Art is one of our secret style weapons here at My Beautiful Abode- it’s a rare project that doesn’t include an element of an artwork either as a dramatic statement piece, or as a way to create a layered styling effect. It’s easy and comfortable to imagine an entry, bedroom or living room with beautiful art, but how about your kitchen, bathroom or even your laundry?
Here are some of our favourite tips for hanging art across your home.
We love to see art across the whole house. Why not hang art in the bathroom or laundry? Yes, you need to be mindful of how the art will cope with moisture in the room and we wouldn’t dream to hang our most prized pieces in these spaces, but something fun, colourful or playful in these spaces, breaking up the monotony is a great idea. All those hard practical finishes can be uplifted by the juxtaposition of art.
We know everyone has a preferred art style, or medium, but our next tip is to mix in some variety to the art collection.
All glossy photos from front door to back is too repetitive.
We want to see different mediums (art on canvas, or behind glass, prints on metal, textile art, timber…) to be of interest as you move through the rooms. This is not to say there isn’t a relationship between pieces, but that it isn’t one dimensional. You don’t want your entrance to feel like the foyer of a television studio filled with headshots!
And while we’re talking about diversity in art, let’s talk about the size of the pieces you have. We can mix up the sizes, again for variety. We can have pieces the same sizes for symmetry and repetition in a room (as if the pieces are one art installation), but where we can, our motto is big is best!
If you are wanting to hang a gallery wall,
our advice is to have the pieces unified by a theme. This could be the content (all family photos), frame style and/or colour, repeating the same size. Depending on the wall size and style of home, you can hang the gallery symmetrically or in a random pattern designed to grow and changed with new acquisitions.
Regardless of the room you are hanging your art in, let’s talk about how it is hung. Our philosophy is to approach art installation with the thought of how the experience of looking at it will be rather than the convenience of installation! You see, we’ve been in many homes where the art is up uncomfortably high or in completely random locations, usually because “that’s where the hook was”.
Consider hanging the art so it’s centre is to your eye height (or the average adult eye height of around 1500-1600mm). Take into consideration the other permanent features of the room to have consistent sight lines (ie the position of air vents, heating panels etc) so that the placement is comfortable. The end goal is that you don’t even notice how it is placed, that it feels natural.
Our last tip is to enjoy the art in your home.
It’s not meant to be stressful (although the horror stories we’ve heard about couples hanging art together is another story!) we hope art is a pleasure.
Did you know we work with professional art hangers to take the stress away from installing your art at home? No more marital squabbles over fallen art and damaged walls.
