Over the weekend, I set my hands on some beautiful paintings and decided to revamp my house walls!
But guess what, I ended up staring at the walls for hours with a single question swimming in my mind—
How to arrange art on a wall?
That is when I got into an in-depth research on how to arrange wall art and here I am ready to pool you in with all the secrets!
One would wonder if it is even necessary to think so much while arranging some paintings on the wall.
Duh, yes mister! If you wish your house to outshine with its prime aesthetics and compliment the art you bought, it is definitely necessary.
So yes, arranging art in the right manner is important because art is already a personal experience for each individual and setting it out in a certain way enhances that experience.
With this said, here’s a quick guide that will give you ideas on how to arrange art on a wall and beautify your space in five simple steps.
Table of contents
How to Arrange Art On A Wall?
1. Arranging a Single Painting
If you are planning to opt for a big, single painting, then I’d say your job is going to be easy.
But that does not mean you should be negligent about art placements on the wall.
You’d be surprised with how a beautiful statement piece can change the whole aesthetics of the room.
Moreover, finding the right place for your painting will maintain the focal length of the space.
The most important thing to consider while arranging a single big painting is to know how high to hang the painting!
After this you can always choose the exact spot to arrange the art, like above your bed, or any other furniture, or maybe even in the hallway.
The spot you choose to arrange the wall art also influences how the painting is highlighted.
Make sure that the artwork you choose also compliment the space you want the painting to be in.
For example if you have a family painting ready to be hung on the wall, you might choose the bedroom wall or the living area wall.
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2. Arranging Art in Pairs and Trios
If you are someone who likes to create some balance on your walls, you’d prefer paintings that are in pairs and trios.
While wondering how to arrange art on a wall, the first thing that you need to consider is getting artworks in the same canvas sizes.
In case you don’t have the same canvas size paintings, you could even consider the idea of asymmetrical arrangement.
When you are opting for paintings in pairs and trios, you can also see if each painting compliments the other.
For example, do they follow a theme, color, or a particular style.
According to your wall space, you can even decide if you want to place the painting vertically or horizontally.
This in turn enhances the visual effects of any wall that hoists your favorite pair of art.
PS: You don’t have to stop at just three paintings, you can even choose any number of frames on your preferred wall and arrange it as you wish!
Suggested read: 101 Guide to Copyrighting Art
3. Considering Mantlepieces and Furniture
While understanding how to arrange art on a wall, I realized that most people struggle with connecting the artworks with their home aesthetics.
To not feel overwhelmed in the process, some of the easiest ways to pick a spot is over the mantelpiece or above the furniture.
If you don’t wish to hoist the painting on the wall, then you can also choose to lean it against a fireplace mantel to add to the coziness of the room.
Another option is to check the wall space above your furniture—like, near a piano, a short shelf, your mini-library shelf, over the sofa, or even over an accent chair.
The key is to not overcrowd the space and it is recommended to leave at least a gap of 6-8 inches between the artwork and the furniture.
4. Symmetrical or Asymmetrical Arrangements
Now that we have covered the number of artworks, and the area for arranging art on a wall, let us look at the style.
When you think of how to arrange art on a wall, do you only see a systematic grid? No, right?
That’s because both symmetric and asymmetric styles of arrangement exist for art placements.
Symmetrical arrangement is when all the painting canvases are of the same size and aligned together either horizontally or vertically.
It is also about fitting all the preferred paintings, no matter how many of them there are, in a structured manner and overall size.
On the other hand, there is asymmetrical arrangement, where basically you can go a bit abstract and freestyle with the positioning .
In an asymmetrical arrangement you do not have to worry about the size, shape or dimensions of the paintings.
You can let your creative juices flow and experiment with both arrangement styles!
5. Align The Art With Invisible Lines
When we wonder how to arrange art on a wall, there is often a rough image that appears in our mind, am I right?
Hold onto that rough image and implement it on your preferable wall.
Create an invisible grid, in which you can fit in your paintings and arrange them accordingly.
As long as you arrange your art with these invisible lines, they shall balance the aesthetic sense of your space.
Apart from that these invisible lines also help with arranging art of different shapes and sizes.
Having them well arranged is also pleasing to look at and just satisfies that organizing itch in you!
Suggested read: How To Ship A Painting?
To Conclude: Creating A Visual Balance
Phew, that sums up the basics of things you need to know while arranging art on your favorite wall.
The key is to see what works for you, and while racking your brain to get the best art placement, don’t forget to give importance to the art you choose.
After all, it is all about creating a visual balance!
The focus here is to come up with the best possible art placement on your preferred wall to highlight the art or paintings!
And with that I hope you found this article helpful and intriguing to read.
I would urge you to try these tips and see what works best for you, apart from that feel free to reach us in the comments below anytime.
I’ll see you in the next one soon.
Toodles xx
Frequently Asked Questions
If you wish to create a visual balance you need to follow either a symmetrical or an asymmetrical arrangement. You can also either draw a grid with tape or make invisible lines to help with the arrangement.
Having a knack at arranging art on a wall will not just compliment the artwork you possess but it will enhance the whole space chosen for it. While being aesthetically pleasing, you will also be able to do what’s convenient for you.
Yes, there is definitely a lot of planning that goes into creating an asymmetrical arrangement. Asymmetrical does not mean distorted or shabby, it just means arranging it in an order that might be of any abstract or freestyle pattern that is well organized.
