This post may make a few of my friends chuckle considering the largely barren walls of my apartment. Although I have taken a minimalist approach to displaying art (simply due to the fact that I don't own any, yet), I have spent enough time analyzing wall art arrangements to understand the different directions one can take.
Hanging art is often overwhelming due to the copious amount of rules surrounding the "art of hanging art" and the commitment level involved. But for a moment, let's throw out all the rules and understand the only thing one needs is inspiration. The following guide is broken down in a way meant to inspire and allow us to take a less serious and more fun approach, so that we all can all enjoy a little (or a lot of) of art on the daily.
THE GALLERY WALL-
FULL GALLERY WALL- stagger art across the entire span of a wall from top to bottom and wall to wall.
SMALL GALLERY WALL- a gallery wall also works well with small wall or space between two doors or windows.
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LEVEL GALLERY- stagger art work at eye height, each level with the other.
GRID GALLERY- for a more structured look, hang art work in rows and columns. This approach works well with photography.
WRAP GALLERY- stagger art work across the wall and around fixed objects like a door frame, T.V., or a large piece of furniture.
CORNER GALLERY- bring life to a lonely corner by hanging art work on either side of the walls that meet the corner in a cluster formation.
STAIRWAY GALLERY- make use of the stairway by hanging art on the walls that follow the staircase.
THE LEANING GALLERY-
FULL WALL LEANING SHELF GALLERY- install shelves along an entire wall from high to low and play around with the placement of art and other objects. The best part about this approach is having the liberty to change it up from time to time.
SINGLE SHELF LEANING GALLERY- a single shelf with a small gallery works well over a bed or alongside a dining room table.
FLOOR LEANING GALLERY- for an effortless display, lean art along a wall using the floor like a shelf.
LEANING GALLERY ON FURNITURE- make use of surface space and display art on top of your furniture.
THE FRAMELESS ART-
FRAMELESS ART- frameless art gives off a simple and casual look, allowing you the opportunity to change up the artwork from time to time. Get creative with hanging these pieces using clips, pins or a good tape.
FRAMELESS ART CLUSTER - a cluster of pictures, sketchings, clipping or postcards instantly beome art by displaying them together on a wall. The cluster formation lends itself nicely to this type of artwork and works especially well above a kitchen table or a desk.
SINGLE FRAMELESS PIECE- a single frameless art piece, big or small, can make for an alluring display.
ART IN NUMBERS-
SINGLE LARGE ART- go for the minimalist approach and only hang a few charming pieces here and there. One large piece of art has a bold impact on any space.
SINGLE SMALL ART- don't overthink where or how the art should be hung. Let a small piece of art sit alone and speak for itself.
ODD NUMBERS- as a rule of thumb, things in odd numbers are always more interesting. Three pictures could be hung asymmetrically or symmetrically (as shown above).
EVEN NUMBERS- hang an even amount of art close together to create the illusion of one display, oppose to multiple individual pieces. You can hang these symmetrically or offset for more interest (as shown above).