Where to Find Affordable Real Art and How to Hang It
Fred Lyon Reproduction : One Kings Lane overall dimensions: 41"H x 75"W for $1,500 framed!
This is part of our series: How to Make Your House Feel Like a Home
Have you ever felt overwhelmed at the thought of decorating your home? There are many steps involved and rules to know, so it's no wonder that so many of us become discouraged before we even begin. I have spent the last 25 years defining the process with clients.
When designing a space, you may want elegant and welcoming results, yet not know the steps to achieve this goal. today’s rooms are more a curated collection of elements with the tricky need for balance.
ART Will Define Your Room
The question of what to put on your walls if often followed by, how many, how high, how close, and what should go above the sofa!
Affordable Real Art and How to Hang It - Affordable wall art for a high-end look is possible when installed properly.
Today I’m sharing tips and best practices for finding, selecting, and hanging art on your own. You don’t need to pay for an expensive gallery or hire a professional hanger to have great art in your home.
Framed art adds color and texture to your room. It also adds personality. It is important to know how defining ART can be in completing a room. These are the must-know tips and best practices for Hanging Art the Right way, and the mistakes you want to avoid.
DID YOU KNOW? According to a survey conducted by Home Depot, the #1 most common home improvement job pending for homeowners, is the hanging of art and shelving.
Some of the most common questions I get when working with clients revolve around Art or Photography and how to place them in the home. If you are not buying from a gallery you may want to know the answer to these common questions.
Related Posts
Where to buy Affordable Art?
What size should I get? And then how many together?
How to Hang it?
How to Select Art
Start with one dominant piece.
A strong focal point is important for any room, and classic timeless rooms are always well-appointed with art. Having focal points gives the eye a place to rest in a room full of furniture, and patterns.
Many times when working with clients, Art is the starting point for our design, color selections, and arrangement. It will make or break any room!!!!
Just remember, decorating is problem-solving, not just pretty fabrics.
Tip: “You don’t need to buy from a gallery to have great art, and you also don’t need to hire a professional to hang your art. These tips and resources will help you select and hang your art on your own.” Deborah - dvd Interior Design
Once you have selected your prized piece of art and have it mounted in a beautiful picture frame, make sure after hanging and placing it, to add a framework of elements like candles or candlesticks around in of sconces to complete its placement and setting.
How To choose the right size ART:
The first step to selecting is to always measure your space to know what sizes will work best with your wall. I can’t tell you how many people skip this step. Assess your space and the overall ht and width you would like before you start shopping.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is buying too small.
Think about getting your scale in proportion to the room. If you have a large area, you may want to find a collection of pieces, a triptych (3 panels), a pair, or one large piece to fill the area selected. A common mistake is choosing a piece that is too small, or too few.
The bigger the better when using art to add color and pattern. It don’t have to be expensive (see my resources below)
Don’t be afraid of color.
Art is a great place to start when creating a color palette. When working with clients I like to start with the art. It gives
If you have a collector’s piece of art,
a piece of fine art, then you really need for that to be behind glass, professionally framed, and in a central location.
But if you are buying decorative art, not from a gallery, not everything needs to be behind glass, and not everything needs to be framed. You can still purchase a glicess, acrylic, or oil, that is wrapped around the wood frame.
How do You Choose The right Art?
TIP: Print out the images you like and tape them to the wall to see your vision.
If you are shopping from a site, like MINTED, you can get the art piece in a variety of sizes. Print your favorites, and tape your options up on the wall to study if you like the colors and imagery for the room you are selecting
Keep it on the wall for about 5 days and live with it to make your decision. Have a deadline so you are sure to complete the task and get something up on your wall.
Some of my favorite resources are ETSY, and MINTED are listed above.
RESOURCES: I have curated a list of my favorite resources and a few selections for art, both original oil paintings, and prints for you to choose from. Take a look: SHOP GREAT ART FOR YOUR HOME - dvd Interior Deisgn
How to Hang Art In Your Home: 7 Simple Steps
1. Use a pencil to help set your markings and a Leveler to make sure everything is straight.
The center of the print should be about 60 inches off the floor. If you are placing above a sofa or another piece of furniture, allow for 6 to 8 inches of space between the bottom of the frame and the top of any piece beneath it.
A heavy piece of art? Making sure your hardware can support the weight of a heavy piece may require you hire a professional to hang it. When it's heavy or hard-to-maneuver you want the pro to handle and secure it. They have all the tools and know-how.
“If you have time to go the DIY route, that will be a lot more affordable. You can do installation if you have the time to put into shopping for the needed tools and taking the time to work through some of the labor yourself. If you’re on the internet, you have pretty much the whole world at your disposal.”- Deborah - dvd Interior Design
2. Measure up from the floor about 62 in. and note this on the wall. This is where the center of your picture should be
That’s 5 ft. 2 in., which is a pleasing, average eye-level height. Most framed pictures come ready to hang, but you may need to install a hanging kit or brackets on others.
3. How to hang different types:
Mini- Small: Approx. 12 - 17” +/- mini wall art pieces can stand-alone or they can be used as part of a collection.
Groups, Pairs or Triptych: make sure to keep them tight together to keep the rhythm
Medium: 24 -30” this size is great for a foyer or hallway and won’t create a sense of clutter.
“Tip! Bigger is better. Choosing a piece of wall art that is on the slightly larger side of what you think will be appropriate for a wall is better than it being too small which makes the room feel barren.” Deborah- dvd Interior Design
Large/Oversized: Oversized art refers to all wall art that is 41” +/-. Art of this size can stand alone as focal points of a wall or room. I recommend measuring your space before installing a piece of oversized wall art as it can overwhelm a small space, and can be affected by your ceiling height.
4. Understanding the Scale or Your Artwork:
In working out a picture arrangement, the only way to figure out the right balance is to see it. Arrange everything on the floor before you hammer any nails.
If hanging art above your sofa, aim to place your pictures so they take up about ⅔ the width of your sofa or furniture, as in the example above:
5. If you have a collection, hang them close to each other - 2 to 3 in. at the most.
A golden rule my art professor told me was “Close is like a hug, but even closer is a kiss” and I think that can be used here for sure! You can see the difference below:
Brenda Bogart Art
6. How to organize your gallery wall:
TIP: If there is a wide area, consider a 3-piece canvas art set, or a gallery wall which can be used to spread out the artwork and fill the wall. I like to cut out paper patterns the same size as the artwork, and using low-grade adhesive tape, place them on the wall and play around with the shapes and groupings. Be sure to tape an outline of the entire space first so you can really visualize the end result. This link has a very detailed guide on doing this
7. Can I use different frame styles and mix photography with art?
YES, a gallery wall of artwork, framed photographs and family mementos in differing sizes, or different frames for interest, make for an appealing and personal wall. This could be a whole post on its own!!
*I have written 3 articles outlining my top 16 resources for art. I have several options that may satisfy even the pickiest shopper. - Deborah von Donop - dvd Interior Design
Take a look :
Use these tips and processes for selecting your art. Thank you for joining me today. If you found these tips useful, make sure to subscribe for the full series
If you have any questions, I would love to hear from you.
Deborah
*This post contains affiliate links. This means if you click a link and purchase something, I may receive a small commission from the vendor at no cost to you. I only share things that I love and hope you will too!
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