How High to Hang Pictures: Simple Tips For Getting it Right!

Hanging art can be tricky! I’m sharing my easy tips for how high to hang pictures so you get it right every time!

Some people have a good eye for hanging pictures and can throw a piece of art up on the wall perfectly while others struggle to get it right. If you’re one of the strugglers and can use help figuring out how high 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})

Hang a Single Picture at Eye Level

A good rule of thumb that works in most situations where you’re hanging a single picture is to hang it so the center of the picture is eye level. Of course everyone’s “eye level” is a little different but 57-60″ from the floor is a good average to go by. Simply take the height of the picture you’re hanging, divide it in two, and then add 56-60″ to arrive at the exact height the top of the picture should be on the wall. Using {this 34.5″ high floral bouquet picture} in our kitchen as an example, dividing that height in half is about 17″. Then adding 57-60″, it should be hung so the top of the picture is 74-77″ from the floor:

Kitchen Sources: Gray geometric rug  |  Black & white dish towel  |  Kitchen sink  |  Cabinet pulls  |  Cup pulls

You might want to err more toward the 57″ measurement in rooms where people are most often sitting (like dining rooms), your ceilings are 8 foot high or less, and/or if your family is on the short side. Err toward the 60″ measurement if you’re family is on the taller side, you have high ceilings, or if that higher height just looks better to your naked eye.

You can use the same rule of thumb when hanging two pictures with one directly above the other. Simply treat the two art pieces as one large picture with the center point between them being 57 – 60″ from the floor. When hanging a larger collection of pictures on the wall with no furniture beneath them, treat them as one large piece, centering the grouping at that same 57-60″ measurement. The same holds true if you’re hanging objects such as this arrangement of plates I hung in our dining room:

Dining Room Sources: Wood bead chandelier  | Table & chairs – no longer available  |  13″ Rattan chargers (similar)  |  Green & white plaid napkins  |  Table runner (similar)  |  Wood vases – no longer available  |  Faux pink tulips  |  Faux white tulips  |  White wall plates  |  Patterned wall plates  |  Drapes – no longer available

Check out {this post} on hanging our plates on the wall for more details on how I planned out our plate arrangement and the plate holders I used to hang them.

When Hanging Pictures Above Furniture, Take Furniture Height Into Account

So what about if your pictures aren’t simply hung on a blank wall but are instead hung over a bed, dresser, sofa, or other furniture piece? Most people tend to hang pictures over furniture pieces way too high. A good rule of thumb is hang them so the bottom of the frame is between 4-10″ above the furniture piece. As an example, I chose to hang {this large piece of art} about 4″ above the headboard in my daughter’s room but would have hung it in inch or two higher if I had chosen a smaller piece of art:

Room Sources:  Blue grasscloth wallpaper  |  Gold quatrefoil pendant  |  Canvas surf scene art  |  Blue fringed pillow covers  |  Cream tassel end pillow covers  |  Blue stripe lumbar pillow  |  Leather weave bench  |  Acrylic lamp  |  Blue & white planter

So what about spacing when you’re hanging multiple pictures?…

Space Pictures In a Gallery Wall About 1-3″ Apart

When hanging multiple pictures in a grouping such as a gallery wall, a good general rule of them is to leave spacing of about 1 – 3″ between pictures. Smaller pieces of art can be hung a little closer together (1-2″) than larger pieces (2-3″ apart). When hanging a gallery wall of same size pictures in a grid, the spacing between them should be consistent such as in my family room:

Family Room Sources: TV console (similar)  |  Chandelier (satin bronze)  |  White tasseled pillow cover  |  Blue linen pillow cover  |  Green & blue block print pillow cover  |  Faux fiddle leaf fig tree  |  Rug  |  Pair of floor poufs  |  Art prints (details in {this post}  |  Acrylic coffee table (similar)  |  Coffee table tray (28″ square)  |  Black and white striped box (on coffee table)  |  Brass cricket (on coffee table)  |  Wood beads  |  Basket planter  |  Rattan chair

However when you’re hanging an eclectic gallery wall like this one in our home office, the spacing doesn’t need to be consistent. A spacing of around 2-3″ between pictures is a good place to start but some can be closer and others farther apart depending upon what looks right to your eye.

The best way I’ve found to hang an eclectic grouping of art like this without putting a ton of holes in the wall is to plan your whole wall out before hanging anything. Lay all of your pictures/objects out on the floor and move them around until the arrangement and spacing seems right. You can find more tips for creating and hanging gallery walls in {this post}.

Where Are Good Places to Shop for Pictures & Art Pieces?

One of my favorite source for artwork is Minted {here}. 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 to your doorstep completely ready to hang on the wall! I have Minted artwork in several rooms of my home including our family room, my daughter’s bedroom, our bedroom, and {this gorgeous art piece} in our entryway:

Entryway Sources: Wallpaper  |  Raffia console  |  White table lamp  |  30″ x 40″ Framed art print  |  Decorative ivory box  |  Decorative snail  | Wave coral – HomeGoods  |  Shallow wood bowl  |  Glass beads  |  Cube ottomans

Another great online source for art is Artfully Walls {here}. I used a grouping of three Artfully Wall pieces on our kitchen eat-in wall:

Sources: Capiz pendant  |  Geometric gray rug  |  Blue stripe pillow covers  |  Cream tassel pillow covers  |  Faux peonies  |  Rattan chargers  |  Large blush abstract framed art  |  Blue floral framed art  |  Pink floral framed art  |  Slipcovered dining chairs (similar)  |  Table runner no longer available

I also love shopping on Etsy {here} – it’s full of independent artists selling original art pieces and prints like {this floral print} I bought for the shelving in our bathroom:

Shelf Sources: Brass wall shelf (similar)  |  Rose print – 11 x 14  |  Hello Sweet Cheeks – printable  |  Brass frame  |  Rattan TP holder  |  Llama planter

And with that… 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} about choosing and hanging lighting.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!