Before

Smart Art Ideas

The Challenge: It's a common mistake to hang wall art too high so that it doesn't relate to nearby furnishings or to the architecture. This isolation makes the art look random and spotty, and the room feels oddly out of joint.

See below for our "After" photo and read how these challenges were solved.

The Solution: Remedy the imbalance by lowering the art so that it's 4 to 6 inches above a table or chest; place it at seated eye level if it's adjacent to a chair or sofa.

 

After

Use accessories to bridge the gap. Look through cupboards and closets for objects that will complement the colors in the artwork with their own size, shape, and color. Candlesticks, vases, and pitchers are obvious choices for verticals that will link the tabletop to the framed piece, but you can also use smaller framed pieces, sculpture, or bowls and raise them on stacks of books. Notice how the rusted metal cans and a rusted-look picture frame harmonize with the warm neutrals of the black-and-white photographs and the dark brown table.

The tall, slender cans lead the eye from the tabletop up to the photos, and the flowers add graceful shapes and lines, lifting the eye still higher. The footed picture frame injects variety with a different shape. It's not quite tall enough, so standing it on a book raises it to overlap the wall art by about an inch to make the needed connection.