The Dos and Don’ts of Hanging Wall Art
You’ve finally found the perfect piece of art – now what? The task of hanging wall art might seem simple enough, but small mistakes can lead to big design mistakes that can completely change the energy in your home
In this all-in-one guide, you’ll discover the classic dos and don’ts of hanging artwork to make sure you get it right, every time.
With these extensive tips and tricks, your wall art will not only look gorgeous, but will also complement your space flawlessly.
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The Dos: Best Practices for Hanging Wall Art
Plan Properly
Before you put any holes in your walls, plan the layout. Use painter's tape or stencils to visualize how the piece will fit within your space. Check out these quick and easy tips:
- Measure the wall and the art piece carefully.
- Consider the ⅔ rule as a general guideline: the artwork should take up approximately two-thirds of the wall space over your furniture.
- If you’re going to hang different sizes near each other, make sure you know the best ways to determine wall art sizes.
Read more about this topic: Wall Art Sizes – A Complete Guide
Consider the Height
- The center of your artwork should be at eye level, which is generally 144cm from the floor.
- For a gallery wall or multiple pieces, this rule applies to the central point of the entire arrangement. Plan the layout, find the centre point, and measure 144cm from that centre point to the ground
Know How to Hang Wall Art
- Use the appropriate hardware for your wall type (drywall, brick, etc.).
- When hanging heavy pieces, always use wall anchors or find a stud to ensure the artwork is secure.
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How to Arrange Wall Art
The arrangement of multiple pieces of art is just as important as when you’re hanging individual, lone pieces. Gallery walls are hugely popular among art-lovers everywhere, and it’s a trend that’s here to stay. When hanging your gallery wall, consider these tips:
- Keep a gap of at least 7cm and 15cm between smaller pieces.
- Balance heavier artworks with lighter, smaller artworks for the perfectly balanced look.
- Maintain a consistent theme or colour scheme if you want the most cohesive look, but you can mix and match styles for a dynamic appearance.
- Know how to hang wall art like a pro, so you’ll never have wonky or falling artworks again.
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The Don’ts: What to Avoid
Don’t Rush
Patience is key! Rushing through the process can lead to artworks that aren’t aligned properly, or insecurely hung. This can result in pieces that look unsightly, or worse, pieces that fall and become damaged.
Don’t Neglect Scale and Proportion
Knowing how to arrange wall art becomes crucial when dealing with multiple pieces at a time. An oversized painting can overshadow smaller pieces, throwing off balance and focus.
Don’t Hang Too High or Too Low
Too high, and your art becomes disconnected from your furniture. Too low, and it may interfere with the function of your space.
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Mastering the art of hanging wall art isn’t merely about putting nails in a wall – it’s about creating harmony and visual interest in your home.
Understanding the dos and don’ts not only elevates your interior design game, but also maximises the impact of your art pieces. After all, even the most beautiful artwork can lose its charm if not displayed correctly.
Know someone who struggles hanging their wall art? Give them a hand by sharing this blog – they’ll love you for it.
Our Stylists' Best Tips for Getting It Right
Beyond the measurements and rules, our styling team finds that the rooms which feel most considered share a few quiet habits. The first is patience: most of the missteps we see come from rushing to fill a wall in one afternoon. Lean a piece against the wall and live with it for a day or two. The placement that felt obvious at first often shifts once you have walked past it through morning light and evening shadow.
The second habit is treating wall art as part of a conversation with the rest of the room, rather than a finishing touch. The frame should echo something already in the space, whether that is the warm wood of a coffee table, the matte black of pendant lights, or the linen of a sofa. When the frame is invisible, the artwork breathes.
And when in doubt, our team uses a simple test: stand at the doorway, take a photo on your phone, and check whether the artwork looks anchored or floating. The camera flattens a room the way memory does, and a quick snap will reveal proportion problems that the naked eye glosses over.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high should I hang wall art above a sofa?
The general guideline is to leave roughly 15 to 25 centimetres between the top of your sofa and the bottom of the frame, but the right distance depends on how tall your ceilings are and how tall the people in the room tend to be. For a standard 2.4 metre ceiling, sit closer to the 15 centimetre mark; for taller ceilings, the artwork can rise higher. What matters most is that the piece still feels visually connected to the sofa rather than floating in dead wall space above it.
What if my walls are not standard drywall?
Brick, plaster, and rendered walls each need different hardware. For brick, masonry anchors and a hammer drill are usually the safest combination, and you will want to choose your hanging point carefully because a hole in brick is hard to move. Older plaster is more delicate than modern drywall and can crumble around screws, so a self-tapping plaster anchor or even strong adhesive hooks for lighter pieces will hold better than standard wall plugs. A hardware store staff member will usually identify the right fastener if you describe the wall material and the weight of the artwork.
Can a single large piece replace a gallery wall?
Often yes, and in many rooms it works better. A single statement piece gives the eye a clear focal point and reads as more confident than a busy arrangement, especially in modern interiors with clean lines. Gallery walls suit hallways, stairwells, and rooms with a more layered, collected aesthetic where the wall itself is meant to feel like a story. With a feature wall and a tall ceiling, scaling up to one large work is usually the more striking choice.
How do I know if my artwork is the right size for the wall?
The reliable test is the two-thirds rule applied to whatever sits below the artwork, whether that is a sofa, a console, or a bed. If the artwork measures less than two-thirds the width of that piece of furniture, it will read as undersized no matter how lovely the piece itself is. If it overhangs the furniture, scale back. With no furniture beneath, treat the wall itself as the reference: the artwork should occupy roughly half to two-thirds of the available wall width, leaving generous margins on either side.
Should I use one large frame or several smaller ones?
It depends on the room and the kind of attention you want it to ask for. One large piece reads as quiet confidence and works beautifully above a sofa or a bed, where it acts as a horizon line for the room. Several smaller frames work harder visually and suit corridors, stairwells, and home offices where the eye benefits from something to follow. Mixing the two can work too, provided you commit to a consistent frame style or colour across the grouping so the eye reads them as one composition.
Your walls are the mirror to your soul – let your art speak for you.
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