Size and scale permitting, the living room is the room of choice to display your best, largest and most striking artwork. You will notice many large mirrors and paintings are hung over the sofa, piano or fireplace. That makes sense. Large furnishings would overpower small wall hangings. A collection of small frames would look to busy and the viewer could not see the pictures details without kneeling on the couch close-up.
Some decorators will encourage you to keep personal photographs in the bedrooms of your home not in the main living quarters. I disagree. Homeowners should choose to display anything in their living rooms that they want visitors to know about them. Upon entering my home any visitor could glance around my living room and know immediately what is most important to me in my life. I do not choose to only hang objects of value, I choose to display pictures that will remind me of my values on a everyday basis.
HOW HIGH TO HANG FRAMES
If the picture is difficult to see and admire it is either to high or to low. In most cases a single frame should be hung with the center of the picture at eye level or slightly higher. Don't hang pictures for your height only. Consider the proportions of the wall as well as the surrounding furniture. A general guideline is to hang pictures 6 to 8 inches above the furniture. If the picture is hung too high, it will seem to be disconnected from everything around it. If too low, it will interfere with the use of the furniture and will not be viewed properly.
GROUPING PICTURES
Try to hang pictures in groupings with an odd amount like 3 frames or 5 plates for the best impact. Start by laying out your desired frames on the floor. Arranging the pictures on a solid background color will help you give you a clear idea of how you want them displayed. Don't be afraid to try several different options. If you have arrangements with various sizes of photos, make sure you keep the heavier pieces on the bottom. A large picture at the bottom anchors the grouping and keeps it from looking top heavy. If you have a large picture you enjoy over the sofa, but somehow it is not quite wide enough, balance it out with two smaller pictures on either side. Remember, the bottoms do not have to be lined up, and they do not have to be lined up exactly across the middle. Play with your templates until you see an arrangement that makes you feel happy and satisfied.
Groupings can be almost any shape, square, rectangle, round, diamond shaped or hung all in a row vertically or horizontally. If you are still having a problem visualizing what the frames would look like on the wall, you can trace the shape of your objects and cut them out of cardboard. Tape your cardboard shapes on the wall until you have the desired layout and then mark the shapes to duplicate your arrangement.
