These tips are adapted from Better Homes and Gardens website.  read it here

“People have a tendency to hang art too high,” says Linda Crisolo, Art.com director of merchandising. “The center of the image should be at eye level.” In living rooms, people are usually sitting, so artwork should be lower. A good way to ensure you’re placing artwork at the right height is to hang it one hand width above the sofa.

Wonder how high to hang images?  The short answer is that the middle of the frame should be 60” from the floor or about eye level.  The exact method is to divide the height of the frame by 1/2 to find the middle and add 57”.  To determine the placement of hangar, extend the hanging wire and measure the distance to the top of the frame.  Subtract from 60” (or from the exact number you got by dividing by 1/2 and adding 57”).

 

Grid arrangements of images of the same size with the same frames create impact.

Create unified groupings by including similar subject colors or all black and white.  Then use the same frames for each image in the group.

 

On a shelf or mantel, layer art pieces by overlapping.  Add objects d’arte which create depth and interest.  Frames can rest on the surface or be hung.

 

“Make sure artwork is at least two-thirds the size [width] of the sofa or sideboard,” Crisolo says. [Or mantel] “For example, a 9-foot-long sofa should have a 6-foot-wide expanse of art above it.”

 

 

 

 

“In a group arrangement, keep heavy pieces to the bottom and left,” says Crisolo.

“It balances the weight of the items because the eye starts on the left. If you have an even arrangement, put the heaviest piece in the middle.”

To plan a wall grouping, trace each piece on kraft paper, label the tracing, and cut it out. If you’re hanging portraits, draw arrows on the paper to indicate which way the subject is looking. Use painter’s tape to try out placements and arrangements without covering your wall with holes.

 

 

 

 

Use an odd number of pieces, then choose an important piece for the center and place the rest on either side to mirror each other.

 

 

 

 

 

Heat and water dictate the medium.  For damp bathrooms, choose metal prints or canvas.  (Not stretched canvas because it can warp.  Use masonite backed canvas.)  Ditto for kitchens.  Metal and canvas can be wiped with a damp cloth.

 

Use groups of small images on small walls.  But be sure to use larger images on large walls with room for the viewer to step back and enjoy the full image.

“When hanging multiple pieces around the room, don’t try to make the bottoms or tops of frames level. Level the middles,” Crisolo says.