How To Hang Art Perfectly Every Time

One of the most common mistakes people make when decorating their home is hanging their art incorrectly. What’s the big deal anyway? There’s just no denying it, poorly hung art sticks out like a sore thumb. Once you notice it, you can’t help but want to grab some tools and fix it. The good news is, it’s an easy problem to fix! Here are 3 tips you can follow when hanging art in your home that will always give you perfect results!

1. Hang at eye level

The golden rule for hanging pictures is to make sure that the art is 57-60 inches from the center of the photograph to the floor. Why this range? Well, that is because 57-60 inches above the ground is considered to be the standard eye level, which is exactly where you want the center of your art to sit. This will ensure that your art is aligned to eye level and can be admired comfortably. It will also create visual chemistry with the surrounding elements such as furniture, lighting, rugs etc. as it will hang in closer proximity.

2. Treat 2 or more pieces as 1

Something to keep in mind is when you are hanging 2 or more art pieces, you should treat them as 1 grouping. This means that you should hang them 57-60 inches from the floor to the center of the grouping. You should also make sure that your frames are evenly spaced (at-least 2-4 inches apart) to ensure they look cohesive and as one unit.

3. Know when to break the rule

The 57/60 rule is an ideal baseline for starting out but it is not a hard and fast rule. There are times when you can venture outside this range. For example, when hanging artwork above furniture, other features, the eye level rule doesn’t always apply. You want the artwork to feel cohesive with the furniture around it and visually connected as a whole. When hanging artwork in these scenarios, the bottom of the frame should be no less than 4″ and no higher than 10″ above the top of the feature. In many cases, this will exceed 57/60 inches and that is okay. Also keep in mind, when hanging artwork above sofas or consoles, the width of the art or grouping should not exceed 2/3 the width of the furniture. When hanging art over a fireplace, it can also look nice just resting the art on the mantle itself.

Another example where the 57/60 rule may not apply is in hallways or entryways. It makes sense to hang artwork slightly higher than the 57/60 center point in places like these because you spend most of the time standing and the ceilings may be higher.

In a room where you spend most of the time sitting, like a family room, dining room, office etc. you may want to hang artwork a bit lower than the 57/60 center mark so that the art can be enjoyed at a lower viewpoint. The key takeaway here is to go with your instinct. All rules are made to be broken and the height needs to feel “right” to you as the person who will be enjoying the art the majority of the time.

I hope this gives you confidence in decorating your home! When is comes to the 57/60 rules, it is a great solution when you don’t know where to start. When in doubt, use the rule! This tried and true method has yet to lead me astray. Better yet, I have found that if you use this standard across your home, it will create harmony and balance among all the artwork in every unique space. Happy hanging!

Shop My Favorites

Sincerely,