3 things you need to know about hanging art
Here are some insider tips to make your walls work.
Artworks – photography, paintings and drawings – are what makes a house a home. They showcase your memories: of family, of travels and your own personal style.
There were lots of artworks used at Mikaela and Eliza’s renovated home in WA, which prompted discussion from the judges as to the correct way to display them.
Displaying them properly requires some skill and a little flair, but there are some simple guidelines that will help you show off your creative collections to the best advantage.
Rule 1 – display at eye level
Many people make the mistake of hanging art too high. For a medium-sized work, the centre should be sitting about 1500mm from the floor. “Classical good taste will tell you that your eye level should correspond with the top third of any picture,” says House Rules judge Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen. “And that's a good yardstick.”
A tall man, Laurence says he makes sure the height reflects the average visitor. “I actually like lower than my eye level. So I like to use Jamie [Durie]’s eye level, and then come down even more.”
Rule 2 - display works in odd numbers
Like flowers in vases, or items on a coffee table, it’s a good idea to arrange art in odd numbers – three or five different paintings work better than two or four because the lack of perfect symmetry creates a more relaxed feeling. And one large piece often is all you need. If you have different-sized pieces, run them off the same centre line for balance, at about eye level (see above).
If in doubt, enlist a friend to hold things up before you affix anything to a wall, so you get a clear picture of how a work is fitting in the space.
Rule 3 – find a uniting theme
Don’t feel that all your art has to look the same – choose pieces that mean something to you, not necessarily just because you want to reflect a certain colour palette or aesthetic. This is also important if you are combining an art collection with a partner or roommate. No one’s taste will be exactly the same – which is a good thing after all!
However, when it comes to displaying them in your home, you want to ensure they complement, rather than compete, with each other. Outlining different artworks in the same frame style can provide a way to visually unite different colours, designs and art styles. You can also group different styles of artworks in colours – as how Pete and Courtney used the macramé pieces in Eliza and Mikaela’s home.
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