The Art of Hanging Art
The day you buy a new fine art print is a celebratory time. You've found a piece that truly speaks to your soul, and you're ready to bring it into your everyday life. However, the art collecting process is not over. Before you can fully enjoy your new composition, you must first frame and hang it.
One of the practiced skills of an art collector is building a gallery wall. By learning how to frame and place your fine art photography in an aesthetically unexpected and pleasing way, you can transform the mundane nature of an office space or living room into a truly breathtaking place.
My personal inspiration for the gallery walls in my home is the walls of Ralph Lauren stores near me. Every time I walk in, I am in awe of the décor - timeless artwork framed in the most elegant manner. Right now, I am transforming the walls of my office, and trust me; it is worth the effort! By making space in your life for fine art, you invite beauty and transformation into your everyday.
Turn your bare space into a beautiful gallery with these five tips for hanging art:
1. Define the mood
The artwork you choose for a specific room will define its mood and ambiance almost immediately. This matters whether you frame a single piece for display or add multiple artworks on the same gallery wall.
“Choosing artworks with a similar style, medium, or color schemes will create a cohesive mood for your space.”
The mood of your artwork should reflect how you want to feel every time you step into the room. For example, if you want a lively entertainment atmosphere, choose pieces with bright colors and dramatic composition. If you're creating a gallery space in a bedroom, choose more calming tones and compositions that will greet you with warmth when you wake up.
2. Balance your artwork
When creating a gallery wall, you want the artwork to "make sense" as a cohesive unit instead of presenting them as individual pictures. They should fill up a defined space instead of creating visual clutter at random intervals on the wall. By filling a central area of the room (above a desk, above furniture, or as the centerpiece for a wall), you can make your artwork look intentional instead of just decorative.
3. Place them at the right height
One of the easiest ways to make your artwork look unbalanced or "off" is to hang it too high or too low above eye level. People do not want to have to look up or crouch down to appreciate your framed piece. If it is not catching the eye both up close and far away, it is not correctly placed within your interior design. Be sure to place wall art high enough to be at the visual center of your wall and at least eight inches above furniture to not get in the way.
4. Mix and match sizes
Artwork size plays a significant role in how and where you should hang it. A piece that is too big is typically better than one that is too small because an oversized artwork will at least be eye-catching. However, you don't want to discount all smaller works. So, mix and match your sizes to ensure that the smaller works of art can blend in with larger works and still find a place in your home.
5. Find the right frame
Choosing a suitable frame is just as important as selecting the right composition for your room. A frame that distracts from the artwork itself or does not situate it in a flattering manner will devalue the image as well as the rest of your interior design. Choose a frame that matches the photo's mood, and be sure to choose frames that complement each other if multiple framed art pieces are hung together.
I recommend clients mix and match by season for my flower prints and choose a simple monotone frame to match each photo on their gallery wall. This is the simplest method and ensures you get a pleasing result no matter what prints you fall in love with. You can mix and match flowers and colors as well, but when you shop by season, you get a genuinely cohesive mood and ambiance throughout.
That said, you can still have success when mixing and matching flowers from different seasons. For example, though they come from two different seasons, these three prints create a cohesive look with the golden tones framed by darker shades of black and grey.
With the help of this guide and willingness to experiment with various layouts, you will find the perfect flow for your gallery wall. The key to selecting and hanging art is to trust your creative instinct.
With love,
