Real estate tips from Brooks Beaupain
Brooks Beaupain, ASP, GRI | Windermere Real Estate/East, Inc.
[email protected] |  206-778-4663
In This Issue
Secrets to Hanging Wall Art Like the Pros
Links that Make Life Easier
The Lighter Side
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Brooks Beaupain
Well-displayed wall art engages visual interest and creates a pleasant atmosphere in your home.  But have you ever wondered if you were choosing the correct art pieces, or placing them in the right locations?

Here are some easy tips that help you highlight the best features of your home and your art.

By the way, if you have friends or colleagues who would be interested in this information, please forward my newsletter on to them!


 
Secrets to Hanging Wall Art Like the Pros

 

 

Use the 'Rule of Three'  

 

Group of three pictures above sofa. 

 

Are you familiar with the 'Rule of Three'?  Interior designers use it to create visual interest when they decorate a home.

 

Here's their secret:  Groups of items arranged in odd numbers create subconscious visual tension; this can work to your advantage when you are decorating a room.  When you hang wall art pieces or arrange decor items in groups of three, you engage your viewer's attention and are better able to highlight specific features of your home.


 

Even Numbers Have a Calming Effect

 

Items placed in groups of even numbers have a calming effect compared to odd-numbered groups.  For this reason, you might want to have a pair of wall hangings, or a set of four placed closely together, in rooms such as the bedroom or study.

 

Group of four pictures. 

 


Don't "Hang 'Em High"  

 

Most interior design experts agree that the number one mistake people make when hanging art is to place it too high on the wall.  The center of the picture, when measured from top to bottom, should be at eye level, which is generally considered to be around 58 inches above the floor.

 

In rooms such as the dining room or office, where people will be sitting down most of the time, it makes sense to hang wall art lower so that the center of the picture is closer to seated eye level.

 

 

Working with Groups of Pictures

 

Pictures that are the same size should be hung in horizontal alignment with each other, unless they are filling a tall, narrow space, in which case they should be hung vertically.

 

Pictures of Different Sizes 

 

Things get more complicated when you are working with pictures of different sizes.  One popular solution is to hang them so that their vertical center is in alignment, as below.

 

Pictures aligned at their midoints. 

 

 

Not everyone agrees with this approach.  Photography design expert Christian Cook recommends aligning different-sized pictures horizontally according to their top border instead.  (The next two pointers are from his website, www.ThincTanc.com, where you can find many other useful illustrations.) 

 

Pictures Next to a Doorway 

 

A doorway creates a strong structural element that needs to be taken into consideration when arranging art work.  It's tempting to align pictures vertically from the middle, but the overall effect can be visually tiring.  Instead, try aligning them by the border closest to the door frame.

 

Pictures aligned next to a doorway. 

    

 

Groups of Four 

 

Hanging art work in groups of four creates a pleasing visual effect, especially if you follow a few guidelines:

 

1.  Larger and/or landscape pictures should go above smaller and/or portrait pictures.

 

2.  Align pictures horizontally along the top first, then vertically from the middle.

 

Group of four pictures. 

 

 

 

Placing Art Over a Fireplace

 

When choosing art to hang over a fireplace, look for something that is around two-thirds of the width of the mantel.  (It should be at least 50 percent and no more than 75 percent of the mantel width.)  You can use several items arranged horizontally, as long as the total width falls within that range.  Another guideline is to keep the art the same width as the fireplace opening.  As you can see below, both concepts work for a flat screen TV as well as a picture. 

 

Flat screen TV above fireplace. 

 

Since art work over a fireplace is already quite high up, hang it no more than 10 to 12 inches above the mantel in order to keep it visually anchored.  Lower down may look even better as long as it does not interfere with items on the mantel, and placing a picture directly on the mantel is also acceptable.

 


Spacing Art Work

 

In Groups:  When arranging several pictures as a group, experts recommend that you space them five to six inches apart, both vertically and horizontally.  An easy way to check this is to simply measure the space using the width of your hand.

 

Above Sofas:  Art work above sofas should be eight to ten inches above the highest point in order to leave room for people resting their arms along the back of the sofa.

 

Above the Bed:  Pictures can be hung closer to a bed frame than to a sofa back.  A common recommendation is four to eight inches.

 

 

Bedroom with wall art. 

 

Art pieces placed above sofas and beds should be about two-thirds as wide as the furniture item.  It's important to hang the picture close enough that it looks visually anchored, rather than so high that it appears disconnected.

 

 

Exceptions Are the Norm!  

 

You may already have thought of several examples of art placement in your home that break the 'rules' and still create a great result.  Ultimately, your choice of art and the way you present it is an expression of your own personal taste, so nothing you choose to do is wrong.  The information above is meant to be helpful for situations in which you know there must be some general guideline, and you'd like to know what it is. 


  

Do you have questions about any of this information?  Please call me, or just click 'Reply' to this email.  I'll be happy to give you my take on our local real estate market, or provide you with any other real estate advice that you may need.

 

 

(What the lawyers make us say:  The information in this newsletter is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.   Please always consult a qualified expert before making decisions based on this content.  Nothing in this article is meant to be taken as expert legal, financial, or medical advice.)
 
  
Links that Make Life Easier 

Sometimes real estate-related, sometimes not... these are assorted links that come in handy:

Stanford University's Entrepreneurship Corner provides a free collection of over 1600 videos and podcasts featuring short, to-the-point lectures by successful entrepreneurial thought leaders.  Definitely worth a test drive. 
If you have a cause or event you'd like to raise money for, First Giving makes it much easier by letting you create and personalize your own donation page.
 
Illustrations showing how to arrange your wall art with various furniture items.

Making a jigsaw puzzle or a motivational poster out of your own photos are just a few of the many options you can have fun with for free on this website.

Unlike many free photo editing websites, Citrify allows you to get started right away without signing up.


The Lighter Side


Link to the article in the New York Times.The oldest known wild U.S. bird, a Laysan albatross named Wisdom, is a new mother at the ripe old age of 60.

 

Albatrosses are amazing birds that mate for life and spend years at a time without touching land.  Scientists believe they may even sleep while soaring over the ocean.

 

Since Wisdom was first banded in 1956, she has flown several million miles - easily enough to have made four trips from Earth to the Moon and back!  She appears to be aging gracefully, and is currently raising a healthy chick at a wildlife refuge in the Pacific.

 

There's more about Wisdom in this New York Times article


 

 


 
Brooks Beaupain signature 

Brooks Beaupain, REALTOR�, ASP, GRI
Windermere Real Estate/East, Inc.
[email protected] | 206-778-4663

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