What is the correct height at which we should hang our art work on our walls? That is a very common question when we are faced with the situation of hanging our wall portraits. Of course we want to do it right the first time since we are not too fond of putting to many holes for nothing on our new freshly painted walls. So what is the proper height? We, as human beings, are for whatever reason tempted to hang portraits high on our walls. Why we do this? Don’t know, it’s just something we do. Again I ask what is the correct height? Well to answer this professionally we turn to museums and art galleries. These institutes commonly hang their artwork at 57″ on center from the floor. This height represents the average height of humans. So this theory is based on assuring that the average person, when examining a art piece, is comfortable to properly look at or examine and study its richness.
In addition, if you stick to this standard, you create a harmony among all the portraits in your home, as they will all share a mid-line as you look around your home, no matter what outside dimensions may be. This creates harmony and is also very very good. Let’s face it, your wall portraits are an investment and they are part of your decor just like all of your furniture in your home. You spend a lot of time figuring out what is the best piece of furniture for your home and where is the best place to place it in your home. Wall portraits are no different and special care and attention should be placed on assuring where and how we display them in our homes. After all what we hang on our walls normally showcases the persons in our lives that are very dear to us, our family.
Here are some instructions on how to do this after you have determined where you want to hang you art pieces
1. Measure and lightly mark 57″ on the wall
2. Measure artwork and divide by 2 (this gives you the center)
3. Measure top of your picture to the tightened wire (a small amount)
4. Subtract “tight wire” amount from 1/2 height amount for the “to the hook” amount. This will tell you how far above 57″ your hook should go
5. Lightly mark wall just above 57″ with the “to the hook” amount
Example:
1. Picture is 20″ tall
2. Middle is at 10″ (this mid point should rest at 57″)
3. Wire comes to 2″ below the top
4. 10″ – 2″ = 8″
5. Lightly mark 8″ above your first mark OR 65″ on the wall
There you have it. Although this seems a little complicated it’s actually quite simple to do and once everything is hung you will be very happy with the results.
Here are a couple of useful links that will shed some light on the subject:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-hang-artwork-properly-57-inches-from-the-floor-6174
So happy hanging everyone.
