Looking at a piece of Art hung the wrong way is like looking at someone in front of you wearing an awful wig.  You're tempted to yank it off or yell out, "What on earth were you thinking!?"  Yes, we can both agree that the wig looks terrible, but did you know that many apartments and home walls are like this lousy wig.  You look at the walls, and they look a bit off or unbalanced.  So what can you do?  Well, follow these three steps, and you'll become a pro at hanging art correctly.

1.  Hang your art by its center or "The Eye Level Rule." 

What this means is that whenever you hang your art, the center of the artwork/painting should be 57 inches from the ground.  This height matches the average eye level, and it avoids having people strain themselves to view the artwork.  However, this rule does not apply all the time because you may have a piece of furniture of plant that will be in the way.  In that case, follow the next rule.

2.  Have six to eight inches between furniture and frame.

The Eye-level Rule does not apply whenever you hang artwork above furniture, plants, mantles, or any obstruction you may have.  To hang your artwork correctly in these situations, the rule to follow is to make sure that the distance between the bottom of the frame and your furniture, plants, mantles, etc. is six to eight inches.  It's only in these situations that it's acceptable for the center of the painting to exceed 57 inches.  

Here's another little vital point to remember when displaying paintings or artworks above furniture.  You have to be aware of the relative space/size of the art and the furniture as they relate to each other.  It's better for your painting to be a little too big above your furniture than be a little too small.  A small piece of art hanging six inches above a sofa will not look good.  However, a larger painting or multiple paintings will look great.   

3. Treat multiple works of art as one unit. 

When hanging multiple works of art, treat them as one collection or one body of work.  When you follow rule #1 or the Eye-level rule, the whole collection looks balanced.  Furthermore, whenever you hang artworks side-by-side, the spacing should be 3 to 6 inches.  The last point I want to emphasize is this.  If your eye-level is different, make sure you use YOUR eye level when hanging any of your artwork.  It's your space. So, enjoy how you display your works of art.

------ Temi Ayodeji-----