the low-cal will fall in the room during the mean solar day. Do you lot want the fine art to exist the focal point, or would y'all prefer it to be placed more subtly? Bear in mind sight lines and what you want to meet first when you enter the room.
  • Don't be afraid to hang a picture somewhere surprising. As David Macdonald, caput of Sotheby'due south Great britain single-possessor sales, notes, 'The relationship you have with a piece should be central: the decoration around information technology secondary.' Contemporary pieces tin can look brilliant in traditionally decorated rooms and vice versa.

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How to conform pictures on a wall

  • Equally a dominion of thumb, hanging pictures at eye level is a safe option. This generally means positioning the picture so its midpoint is 57-lx inches from the floor, depending on the ceiling height of the room – and your height, of course.
  • Obviously, as with whatsoever dominion, some flexibility is necessary – you may have other artworks to manoeuvre around, or an inconveniently placed mantelpiece. If the flick's midpoint is not exactly at eye level, don't panic: become with your instincts and hang it where information technology feels natural. In fact, Freddie advises against using record measures at all and suggests 'trusting your eye'.
  • What if you are hanging several pictures? 'It's by and large sensible to hang your largest motion-picture show get-go and work effectually information technology,' says Freddie. Visualise how you want the completed wall to look and play around with a few arrangements laid out on the floor before you lot start to make any holes in the wall.

Things to avoid

  • Never position a picture in direct sunlight, as this will impairment it irreversibly. This is especially important for works on paper, only applies to all artwork. The interior designer Martin Brudnizki suggests using picture lights, such as those past Hogarth Lighting or TM Lighting, to illuminate primal pieces. Spotlights and angled ceiling lights work well, also.
  • Art advisor Arianne Piper says, 'No glass will safeguard from direct sunlight, but consider UV-protected glass for art in frames.' Museum glass is preferable but expensive.
  • Recollect most the weather condition of the room. Due to their humid and hot environments, kitchens and bathrooms are not always platonic places to hang art. Similarly, higher up a radiator or fireplace might not exist the best spot.

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To DIY or enlist a professional?

  • Using the services of a professional film hanger is a worthwhile investment. They can hang a huge number in a twenty-four hours and you can exist sure that each and every one will be hung perfectly, with no unwanted holes or markings on the wall.
  • However, if you are itching to become the hammer and nails out, exist certain to have a spirit level to paw, or a laser spirit level, which volition allow for extra precision. Luke Duncan, acquaintance director at Cristea Roberts Gallery, SW1, says, 'Don't hang your picture on string or wire. It'south improve to work a bit harder at the start with a spirit level and then install your picture direct on two hooks or screws.' Cord or wire will not fully support the picture and, as the moving picture tin move around, it will rarely sit down perfectly straight.
  • Luke also points out that, 'Heavy works should always be hung by a professional. If you tin can't carry it yourself, don't try and hang it yourself.'

Creating a salon wall

  • Originating in 17th-century Paris, the salon wall – a wall on which a number of pictures of varying mediums and sizes are hung adjacent to each other – has had something of a renaissance in recent years. Y'all need only look to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition for a lesson in vivid salon-mode hanging.
  • When planning a salon wall, lay out all your pictures on the floor first, to see how they piece of work together and go an idea of spacing. Call back, y'all will need to interruption the line of the wall, so avoid hanging pictures in neat rows every bit this looks dull.
  • The selection of fine art should not be as well carefully considered only feel every bit though information technology has been collected over many years. As John Swarbrooke, specialist in Impressionist and Modernistic Art at Simon Dickinson gallery, SW1, notes, 'Balance is key – combine monochromatic and colourful pictures, abstract and figurative works, older and contemporary pieces.' This helps the hanging to feel natural. Make sure the frames look expert together, otherwise this tin can distract from the artwork.

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How to hang a picture - tricks of the trade

  • If you have bespoke walls or precious wallpaper, Arianne recommends installing an invisible hanging organization. These peachy railings mean y'all avoid drilling into the wall and causing damage. Acme Rock has a proficient, affordable range; the J Track system is ideal for heavy works.
  • When information technology comes to DIY hanging, Chloe Ballin of Sims Reed Gallery, SW1, says, 'Rules are made to be broken. We love the hanging at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge, where there are pictures hanging at all sorts of heights, including footstool height and centre level for children. Why not rehang every once in a while to create new space and refresh the room.'
  • For a marking-free wall, John advises using Post-it notes rather than pencil to mark out the edges of the picture frame and where you plan to place your hooks

House & Garden's Tried-and-Trusted Hangers

  1. Arianne Piper ariannepiper.com
  2. ADi Solutions groupadi.com
  3. Hang My Art hangmyart.co.uk
  4. Martinspeed martinspeed.com
  5. Jacek Lojek (in-house at builders/decorators Lethbridge London) lethbridgelondon.co.u.k.

How to hang fine art