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Determining the proper placement for your artwork can be as difficult as finding the perfect pieces to hang. Ensure that your artwork compliments your home décor and furnishings, not only in style, but in arrangement as well.

Below is artful advice for hanging artwork from the HOMExperience Design Team.

Height & Placement

1. Hang artwork so that the center point of the picture or grouping is at about eye level for an average person.
2. A grouping of pictures should be thought of as one unit.  Test an arrangement of pictures by laying everything out, playing with combinations until you find one that works.
3. Popular art shelves are a great way to add interest and take up very little space. Artwork can be hung on the wall over the shelf as well as set onto the shelf with other decorative objects.
4. Artwork should be no wider than the piece of furniture over which it hangs
5. One large painting makes a statement and keeps things simple. It can also call attention to the focal point of the room which is often the fireplace.
6. Avoid hanging matching pictures in a perfect line whenever you'd like to emphasize a casual atmosphere. This works to create a dynamic diagonal line and stays away from a formal symmetrical look.

Size

1. Choose smaller pictures for narrow walls and larger pieces for big wall spaces.
2. Symmetry adds balance and formality to an arrangement and is generally pleasing and calming to the observer.
3. Do something unexpected by hanging pictures in an asymmetrical arrangement. This eye-catching grouping is a casual, fun look for informal settings.
4. Strong horizontal lines in artwork, or in the way artwork is framed or hung, tend to be calming and provide the illusion of width in a narrow room.
5. Strong vertical lines in a picture, in a frame, or in the arrangement on the wall add to the feeling of height in a room.
6. Strong diagonal lines, either within a picture itself or in a line of pictures arranged on the wall, add excitement to the composition.

Style

1. Illuminating artwork gives it importance within a room and adds drama.
2. Vibrant colors bring excitement to a room while neutral colors are calming.
3. Landscape art is one good way to visually open up a smaller space. The view of a distant horizon acts as a window in a small or windowless space.
4. Exercise your creativity when framing. A simple framing technique is when you tailor the frame to the size and shape of the object being framed. You can also mount some flat objects between two pieces of glass that allow the wall color to act as the mat.

Most Important

1. Always utilize picture hooks rated for the weight of the artwork or object, and attach heavy pictures to hooks that have been installed into wall studs or with specialized drywall hangers. Nothing ruins the effect of a carefully planned arrangement of art faster than if the pictures are pulling away from the wall.