Hanging art can be tricky – some people have a good eye for it and can throw a piece of art up on the wall perfectly while others struggle to get it right (so many people hang art pieces way too high)! If you’re one of the strugglers and can use help figuring out the best height to hang pictures on the wall, tricks for hanging groups of pictures, and other tips for hanging art, this post’s for you! I’m sharing all of my must-have tips that will make hanging your next picture a breeze! (post includes affiliate links – full disclosure statement available {here})
What’s the best height to hang pictures & other art?
- When artwork is hung by itself on a wall, hang it at eye-level with the center of the picture positioned between 56 – 60″ from the floor.
- When hanging one picture directly above another, treat the two art pieces as one large picture with the center point between them being 56 – 60″ from the floor.
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How many inches apart should I place pictures in a gallery wall?
- When hanging multiple pieces of art in a group such as a gallery wall, use a spacing of 1 – 3″ between pictures. Smaller pieces of art can be hung a little closer together (1 – 1½”) than larger pieces. If you’re working on creating a gallery wall, the tips and tricks for hanging a gallery wall in {this post} might be helpful!
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Hanging pictures above the bed and other furniture – how far up should they hang?
- When hanging artwork above a bed or other piece of furniture, leave 5 – 9″ of space between the top of the furniture piece and the bottom of the frame. This rule of thumb can be used for hanging art over a console or chest of drawers as well as a sofa or headboard. In the pic above, the artwork (ordered from {here}) is hung about 5-6″ above the headboard.
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How high should I hang other wall decor?
- Whether it’s a decorative plate wall or a wall display of a favorite collection, a good rule of thumb is to treat the grouping of wall decor as one item and center it at 56 – 60″ off the floor. (You can get the details of how I hung this decorative plate wall in our dining room in {this post})
Where to Buy Art: My Favorite Inexpensive Source
My favorite source for inexpensive artwork is {Minted}. You can buy art prints unframed for very reasonable prices and frame them yourself or you can have your artwork matted and framed and delivered right to your doorstep! And they have a huge, ever-changing selection. I have Minted artwork in several rooms of my home including our family room where I selected ten black and white prints, white mats, and brass frames to create a gallery wall around our TV:
You can see more pics of my family room, including a full source list for the space {here}.
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I also have several pieces of art from Minted in our bedroom including {this piece of abstract art} and {this small black, white, and green floral print} on our dresser:
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and {this larger black, white, and green floral} framed in {this gorgeous acrylic frame} next to our bedroom chair:
That’s it! Now you’re ready to hang artwork like the pros! If you’d like to keep this info handy for the next time you need to hang a picture, Pin the image below:
If you found this post helpful, you’d also probably enjoy some of my other must-have measurement posts including {this post} about decorating your dining room and {this post} for choosing and hanging lighting. You might also want to check out my Shop page if you have a minute – since there are so many sales for the long holiday weekend, I added a bunch of new things including these:
You can find these and my other shopping favorites {here}. Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!
debra @ 5th and state says
October 8, 2018 at 3:52 amalways love your ideas Kris, and more photo’s of your stunning home of which I NEVER tire of seeing!
thanks girlfriend
debra
Kris Jarrett says
November 4, 2018 at 9:08 pmThanks sweet friend!! XOXO
Karen B. says
October 8, 2018 at 9:49 amKris,
This is a great how to. I always check back on the rules when hanging a gallery. When we moved (a little over a year now) one of our good friends really wanted to help us in some way. I asked him if he would mind hanging a gallery of 4 identical pictures (framed identically). He’s a very exacting person and I knew he’d do the best job. When it was finished, and the four prints were hung perfectly, measured exact between each picture, I thanked him and told him he had saved me from the usual 3-4 nail holes behind each picture as I would have eyeballed it. 🙂
xo,
Karen
Kris Jarrett says
November 4, 2018 at 9:09 pmKaren that friend is a keeper! It seems like it would be a quick and easy task but we both know it’s really not!
Andrea says
October 9, 2018 at 8:20 amI have several pictures that I need to hang. Perfect timing on this helpful post!
Lezlie says
March 4, 2019 at 11:44 amThank you for the tips. Do your frames have to be the same color?
Sharon Glazer says
December 2, 2019 at 10:04 pmI centered a credenza against a hallway wall and bought two related pictures to hang over it. My problem is there is a white plastic heat control cover on the wall that will then be about 11 inches away from one of the pictures. I could move the credenza more to the right so the pictures would be further away from it, but then the credenza wouldn’t be centered on the wall. So should I not worry about one of the paintings being a foot away from something on the wall I’d rather not draw the eye to, or move the credenza further to the right and thus the pictures above would be further away, but there would be more empty space on the left side of the credenza since it would no longer be centered against the wall? Help!
Kris Jarrett says
January 29, 2020 at 5:07 pmI’d probably leave it centered and pretend it’s not there!
Josie D says
December 22, 2019 at 10:57 amWhat if I don’t have a headboard?
Kris Jarrett says
January 13, 2020 at 10:08 pmI would just treat the top of the pillows on your bed like you would the top of your headboard and measure from there!