A wall of paintings or photographs is an easy-to-implement way to keep the best moments of your life in front of your eyes.
If you have not thought about its implementation before, we strongly recommend that you think about it and look at our post for edification: 50 ideas for decorating walls with photographs.
In order for the images to look good on the wall and please the eye, they need to be placed correctly. To do this, we recommend following a few simple but important rules.
Backlight
Lighting of canvases is of great importance. But if in a museum they can be placed along one wall and lamps installed above each, then in an apartment it is better to use good natural lighting. Additional lighting can be useful when glare appears or you want to focus attention on the wall. For these purposes, it is better to use LED lamps that do not heat up and create a directional ceiling of light.
Important! The maximum permissible illumination for painting is 150 lux. You can use a 100W incandescent lamp or a 20W fluorescent lamp. They should be located at least 1 m from the canvas.
How to hang a painting or photo on a wall correctly - rules, tips and ideas
A wall of paintings or photographs is an easy-to-implement way to keep the best moments of your life in front of your eyes.
If you have not thought about its implementation before, we strongly recommend that you think about it and look at our post for edification: 50 ideas for decorating walls with photographs.
In order for the images to look good on the wall and please the eye, they need to be placed correctly. To do this, we recommend following a few simple but important rules.
Height
You should not hang pictures too high, otherwise it will be impossible to admire them. The following universal technique will help you correctly determine the location of the canvas. Draw an imaginary line, step back 3 cm from the bottom edge of the horizontal picture, and hang the canvas so that the line is at eye level. The same principle applies to vertical canvases. But if the apartment has low ceilings, then the distance should be 6 cm from the edge.
Important! It is also necessary to take into account the distance between the walls. There is a separate rule here. The size of the larger side of the canvas must be multiplied by 3 - this is the minimum recommended distance for viewing the canvas.
At cabinet level
A row of medium-sized paintings can be placed next to a massive cabinet - at the level of its upper edge. This is how the interior elements will form a composition. The main thing is not to overload the visual perception with dimensions: a large closet and too large paintings nearby will weigh down the interior if the room is small.
Frames can be matched to the cabinet. This will help connect the elements and make the interior more thoughtful. Designer Valentina Saveskul, photographer D. Livshits
Grouping
If there is a large wall in the kitchen, and the paintings are small, it is better to place them in groups, around one canvas that you like the most. The group should include paintings similar in style or color scheme. For example, a series of batiks, united by one theme.
Important! In a group of three paintings, the middle canvas is the main one.
Canvases of the same size are most often hung in one row at an equal distance from each other. But they look more interesting when they weigh at different levels.
Often people perceive canvases as elements of classical painting that require a large amount of space on the wall. They should not be covered with furniture or other decorative items.
What other technique for hanging pictures can be used in the kitchen or any other room? A continuous trellis grouping, when the canvases cover the entire wall.
Important! To decide how to properly hang canvases on the wall, you should first create a composition on the floor and then transfer it to the interior. But it’s definitely not worth hanging a lot of canvases “by height” in the direction of increasing or decreasing. This is a sign of bad taste.
Simple rules and useful tips
There is no clear answer to the question “how to hang a picture on the wall correctly.” But there are some basic rules that should be followed.
The photo below shows some of the most important heights and are worth taking note of.
The numbers in the photo are in inches
When you hang a picture so that it can be seen from a standing position, usually in hallways or foyers, the height of its location on the wall varies from 150 to 170 centimeters from the floor to the center of the image.
You've probably heard that a painting should hang at eye level. But people’s heights are different, so you have to find a balance.
How to hang a picture
Before hanging a picture in the kitchen, you need to prepare materials for attaching the canvas. A finishing nail 5 cm long will withstand various types of load. However, the anchor screw with a round head is considered the most optimal. If we are talking about a plasterboard wall, then the canvas should be placed on the frame stand. This is the most reinforced part of the wall under the plaster, bearing the main load. It can be determined using an electronic detector or manually. To do this, just tap on the surface in different places. Where the dull sound is located is where the stand is hidden.
Related article: Do-it-yourself wall painting: choosing and placing a picture
It is best to place the painting on brackets. How to determine the height at which the canvas should be placed has already been described earlier. Place the canvas against the wall to mark the mounting points. You need to make holes in them for the anchor screw using a small drill or a regular nail and hammer. Then you should place an anchor screw in the hole and secure it with a screwdriver. The canvas should be hung on the created mount in the kitchen or room.
Choosing the right place
The main goal is to make your wall stand out, no matter what you decide to hang on it.
Choosing the right location is the first and foremost step.
It's very simple if you want to hang one painting or photograph. In this case, you just need to place it against the wall at an intuitively selected height and make notes with a simple pencil. This way you will immediately see whether you need to lower it or, conversely, raise it.
If you want to hang multiple pieces of art, the best method is to cut paper layouts that are the size of your images and hang them on the wall using adhesive tape.
The advantage of this approach is obvious - you can clearly see how your wall will look. Edit as necessary until you are completely happy.
Important: Images of the same size will look best when positioned horizontally, side by side.
Next, we will look at the basic rules for placing photos and paintings on the wall in relation to different situations. If you take these tips into account, you will never go wrong.
Installation Tips
Do not overload the frame stand. One or two canvases can be hung on a wooden beam. The rest are better placed around.
- Before hanging pictures in the interior, you need to mark the distance between the canvases using a pencil and ruler or multi-colored stickers. During the installation process it will be easier to determine the location of the next panel.
