Tips for Adding Living Room Artwork
Living rooms need art to be truly complete. What different people consider art, however, varies from one person to the next. Most people will agree that a room isn’t complete without something on the walls. Here are some tips for adding living room artwork to your home.
Types of Living Room Artwork
Your wall art doesn’t need to be expensive. Collectors might be willing to spend a lot of money on one piece. You, however, can decorate for little money. Some ideas are:
- Children’s artwork
- Mementos mounted in shadow boxes
- Wallpaper or fabric samples
- Pages from old books
- Washi tape art
Where to Hang Living Room Artwork
People tend to hang art over the sofa. The most common mistake people make for this spot is that the piece is too small. The piece of art should be approximately two-thirds of the sofa’s width. The same rule applies if you’re hanging a group of pieces.
That is not the case if you’re doing a larger photo wall. Be sure that you have the same amount of space, approximately two to three inches, between each frame.
Are you completely set on using a small piece of art? Then, you should put it in a large frame. That way it will still be proportional to the sofa.
Mantles also have a special consideration because of their height. Art needs to hang four to 12 inches above the mantel, depending on its height. Hang art four to six inches above if the mantel is four feet or taller. For a more casual effect, you can lean art on the mantel if the artwork is taller than three feet.
Do your windows have drapes? If that’s the case, check that you have enough room between the drapes and the walls. You don’t want your living room artwork to look crowded. There should be at least four to six inches on either side.
Finally, make sure you aren’t hanging the art too high. The center point of a piece or grouping needs to be at eye level. People shouldn’t have to crane their necks to look at it.
Tips for Photo Walls and Grids
You can create an impact by hanging several pieces together. Here are a few tips on different types of groupings:
- Plan out a photo wall in advance
- Place the pieces on the ground in front of the wall to find an arrangement that satisfies you
- Think of the pieces you plan to hang together as one unit
- The center of the entire display should be at eye level
- Have a large piece in the center of a wall to act as the focal point of the display
- Other pieces can be randomly hung around it and still look thought out
- In a proper grid, hang pieces exact distances from one another
- In a grid, use the same frames for an organized look
- Mix up frames by using the same size but different colors
- Ideally, use same size photos and mattes
Ideas are endless when it comes to living room artwork. The guidelines above are there to help you create a pleasing display, but there are no hard and fast rules. For more decorating ideas or for help buying or selling a home, give Affiliated Home Solutions a call.