Is there a proper way to hang wall art?

The short and sweet answer is probably not, however there are a number of guidelines, rules, hints and suggestions to help make the displaying of a favorite art piece a pleasing experience! You will need a few tools, the right anchoring system and a good eye. The location of your wall art is partly a matter of scale. You probably won’t want to place a small, detailed watercolor on a giant living room wall, where it might be difficult to approach because of the placement of furniture and light fixtures. Your hanging wall art should not be difficult or challenging to view. Conversely, a giant canvas on a wall in a small room might actually be scary and overwhelming. Proportion is the name of the game.

You can also hang a small piece of wall art in the middle of an art cluster of other works, where it’s prominent, central location will draw the eye to it, accentuate the other pieces in the surround and vice versa. This will help compensate for any proportional disparity and allow you to display a greater number of art pieces.

Another alternative is to use a hallway as a gallery for painting and photographs. Hallways are often narrow and bare, so a cluster of wall art will make the space more interesting and open up additional possibilities for collecting and displaying wall art.

Keep in mind, 57 to 60 inches seems to be the preferred height for hanging wall art, but this too is a guideline. It’s your artwork, so the height is up to you, but remember your art should be easy for you to view and enjoy. A cluster of wall art pieces may require you to ballpark the viewing heights.

The available lighting may or not be adequate to properly display your chosen piece of wall art. Unfortunately, ceiling light may be limited (especially to us renters) and expensive to modify or change. After all, we are hanging a piece of wall art! Ideally, you want the available light to hit the center area of your wall art. If you are determined, the good news is there are an almost unlimited number and types of lighting fixtures designed specifically for wall art. They have a fairly broad price range.

Once all this has been mapped out, a proper anchoring system is on order. You may simply pound a nail into the wall and hit a stud, keeping in mind that the wire used to hang the frame may drop the wall art a few inches, so please adjust before you take hammer to wall. If you rent and hope to get your security deposit back, consider one of the many adhesive-based systems available just about anywhere. Weight is a key issue; heavy art pieces may not be amenable to the adhesive systems and anchor screws may be necessary.

Author bio-

Darwin José Lau manages all aspects of operations at Homekor. He joined Homekor in 2019 and worked through the launching process of its website. Darwin José believes that art is not a commodity but a self expression of who we are. Besides work at Homekor, Darwin José enjoys spending time with his family, watching documentaries, and learning and developing new technical skills for DIY projects at home.