I thought I best write a little article to really help you get the perfect gallery look for hanging your images and framed masterpieces. So here is a quick guide to ensure you hang them at the right height and also use the correct mounting brackets.
When I first started I must admit I just put it up on the wall without any thought on the position of the images and the “best viewing” position. Now don’t get me wrong but the following is a general rule, you might want to hang them higher or lower depending on the room and the style you’re after, this should give you a gallery style viewing level.
For best viewing height you will need to work out the following. In general you will want to hang the centre of the art at 150cm to 157.5 cm from the bottom of the floor.
So how do we work out the centre of the photographs you’re hanging? There is a simple formula used which also takes into account the “give” of the wire hanger or mounting system you’re using.
H=(X/2+152.5cm)-Y which is Centre viewing point = (Height of art/2) + 152.5cm) – wire to top distance. In this example provided the formula is (100/2+152.5cm)-20=182.5cm
Pretty simple really. If you have a group of photos, use the same formula but treat them as a one photograph. I find it best to lay your artwork on the floor as a group, work out the distance between each photo you would like and now measure the total height of the group itself, this will equal X.
If you’re mounting your canvas, acrylic or framed fine art on the wall of a staircase, use the same formula above but the height to the centre of the image would be from your chosen stair and your artwork should sit in the centre, keeping it symmetrical.
Lastly, if you’re mounting your artwork over an object, like a cabinet that is taller than 76cm, make sure you leave a gap somewhere around 7-25cm, this will make sure the art isn’t competing with the object and giving it enough space. Use the rule above, however you may have to push it higher or lower to make sure you get the right gap and make sure it still "talks" with the object below.
This will depend on several different variables. You will need to work out the following:
It is best to mount your artwork into a wall stud for extra support especially for the heavier pieces of art. If you can’t find a stud I recommend using the expanding picture hooks.
For small to medium size framed prints and canvas art you can use the 3m art hanging adhesive hooks. Please make sure you get the hooks that are designed to hang art with and not the standard hooks and also get the ones with a heavier load baring capacity. For extra support use two of the hooks instead of one.
