Mark On Call

Things Just Get Curiouser and Curiouser or Hey…Your Artwork is Wayyyyy too High

Hi Everyone and again..Happy Holidays!

The holidays are here again…argh!

With the prospect of people in your home for parties, dinners and holiday gatherings or just you looking around at your space, I’d like to address a design issue that we’ve all seen, have in our own homes or just plain makes you have a migraine…artwork that’s hung too high on the wall as to make you feel like you are in Alice in Wonderland and getting shorter all the time! Or as I like to say…Hung just like Grandma did it!

So, I’ve developed my list of foolproof guidelines for hanging artwork and transforming your space to look just like a Design professional has toiled for hours over the nail banging and picture hanging throughout your house, apartment or dorm room…or as I like to say, the end to having it look like a machine gun went off behind all of your artwork and still, everything is eye level to the green giant…or just like Grandma did it!

So, here we go guys…and this pretty much goes for whatever style or space that you are living with:

1. Artwork should be hung so that a 5’-6” person can stare straight into the center, or “Body” of the piece or the total arrangement. Now there are exceptions to this rule of course.
First, for emphasis, I like to start at eye level and depending on the wall, either lower the piece or raise the piece.

2. If you choose to lower a piece, it should be in an area that someone could walk up and bend down to look at it…a hallway, under a stair or above a very low bench, counter or table.

3. If you choose to raise a piece, make sure that it isn’t higher than the highest architectural detail or piece of furniture in the room..this is known as “Roomscaping”….keeping the “Mountains” at the same height and the “Valleys” at the same depth.

4. If you are hanging a multi-piece arrangement of varying frame sizes, start with the largest and keep with the previous guidelines (eye level, raising and lowering)…the remaining pieces should keep an equal distance from the large piece to the top side and bottom…for a balanced yet interesting look)

5. Always hang artwork with 2 hooks in the wall and never one. One hook creates way too much stress on the frame and can allow the piece to lean forward as well as be unstable if people bump it as they walk by. I hate to constantly straighten artwork…don’t you?

6. If you are unsure about the height at which to hang a piece of artwork…err on the side of too low rather than too high….always!

I know Grandma would get it!

Always laugh,

-Mark

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“What Would You Do With This Room? My 10 Foolproof Commandments to Great Interior Design” by Mark Lewison