Tips for hanging your wall art

We are so close to completely dressing your home.  Art and window treatments are the final components to include.  This week's post is all about artwork (we will address window treatments next month).

People become the most paralyzed when it comes to artwork. They've done all this work to assemble the rest of the room, and now they freeze up with fear about putting a nail in the wall. Don’t let this be you!

When it comes to artwork, select pieces that catch your eye and lead you around the room. Think about what has meaning to you, what makes you feel comfortable and what might strike up conversation with your guests. Those are the pieces you want on your walls. The thought of hanging these pieces for display should excite you. Don’t feel like you have to put the same thing up all over. Not every pair of shoes you have goes with every outfit, and your artwork won’t naturally fit in every room. Mix it up with mirrors, painting, photos and framed prints.

PDR Interiors
Room contains a blend of wall art- framed prints, wrapped canvas painting, grouping of mirrors.

Once you’ve picked out your art, you WILL have to hang it, so here’s a cheat sheet to give you confidence in your placement.

Rules of thumb for art hanging-
-Remember your art should belong to the furniture, not the ceiling. Meaning, don’t hang your art so high that it looks like its running away from the furniture below it.

-Use 60” from the ground as your starting place for the middle of the piece. If this seems too high or too low, adjust accordingly.

-Using two nails or screws, instead of one, helps keep a piece of art level when it has wire on the back.


-Gallery wall tips:
-layout your desired gallery wall on the floor first. Measure the overall height and width of the arrangement to make sure it will fit on the wall where you want to place it. If it is too large, make the necessary adjustments.

-Brown craft paper is a helpful tool when planning a gallery wall. Roll the paper out on the floor and place your items on top. Using a marker, outline the pieces on the craft paper.  Once you have the outlines drawn, remove the pieces from the paper and cutout each shape. Then tape the pieces to the wall where you plan to hang them. This will show you if you need to adjust any spacing between items OR if you need to adjust the group’s spacing on the wall.  A handy trick is to mark on the craft paper where the hanging mechanism is.  That way you know where to place the nail(s) once the paper is on the wall.

-Begin with 2” between each piece of the gallery wall. You can then eyeball the layout and determine if the size of the pieces warrants more or less space between them.

-Gallery wall groupings are a great WAY to hide unsightly features like a thermostat in the middle of the wall.

PDR Interiors (photo was taken before pictures were added to frames)

photo courtesy of Christy Hash

If you are struggling with whether or not to hang a piece on a specific wall, lean the art against that wall (even at floor level) and leave it there for a day or two. Walking by it several times will allow you to determine if the size of the art is appropriate for the size of the wall. It will also allow you to see how you feel about incorporating that piece in to the room. If you’re comfortable with it, go ahead and hang it using the rules of thumb we just covered. If not, find another location for the artwork. And, remember, it is not the end of the world to put a nail in the wall and then later decide to move it. There’s a reason spackle was invented!


Happy hanging!
-Liz

Artwork & Accessories

We started walking through the concept of how to dress your home back in October.  If you're anything like me, you may have already forgotten what we've talked about to date.  If you're not, then this recap is just for my benefit (ha!).  So far we have addressed:

- your budget

- your timeline

-how you use the space

-patterns and colors you like

-how to draw a space plan (and hopefully you've actually drawn one!)

-the ways area rugs can help or hinder your look

-more about paint than you probably cared to know

Today, let's pick up where we left off.  Let's get lost in the world of accessories.  Accessories are my favorite part of an outfit, and of a room.  These pieces are a chance to let your personality shine.  Personally, when it comes to an outfit, I am a watch person.  I love an oversized face- I mean BIG- in a great metal with a little bling (maybe I was a rapper in another life).  I then tend to stack bracelets with my watch to create a grouping of arm candy.  While this sounds like a lot happening on my wrist, I do operate by Coco Chanel’s rule of put everything on, and then take one item off.  I find a good balance in this method of editing.

Accessories in the home offer the same opportunity as fashion accessories: to showcase who you are. 

Did you select a solid colored, textured fabric for your sofa?  Pop a couple of colorful throw pillows grouped with another pillow showcasing your favorite saying on it. 

Are you a world traveler? Arrange the trinkets you’ve picked up along the way within your bookshelves amid the books you’ve been reading and your family photos.  

Mixing the types of items you display on a bookshelf or tabletop creates visual interest. 

PDR Interiors

Accessories aren’t something that will show up on the space plan you've already created. This will require some trial and error in terms of placing items where they look best.  No two people are going to arrange their accessories in the same manner, because no two people will have the same life experiences or perspective.  But, I can give you some tried and true tricks to help you accessorize in a way that makes you want to show off your space.

-Group things.  Rarely, do you want an item to stand all by itself (the exception being if it is an oversized piece that commands attention).  You can work in pairs or in odd numbers- whatever feels right to you based on the items you are working with. 

PDR Interiors

 

-Vary height and stagger items.  It is not visually pleasing to see a straight line of items all at the same height.  Move pieces forward of, and behind each other while still keeping everything visible.  If you find that all of your candlesticks are close to the same height, turn some books on their sides to create a stacked base and top with one of the candlesticks. 

 PDR Interiors, photo courtesy of Veronica Gettinger

-Mix colors.  Life isn’t monochromatic.  Mix white ceramic vases with silver picture frames and blue pottery.  Keep in mind the color scheme of your room, but don’t feel it is necessary to match it exactly.  Instead, tie in certain colors or elements of the room, so the accessories feel at home in the space. 

 

PDR interiors

-Choose a variety of items. Picture frames, metal orbs, glass sculptures, ceramic vases, woven baskets, small pieces of artwork on stands, and books are all great elements to use when accessorizing a room.  The placement of these pieces will be determined by the function of your space.  If little hands or wild pet tails are a concern, place breakables at a level where they won’t be in danger.

 PDR Interiors

Wanna know a secret? I will style a shelf or tabletop, and 20 minutes later come back to look at it with fresh eyes.  Almost every time, I tweak something- the angle of a photo frame, the height of a stack of books, etc.  You will more than likely do the same thing- it’s okay.  Just get started!  The best way to accomplish your goal is to dive in and play around with the placement. Don’t be afraid to place something and then re-arrange it later.

You would make my day if you would message me photos of your accessorizing work.  i'd love to see all the fun you are having!

-Liz