Tips On Hanging Art

by Stephanie Johnston

The impact of art in a home can be underestimated. Not only can it make your “house” transform into a “home”, it can have a positive emotional effect on you and the people in the room. In addition to making you feel more connected to your space, color and style can also influence your emotions by making you feel more energized or more relaxed. Art can even be a great icebreaker and talking point for guests. For those that feel a bit lost on how to get started with choosing art, here is a guide on how to pick and hang art to help complete your room!

STYLE
A good starting point for looking for art is deciding what type of style of room you have and pick an art piece that compliments the room. The joy of art is that sometimes a similar theme can be interpreted in so many different styles that finding art that speaks to you and compliments your room is easier than you think! Below is an example of a similar theme but interpreted in very different styles.

COLOUR
Once you decide on a style, color is the next thing to consider. If you are choosing art as your starting point for color inspiration, warm colors create a more energetic feeling whereas cooler colors create a more calming feeling. If you are choosing art to “pull the room together”, choose art that balances out the room colors to create the 60-30-10 rule (60% anchor color, 30% secondary color, 10% accent).

SCALE
Scale is often an under-looked factor of choosing art. Some people either go too big which overwhelms the space by making the furniture look too small or people choose art that is too small and makes the room look bare and disproportionate. Rule of thumb is to buy art 2/3 the size of what you are hanging over. For example, if your sofa is 92” long, your art should be approximately 60” long.

HANGING ART
So now you have the perfect piece, how high do you hang it? Art should be hung 6-8” above furniture such as a sofa to make it eye level and look proportionate to the furniture.

ART AND EMOTION
Now that you have a few tips on the functional side of how to choose art, remember art can be inspirational and emotional, so choose wisely and make sure to go with something that speaks to you and helps you connect to your space. After all, your home should be your sanctuary and happy place so choose art that reflects you!