How to arrange two very large pictures on a smallish wall?
July 17, 2022 10:23 AM Subscribe
I have two large, handsome, matching framed prints that I would like to hang by my desk. The space/height situation is such that I will be hanging them with smaller things and I am not sure the best way to arrange them.
Because I live in an old house, they need to be hung on screws that go through the plaster into the studs, so I can't hang them just anywhere.
The prints are almost 3 feet long by almost 2 feet high, framed in simple black wood. (They are black and white Piranesi prints of Rome, if that helps you visualize.) They are heavy and probably about fifty years old. The usable wall space is about nine feet long.
I have a number of smaller things that I would like to hang with/around them - these are light enough that they can be hung anywhere. I could of course hang them alone side by side at mid height but it feels like the wall needs a little color (the room gets only shaded east light) and I kind of want to hang the little things up too.
Would it be better to hang them side by side with other things below them? Side by side lower with other things above them? Kitty corner with other things filling in?
This room is where I spend most of my time and it is full of books and family stuff; I'm not worried about the arrangement looking a bit crowded, because the room is sort of an inside-out decorator crab shell anyway. I'm mostly worried about it looking top-heavy or disproportionate on the actual wall considered qua wall.
Because hanging them requires moving my desk, my computer, my monitors, several lamps and an armchair, I don't want to just flail away too. much.
Because I live in an old house, they need to be hung on screws that go through the plaster into the studs, so I can't hang them just anywhere.
The prints are almost 3 feet long by almost 2 feet high, framed in simple black wood. (They are black and white Piranesi prints of Rome, if that helps you visualize.) They are heavy and probably about fifty years old. The usable wall space is about nine feet long.
I have a number of smaller things that I would like to hang with/around them - these are light enough that they can be hung anywhere. I could of course hang them alone side by side at mid height but it feels like the wall needs a little color (the room gets only shaded east light) and I kind of want to hang the little things up too.
Would it be better to hang them side by side with other things below them? Side by side lower with other things above them? Kitty corner with other things filling in?
This room is where I spend most of my time and it is full of books and family stuff; I'm not worried about the arrangement looking a bit crowded, because the room is sort of an inside-out decorator crab shell anyway. I'm mostly worried about it looking top-heavy or disproportionate on the actual wall considered qua wall.
Because hanging them requires moving my desk, my computer, my monitors, several lamps and an armchair, I don't want to just flail away too. much.
You’ll probably want to hang them each on TWO hooks (in adjacent studs) and they don’t have to be centered or symmetric, so don’t sweat that part of the layout too much.
posted by janell at 10:33 AM on July 17, 2022
posted by janell at 10:33 AM on July 17, 2022
Have you tried searching for terms like “gallery wall ideas” or „hanging wall art“? That should get you any number of ideas and guides. I just found this guide, which seems to address some of your concerns. No affiliation or experience with the company.
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:53 AM on July 17, 2022
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:53 AM on July 17, 2022
Group the small things so they form a larger visual focus. Then you have three (or four) big things to arrange on your wall, which can be much simpler to visualize and find a good balance for.
It’s good to give your eyes some places to rest, so I would try to put some space between the large prints and the group of smaller pieces. This will define the smaller group as a single unit and let the bigger prints be better appreciated.
I like symmetry so I would be tempted to put the group in the center and bracket the large prints to either side, but having them together in a pair with the smaller pieces to one side or split into two with a larger group higher up on one side and a smaller group lower down on the other might also feel just as balanced. Put the images with the most detail at standing eye height and the ones with bigger bolder visuals higher up or farther away from your normal position in the room. The only thing I wouldnt do would be to put the big prints up and then cram all the little ones in between.
posted by Mizu at 11:00 AM on July 17, 2022
It’s good to give your eyes some places to rest, so I would try to put some space between the large prints and the group of smaller pieces. This will define the smaller group as a single unit and let the bigger prints be better appreciated.
I like symmetry so I would be tempted to put the group in the center and bracket the large prints to either side, but having them together in a pair with the smaller pieces to one side or split into two with a larger group higher up on one side and a smaller group lower down on the other might also feel just as balanced. Put the images with the most detail at standing eye height and the ones with bigger bolder visuals higher up or farther away from your normal position in the room. The only thing I wouldnt do would be to put the big prints up and then cram all the little ones in between.
posted by Mizu at 11:00 AM on July 17, 2022
Oh, also, as someone who lives in an old house with lathe and plaster walls, do not discount the power of Velcro command strip picture hanging things for the smaller pieces. I’ve got a bunch of framed things that have been hanging successfully for years with rapidly changing temperatures and humidities with those things. Much more flexible than peppering your wall with nail holes, if also more expensive.
posted by Mizu at 11:07 AM on July 17, 2022
posted by Mizu at 11:07 AM on July 17, 2022
Yeah, if the big pieces have large details, put them higher, but if they are full of fine details, keep them at the eye line. There's real power in arranging everything on the floor and staring at them for a while. Not the same as up on the wall, but it really helps.
posted by moonmoth at 11:10 AM on July 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by moonmoth at 11:10 AM on July 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
You could put up a length of picture rail screwed into *all* the studs and then be able to rearrange things hanging under it forever. (I bet a command strip on the lower corners of big hanging pictures would work even better against shaking than the traditional blob of wax did.)
I have been hanging a lot of things of late, trying for complicated walls and clear horizontal working/walking surfaces. It helps to be able to rearrange the hanging things.
posted by clew at 1:10 PM on July 17, 2022
I have been hanging a lot of things of late, trying for complicated walls and clear horizontal working/walking surfaces. It helps to be able to rearrange the hanging things.
posted by clew at 1:10 PM on July 17, 2022
It’s tedious but I have had a lot of success cutting out cardboard or brown paper “frames” in the size of the artwork I have and hanging them on the wall with painter’s tape in different configurations until I get everything arranged the way I like it. And this practical guide is really helpful for thinking through ideal placement of pieces!
posted by stellaluna at 5:57 PM on July 17, 2022
posted by stellaluna at 5:57 PM on July 17, 2022
Unless they're really, really, REALLY heavy, consider Command strips so you have some flexibility. You can always use extra.
posted by stormyteal at 6:22 PM on July 17, 2022
posted by stormyteal at 6:22 PM on July 17, 2022
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Tip 2: take a photo of the space and prints and photoshop the layout on top to get an idea of space.
Tip 3: use wrapping paper or Kraft paper on the floor to arrange the gallery wall and mark around everything so it can be transferred to the wall.
Tip 4: it’s your wall, so whatever feels balanced to you! I have large prints hanging lower in a space because they’re in front of a low sofa that I use for photos. Eventually I will put art in the gap near the ceiling. I also plan to put art on a gap below a window.
posted by Crystalinne at 10:31 AM on July 17, 2022