Last week, I delivered two paintings and on place, the new owner and me were discussing how to hang the paintings, its colours, the influence of light and how they fit into the room.
The art one chose reflects its personality and it is often influenced by unconscious thoughts and feelings.
Abstract paintings stay longer interesting because, depending on moods and life circumstances, you can always find something new in it.
However, art paintings enrich your home, given that they hang in the right place.
Of course, on can live with naked walls, but art can give a room a special atmosphere, influence moods and inspire the owners.
Less is more
That goes for furniture as well as for paintings, overcrowded spaces often seem cramped and make you nervous as you can not find a resting point in such a place.
I think the best is when you are just living a while before heading out to furnish and decorate, to get a sense how it feels in your new home.
The right height
The center of the painting should be about 1.50 meters above the ground, or in about 5/8 of the general height of the wall (golden ratio).
If the painting is placed above a sofa or chair, then the lower edge of the painting should be about 15 cm over the furniture.
The larger the picture, the more individually it should hang or the more of a wall should be visible.
If you hang several pictures of different seizes to one wall, you should have one center piece and arrange the others around it.
Think of a rectangle and begin with the positioning in the corners. Darker pictures hanging above brighter ones, bigger above smaller, thus avoiding an optical sagging of the room.
The light
Images should never be spotlighted, but enlightened indirectly. Pictures need a lot of brightness, best of alternating directions, then you can always rediscover new details;-)
Suspension
There are countless types of suspension, from simple picture hooks to complex systems. Personally, I prefer the old-fashioned version: attach two hooks on the left and right of the frame at the same height, stretch a cord long enough that it ends somewhat below the upper frame.
Or you just fix two hooks on the frame in same distance from the edge which can be easily adjusted a few millimeters.
Sometimes, paintings are uneven, are different in thickness (f.e. collages), so that the suspension is a little bit tricky.
If you want to change pictures often, then the use of picture rails are certainly better than to drill new holes again.