A guide for artwork placement

So you’ve got your blank walls and all the artwork that you think you’ll need, now what? Where do you start, how do you pick what goes where? What fits the space properly and what is optimal with regard to height? This is a brief overview of how and where to mount artwork around your home in a way that will make your home actually feel done.

Choosing artwork and home decor items: My rule is to not be boring, and I don’t mean your home needs to be random colors from the palette (of course that’s okay if that works for your space, it’s vibrant!) but what I mean is using an array of sculptures, artwork, and home decor items to keep your home looking interesting, keep them guessing. It’s important to note that we want this to be done in a smooth cohesive way, not overcrowding but a gentle curve, if you will, going from one thing to the next, maybe artwork on one wall, a mirror on another with wall sconces to add dimension and frame the space, maybe a hanging sculpture on another, ect. For living spaces like a living room, or bedroom my suggestion is to keep things exciting. Now for a hallway, foyer/entrance or another space, consider a gallery wall or large piece of artwork to help break up any large, long wall space as well as to frame the space out better.

Let’s talk about height: The height for all these items will depend largely on placement and what their intended use is, whether there is a practical use case like the placement of a mirror or art piece that you may want to physically interact with. The use will also need to be factored into where, what, and how things are mounted to a wall. However, the general rule of thumb is to aim at mounting artwork or sculptures at 57-60”from the floor to the center of the piece if the piece is not over any furniture. Now, for hanging art or sculptures over furniture my general rule is 6-12” above the furniture to allow clearance for home decor items underneath. 12” above is usually the maximum i’ll go from furniture before the artwork begins to look like it is occupying a separate space. For gallery walls, I like to treat these as one large piece, so the outer most artworks will be considered the arts furthers edges representing a top, bottom, and sides. Using the latter as reference points, I determine the spacing between each piece and from there I will determine the middle and establish the gallery wall at eye level to the center or 57-60” from the floor for the average height person.  For mirrors, aim for a height where they can actually be used by the tallest person as well as the shortest person  in the home when possible unless they are strictly there for aesthetics. Finally, these are recommended heights and industry standards, it’s your home, you live there, so feel free to tweak these recommendations where you see fit.

How to choose the right scale: The scale is an important factor to think about when mounting, well because have you ever seen a tiny photo above a couch? Not only is not very viewable from a distance, but it also feels out of place, it’s awkward and uncomfortable, “who even sent you here bro?” The general rule, and also what is the most aesthetically pleasing according to what I’ve seen from home to home is that you should aim for 1/2 to 2/3rd’s the width of the furniture the art will be above as a barometer for gauging proper size. For example, if your couch is 60” wide, then the optimal art piece width for that furniture would be approximately 30” or 40.” Another important note  is to consider treating multiple similar sized pieces or sets of art to be as one when trying to determine proper scale for mounting on walls or above furniture. For smaller pieces, consider mounting them in a gallery wall instead of having lone rangers in random spots around the home.