Helpful Hints for Hanging Art and Pictures
Hello, Everyone:
I can’t believe Fall is here already!. My, how time does fly!.
So, perhaps now is the time to tackle one of your designing projects. The kids are off to school and you may have a few extra hours in the day to do a little “interior decorating”.
I did have a customer come into the store the other day shopping for artwork for her home. Now , this is can be a very complicated subject if you let it be one. I, for one, do not believe in just hanging a picture or a piece of artwork just to fill an empty wall or space above a sofa, etc. I would rather the area stay bare until I found the exact piece of artwork or sculpture that would enhance the area. Not all people feel that way.
You should really love or have some feeling for the art that you are purchasing. You can always find a place for it if you dearly love it.
So, if you’re new at this , here are a few suggestions for placing artwork in your home.
When you are beginning to furnish your home or condo, you usually have some sort of theme in mind, traditional, eclectic, which is a combination of different styles that go well together, contemporary. You may have a love of the tropical if you are in Florida or the islands. Usually, you have chosen some colors that are working well together. From that you can begin to see what pictures would be suited to that area… but only, if you love them and feel something for them. Otherwise, let them be…
You may purchase just one picture and have a special place for it. Hang it and live with it for awhile. It’s OK to admit later that that may not be the right place for it. Things are not written in stone in the Design business. Make it fun. Enjoy experimenting!
Sometimes groups of pictures, with the same theme are great on a wall. If you have a certain love of sports, dolls, flowers, etc., these can be arranged on a wall with some care as to having them look uniform. They don’t all have to be framed the same, but should be arranged so that the bottom of the frames are aligned to give a unified appearance.
I have seen collections of platters arranged on a bueatiful kitchen wall. A man arranged his collection oof antique pipes on a wall in his study.
These arrangements are best laid out on the floor first, so you can see how much space you will need. This way you can also see how the they will look on the wall before you go and place a lot of nail holes in the wall that don’t need to be there.
Some challenging areas are hanging pictures going up a stairway. Usually, this is a great area for family pictures. It would be helpful to draw a light pencil line following the railing or the baseboard aobut waist high or where you want to start your gallery of family pictures and framed mementoes so that thee is somewhat of flow and bottom line to the pictures. It will give all the pictures a somewhat structured look.
So, my advice is have fun with your artwork. Experiment and move things around. Add and take away after awhile. Keep it fresh.
Remember, not all pictures have to be framed. A lot of art is now on canvases and don’t require framing. Several paintings are done in threes and and are meant to be hung together.
Also, walls that are papered or have murals, do not require a lot of picures. These are alternatives to pictures.
And in closing, please don’t hang your pictures and artwork too high! Usually, every home I go in, the art work is way above the sofa, mantel, ledge, etc. Not all pictures need to be at your eye level if you’re six feet , four inches. They look so much better about five to six inches above the sofa or whatever. Now, if there is a floral arrangement or something on the buffet , please start from that point.
Well, I hope this helps a little. Remember, it’s not rocket science, so have fun and experiement.
Thanks,
Sandra Bockman, Allied ASID member