- Arrange the pictures creatively. Six or seven canvases of different sizes will visually create the effect of increasing space. Experiment before hanging your canvases on the wall. But don't place them very high or low.
- Think through all the details in the interior. Small canvases will not look good in different rooms, so it is better to place them on one wall. Landscape photos give you more options than portrait paintings. Experiment with their placement in the interior until you find the best way.
- When designing where in the interior to hang a picture, consider the height of the furniture, shelving, the location of windows and the lighting of the room as a whole.
Methods for attaching heavy paintings
Fixing a fairly large painting weighing 15-20 kg will not be a problem: a regular tubular anchor with a diameter of 12 mm can support up to half a ton. However, not every wall can withstand such weight.
If the wall material is plasterboard or foam concrete plates, special easels will have to be built to install heavy bas-reliefs, mosaics, paintings in metal frames.
To do this, racks made of wooden beams or profile pipes are installed between the floor and ceiling, fastening them together. The picture is hung on this device and its weight is distributed over many points at once.
This type of mounting is usually found in galleries.
For any painting or other work it is possible to choose a reliable mount. The installation itself may require the use of special tools. But no instrument can replace aesthetic taste and a sense of proportionality.
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Subject VS Color
What comes first: palette or content? If the interior has a distinct stylistic theme, then you should select the canvas according to its content. In such cases, thematic and stylistic inconsistency is not acceptable.
For example, if the living room is decorated in an African style with a predominant beige and yellow palette, then an African woman with a blue turban would look more appropriate than an autumn forest. Color imbalance can be corrected with accessories. For example, hang a picture on the wall above the sofa, and put blue pillows on it. Even if color comes first, the plot remains important.
Related article: Homemade shell decor: 3 super ideas
Advice! Paintings with abstractions, portraits and plants are universal. They can be used in any room and even in the kitchen.
Schemes for the arrangement of paintings above the sofa
The most logical place for art in the interior is in the living room above the sofa. Upon entering the room, the paintings will immediately attract attention and arouse interest from the guests. Hanging a picture in the living room above the sofa will not be difficult.
There are ready-made schemes that take into account the combination of the size and shape of the frames with the general proportions of the furniture and room. You can use ready-made options, but creative people are better off choosing their own method for arranging images above the sofa.
You can limit yourself to one canvas that matches the scale of the sofa, or try to combine a large poster with medium and small ones to adequately fill the space.
It is important that a group of paintings is united by a common element: color scheme, genre, theme, size of details. This way the composition will look more harmonious.
To create a single composition, it is recommended to use three images. If the frames are small and identical, then you can try to create a rhythmic composition of two or three rows, with three patterns in each.
Symmetry is a pleasing state to the human eye, but monotony is not. You can move the canvas to the left or right if there is also something to look at on the opposite side of the sofa - for example, a large vase or an unusual lamp.
It is recommended to fill at least two-thirds of the width of the sofa with paintings above it. If there is a step beyond the limits, the furniture will seem insignificant. And if the space is not occupied enough, then the canvases will not look so elegant and attractive.
Interior solutions can be very different, the main thing is that the canvas fits organically into the overall model of the room.
Selection of canvas by color
Before properly hanging canvases on the wall, you need to make sure that they will fit into the interior. An ideal option if the canvases completely rhyme with the interior. Their images in color scheme repeat the colors in the setting. Most often, the canvas blends into the surroundings and goes unnoticed. But at the same time it performs the main function - it decorates an empty wall. Such a canvas can serve as a connecting element. For example, in a kitchen with green walls and purple furniture, an image of a lilac branch will connect the primary colors.
What to avoid
Today, paintings in the interior are a tool for decorating the environment. The perception of the entire room depends on the size and location of the painting on the wall. Their very presence can change the usual way of life. According to Feng Shui, for a painting to bring happiness, you need to fall in love with the image.
Therefore, in interior design you should avoid:
- Aggressive subjects in the form of floods, fires, wild animals - such paintings change the positive energy.
- Images of elderly people and broken dishes will bring destructive energy into the house.
- In the kitchen or in any other room, you should not hang radically different images. Mixed energy will also not bring comfort.
- You can hang pictures of water in the kitchen. According to Feng Shui, such images attract financial flows. In the living room you should hang dynamic paintings with an active plot. If the room or kitchen is used for frequent gatherings of friends, then images of noble animals would be appropriate.
Advice! It is advisable to select solutions in blue and blue colors.
Correct placement of a painting on the wall (2 videos)
Ways to place paintings (40 photos)
What interior paintings are in fashion now?
Knowing all the main fashion trends in interior painting, you will be able to answer the question for yourself, and maybe even tell your friends and acquaintances which paintings are best to buy for your home. And even though the fashion for paintings changes, some of her pieces fall into the category of classics and become relevant for all times.
Also, do not forget that every artist brings something different to the world of painting, and interior paintings are no exception.
The following works are currently at the peak of popularity:
- abstract painting;
- graphics and black and white, monochrome paintings;
- paintings in the animalistic genre with birds and animals, most often exotic;
- various 3D paintings, using additional decorative materials, for example, texture paste;
- modular paintings consisting of both canvas and wooden surfaces;
- paintings using gold leaf, gilded paintings.
Now that you know the basic principles for choosing paintings for your home, it will be easier for you to choose your painting and make your apartment a little nicer, prettier and more comfortable.
