After you’ve purchased a piece of art you love, you must decide where and how to display it. While hanging art might seem like a simple process, it actually requires a bit of thought. After all, you want to make sure it gets the attention it deserves so both you and your guests can appreciate its beauty. The best way to ensure this is by making careful, deliberate design choices. By following these tips, your art is sure to stand out and become the talking point of your home.
1. Choose the Proper Frame
While many paintings do come with their own frame, it’s more common for the canvas to come without one. In this case, you’ll have to choose which frame you want. The key to choosing the proper frame is to make sure it complements the artwork. You don’t want it to be so overwhelming that it becomes the focal point instead of the art.
If you have a simple still life or abstract piece, a gold or gilded frame will help you achieve a classical look. You could also go for a colored frame that has the same tone as the image’s dominant color. This will complement the piece while also enhancing it. A great choice for natural scenes such as portraits or landscapes is a natural wood frame. This kind of frame works particularly well with contemporary art. If your image is colorful or you’re hanging your piece on a dark wall, a white frame will help it stand out. For photographs, a classic metal frame will do nicely.
2. Select the Right Location for Your Artwork
To choose the best place to hang your art, you need to consider a few things: The size of the wall, the lighting the piece will receive, how high up you place it, and if you’ll be hanging it over furniture.
If you have a large, empty wall, avoid hanging small pieces on it. It will get lost in the space unless you hang it within a cluster of other small pieces or one large piece.
Make sure that wherever you hang your artwork, it won’t receive too much or too little sunlight. Too much can cause the image to fade while too little will keep it hiding in the shadows where no one will ever see it. Always hang art at eye level so you don’t have to strain your neck to see it.
If you want to hang art over a mantle, couch, or bed, it should work with the furniture, not against it. The ideal way to achieve this is by hanging the piece so the bottom edge is 8-10 inches above the furniture.
3. Space Multiple Pieces Correctly
If you have multiple pieces of art you want to display or you’re adding to a growing collection, you have to figure out how to hang them together. If your pieces are varying in size, you won’t be able to arrange them in evenly spaced rows in columns. In this case, you can hang paintings in an asymmetrical yet cohesive way by following this rule: keep each piece two inches apart. If you don’t have enough room for this, try layering art on shelves or mantles. Prop smaller pieces against larger ones instead of hanging them on the walls.
No matter how you choose to display your art, don’t forget to have fun with it. Experiment with different looks and find what works best for you and the space you have. Don’t be afraid to get creative!
Are you looking for art for your home? We have many artists at AmFab with various styles and mediums. You can find examples of their art and their contact information on our Artists page.