Everything you read about how high to hang art will tell you to hang pictures at eye level. But if you applied the eye height rule to every piece of art, you would have hot porridge in your hands and many of your pieces would hang at the WRONG height. The ideal height to hang a painting on a blank wall ALL depends on the size of the painting you are hanging. You don’t want the wall to look overloaded and heavy on one side, so it’s important to consider the size of the piece of art you’re hanging.
I would add that even if most of your artwork is on the walls, you can still place some of it more intentionally, such as if you have a very large piece of art, consider placing it against a wall instead of hanging it for a more casual and modern look. The wall can provide a nice clean gap between artwork, so look at how your painting will be framed by the wall. As a general rule, hang your artwork so that its top third is in line with the line of the eyes.
If you are hanging the artwork above furniture, the bottom of the frame can be 4-6 inches higher than the artwork. Hang the center piece of art directly above the center piece of furniture, then hang the other two sections to either side of the center piece, making sure there is about 4 inches of space between each frame. If the cabinet is pushed straight up against the wall, be sure to hang the artwork about 5-8 inches above the top of the cabinet, or high enough so that no one hits their head on the artwork. If you are hanging a large piece of art behind furniture such as a sofa or table, the piece of art should take up about two-thirds of your furniture space.
If a painting or mirror is hanging over a cupboard that is over 30 inches tall, you will use the rule of thumb to leave 4-8 inches of free space on the wall between artwork/furniture. Another thing to keep in mind when hanging artwork over furniture is that the width of the artwork should be between 65% and 85% of the overall width of the furniture. If you are hanging a piece of art above a sofa, leave 8-10 inches above the back of the sofa, even if it breaks in the center. This means that the center of the artwork should be 57 inches off the ground, which helps to align the image at eye level.
When it comes to hanging art, the eye height rule says that your art should be hung so that its CENTER is about 58-62 inches from the floor. To make your artwork look amazing no matter who is looking at it, the standard height for hanging art at eye level is 57 inches from the center of your photo to the floor. For artwork 6 ‘ and above, you may need to change the height of the hanger so it doesn’t touch the floor or ceiling, or hang the artwork in a two-story space, such as an open entrance or stairwell.
If, for example, you live in a tiny apartment and can’t find a place for your art, hang your art in an art column that extends from below eye level to above eye level, about 2 feet from the ceiling. For example, if you have a narrow wall with a low ceiling, you shouldn’t openly hang a large painting that takes up the entire wall. If you have rooms with heavily decorated walls such as patterned wallpaper, special painting effects, murals, etc., don’t hang pictures on them, as the pictures will eventually be completely lost in the background bustle.
Place frames and pictures on the walls the right way and they will really shine and make your home even more wonderful. To keep your gallery wall from looking cluttered, choose artwork in the same style and color and display them in identical frames. You don’t want to hang a couple of small, visually vanishing framed paintings on high walls, nor do you want to hang large wall art on low walls.
For large walls, choose a large piece of art or a grid of smaller ones – a single small piece of art will look skimpy on a large wall. The artwork must also refer to a space with furniture, which means that a small piece of art hanging six inches above a long sofa will look out of place. Great art can be a daunting purchase (and investment), but as a general rule, the piece of art you hang should be the same shape and orientation as the wall it’s trying to fill (as shown in the picture above). If you follow these few simple rules, you will be much more successful in making your artwork blend in with the rest of the room and create a homely feel rather than adding more clutter to the look.
If your artwork is hanging on a blank wall in the dining room, it should be centered on the dining table, and if it is less than 36 inches tall, it should be centered about 60 inches from the floor. To be precise, the center of the framed artwork should be 57 inches above the ground (this is the average level of the human eye and the height that galleries and museums use to decide where to hang the artwork).
