Decorating & Design

Design lesson: Hanging art in your home

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Design lesson: Hanging art in your home

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Nail down a few of the finer points of artful arranging with tips from an expert.

Hanging pictures involves more than a hammer and nails and getting the height right. If the task of picture arranging leaves you hung up, we can help you nail down a few of the finer points of artful arranging.

Groupings
• For visual impact, group similar artwork together, such as black-and-white photographs. For even more emphasis, use the same style of mat and frame.

• Group a series of framed miniatures inside one large frame as a great solution to displaying tiny pieces.

• A grouping doesn't have to be a matching set. It can be hung according to common colours or subject matter.

• A row of small prints hung at chair-rail height can create a dynamic dado.

• Pictures hung in a row horizontally will help to visually widen a space.

• Art hung in a row vertically will add height and draw the eye upward.

Hanging Tip: Position your grouping of artwork on kraft paper and trace around the arrangement. Tape the paper to the wall, position the hooks and nail into place; then remove the paper and hang your pictures.

Above the sofa
• A sofa provides an ideal anchor for artwork. One large piece of art, or several pieces grouped tightly together, is a great choice for above a sofa.

• The most common mistake? Hanging artwork too high. In this case, the frame's bottom edge should be six to eight inches from the top of the sofa.

• Artwork doesn't have to be centred above a sofa. Asymmetrical arrangements energize modern or casual interiors. Symmetry, on the other hand, denotes formality.

• Although you should never buy art to match your furniture, make sure that your patterned sofa doesn't overshadow delicate artwork, such as a watercolour.

• A vase or lamp displayed on a sofa table acts as a bridge between the sofa and art hung above.

• Floor screens, freestanding or hung on a wall, look great behind a sofa.

Hanging Tip: When hanging art framed under glass, place a small piece of cork between the upper centre of the frame and the wall to eliminate glare.

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