As any decorator, curator, or gallery owner can tell
you, there is an art to hanging art well. "Many times I go into a
home and need to rehang the art," says designer Josie McCarthy. "Pictures are
the final layer in a beautiful room. A wonderful painting can also be the
starting point for a room," she notes. It can suggest colors,
fabrics, and mood.
We have long admired McCarthy's talent for
arranging art, mixing different media, and displaying series of prints in
inspired or unexpected ways. We asked her to share her philosophy, rules of
thumb, and personal preferences to help those of us without her well-honed
instincts to get the hang of hanging art.
When hanging art of different sizes around the
room, pictures should be lined up by their center lines, not the tops of
the works. If you look at museums and galleries, this is the way they hang
art.
A single painting or the main piece of art in
a grouping should generally be hung at eye level for an average person. When in doubt, hang on the high side.
When arranging a group of works on a wall,
placement depends on the height and width of the space, taking into
consideration any furnishings -- sofa, chest, tables with lamps, or dado
rail. Measure out the space available for the grouping from top to bottom
and side to side.
A series of identically framed prints or
engravings should be hung closer together than pieces of different sizes
and shapes. A rule of thumb is 2 to 2 1/2 inches. A more varied grouping
needs varying margins between pictures, but you should still aim for a
sense of consistency, with roughly 3 to 4 inches between pictures on each
side.
