How to use artwork for greatest impact
1. The Problem
In my previous blog I shared with you how to work with furniture of differing height or weight, and the importance of ensuring that your eye flow evenly from piece to piece at similar heights when looking around the room.
The improper use of artwork was covered here indirectly – including ways that you can create more balance and less of a visual roller coaster, by placing art in ways that offset taller pieces of furniture.
Another common problem is hanging art in an inappropriate space for the piece. Placing art in a location that works will inspire you, and really set off the piece well. The opposite is true if you hang art in a location that doesn’t work.
For example, avoid having small pieces of art hung individually on larger walls. Instead, create clusters of art (giving a greater visual weight) by hanging them together for greater impact.
Just as having a small piece of art on a large wall is ineffective, having large pieces squeezed onto a smaller wall has the same uninspiring result.
2. The Consequence
A room that has ineffective use of artwork will likely feel cluttered and busy, or simply disjointed.
3. The Solution
Consider all the artwork that you own. Which pieces could be hung differently? Do you have smaller pieces that could be clustered be hung together? Personally I’m a fan of mismatched frames – it adds interest and feels authentic – but try to hang pieces that have a common theme such as nature, or a similar colour palette or artistic treatment.
How high is your artwork currently? Is this eye level, or does it feel high to you? Do they feel connected to the furniture below or are they floating and disconnected to the rest of the space? My rule of thumb is to hang artwork slightly lower than you think - try it and see!
The most important thing to consider when hanging art work, is whether it “pops” when placed next to other objects within the room. Move your piece around and hold it up in different locations to see what works best. There should be a location that just feels right, and really sets off the artwork, and the things around it.
When deciding where to hang your artwork, ask yourself:
Does the location make the artwork stand out, and feel inspiring?
Does the art feel right in relation to the size of the wall?
Does the artwork help create a sense of balance with other pieces around it?
Anything that hangs on the wall is artwork - so consider other things you have that could be displayed on the wall. Baskets, weaving, rugs etc anything flat, not too heavy, and visually interesting - get creative and have some fun!
4. Examples
I can still remember my client and I felt really excited by the placement of this piece behind the lamp (far left image). It just feels so at home there. The other images are examples of art placement that create a sense of balance and cohesion alongside adjacent pieces of furniture.
How can you reposition artwork at your place to make your space feel more balanced and inspiring? Do you have anything fun and sculptural that you could display on your walls?