Beth Lester
Owner & Designer
Home Staging Designs of California
|
|
ReDesign
Home Staging
Visit our website for more information:
www.hsdca.com
|
| 10% discount on room redesigns through August 31st. Call or email to schedule your appointment. | |
|
|
Greetings!
One of the most common mistakes made in decorating is in hanging artwork. I've seen many homes that are beautifully decorated, but there is a massive negative space gap between their sofa and the picture above it.
I recently saw a perfect example of this, but I didn't want to insult my friends by asking to post a picture of it. So how can we make our walls look great? (Check out the coupon at the bottom if you need help with this.)
Over a table, make a united grouping using the furniture, picture, lamp, plant, or whatever accessories you choose. This way, the eye takes in the entire group, rather than seeing a buffet below, a section of negative white space, and then a painting.
Here's an example over a fireplace. Normally it wouldn't be this decorated, but you can see how everything works together to make one cohesive group.
The rules for hanging art are basically simple and common sense. Of course, I can't take credit for making these up - they've been around in the design world for a long time. But hopefully this will be helpful to you.
Rule #1: In general, the center of your picture/painting should be at eye level for a person of average height - 5' to 5-1/2" tall (that's 60-65" on a tape measure, you know!). There can be some variation on this if the room is primarily used for sitting (hang toward the lower end of the scale), or mostly standing (go toward the upper end of the scale). If ceilings are very tall or you are hanging over a fireplace mantle, raise slightly.
Rule #2: Above furniture, keep the picture....in the picture, as I mentioned above. Over a sofa, set the bottom of the painting 6-12 inches above the top line of the furniture. For a table or dresser, hang 8-12 inches above depending on what will be placed on top. Go for the "group" look, as we saw above.
Rule #3: Size & Scale. Ah, this one isn't always so easy. A general rule of thumb is to use the 2/3 rule. Above a 6' sofa, place a 4' painting. Above a 9' sofa, hang a 6' painting. Do you see it? The art should be approximately 2/3 size of the item below.
Safe ratios are 2:3, 3:5, 4:7, 5:8.
The size of the wall also makes a difference, so pay attention to that as well. If you have a 6 foot wall, hanging a 1-2' wide picture is going to look odd. But you could hang two pictures (approximately hand width in between). Over a 4' table. you might use a 2' mirror PLUS tall lamps or plants to get the 2/3 ratio. Sconces also work well on either side of artwork or a mirror.
For an extra long wall, such as in a hallway, place groupings of similar pictures - same frame & matting or similar paintings.
If you have a friend who might be interested in this information, you can forward them a copy here:
Keep reading....I couldn't stop with just three rules!
Another consideration is to avoid the "roller coaster" effect. Tall piece of furniture, short plant, tall curtains, short table. I wish I knew how to do a line drawing here for you. Basically there should be a somewhat even line around the room. So if you have long drapes that hang from above the window, be sure to have other tall elements as well. Here you see the painting above the fireplace is approximately the height size of the drapes.
So check your walls and see if you can make any improvements. If you want more information on proper hanging, especially in groups, Barbara Jennings has an excellent e-book at
www.decorate-redecorate.com/art.html.
(P.S. If you ever decide to order one of Barbara's training course, please let me know first).
Our homes need beauty to nurture and heal us from the constant onslaught of auditory and visual pollution oustide. If you would like a fresh set of "design" eyes, I'd love to come help you make your home a place you can enjoy and are comfortable in.
Until next month,
Beth
Beth Lester
Home Staging Designs of California
(310) 809-7467
P.S. I greatly appreciate my clients & will treat your referrals with great care.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
