Anybody who at some point wanted to put a painting or a picture on the wall, had these dilemmas:
- Where does this one look better?
- Should it be above the couch or above the coffee table?
- Is it too high or to low?
Decisions, decisions...
In this article I'll talk about 4 simple rules for the situation where you have one picture and you are about to place it somewhere in a room.
1. Place your artwork at eye level.
Interior Design guidelines states that you should aim to place the picture in a way where its center is at the eye level. If you are a short person as I am, but your partner is tall, figuring out what eye level is can be a bit difficult. As a rule of thumb, try to place the picture somewhere in the range of 150 - 165 cm (60 - 65 in) measured from the floor to the center of the painting.
2. The distance from the painting to the furniture below it should be 15 - 20 cm (6 - 8 in).
The painting looks better if you place it above your furniture at a distance of 15 - 20 cm (6 - 8 in), measured from the bottom of the painting. Depending of how the painting and the furniture will look together, you might feel to place it a bit lower or a bit higher. That is also ok. the goal here is to make your artwork and the table/sofa etc. look like they are a unity, not just 2 objects which happens to be in the same area.
3. A picture looks better if it's width is approximately 2/3 of the furniture under it.
If you are undecided about where your painting will look better, think about proportions and shape. A picture looks better if it's width is approximately 2/3 of the furniture under it. If your painting is too small compared to the width of the couch for instance, but you really want it there, place it more to the left or right, but not in the center (as you measure it referring to the couch).
4. Your painting must follow the same shape and orientation of the space and objects it's placed above.
There should be a natural flow between the furniture, pictures and empty wall space. A picture must follow the shape of the furniture beneath it. A wider object will request a painting which is more wide than long and the other way around. The pictures below shows an example of how this rule applies.
There is a lot to say about this topic and more tips and tricks will follow in the future.
If you need an advice regarding where to hang your beautiful piece of art, please live a comment below or use the contact form and I'll do my best to guide you.