ARRANGING GROUPS
OF ART
Professional decorators offer many great suggestions when determining
how to arrange art on the walls of your home or office. Spacing, proportion
and placement are just a few of the tricks of the trade.
For example, if you have an even number of art pieces (2, 4, 6, etc.)
and you want them to work together as an arrangement, place them pretty
close together. Odd number groupings (like three verticals) look nice
together if they’re spaced evenly apart.
For symmetrical groupings, create a grouping that’s symmetrical
if the frames, subject or style are similar. Create an asymmetrical
grouping if the frames, subject or style are different.
Many people group art in terms of collections- fine art photographs
go in one place, botanical prints in another location; other collectibles
like kitsch velvet paintings or religious artwork go separately.
All these approaches work. Just try to find a balance in each group.
And don’t be afraid to mix things up and create an eclectic arrangement.
You can tie them together by the background wall color.
BREATHING SPACE
If you have a lot of art in your home, try to make sure that there’s
a wall or small area in the room that’s fairly art-free so there
is some visual breathing space. Too much art can start looking like
clutter if there’s no system to the way it’s arranged. Your
eye will have nowhere to go.
Hanging art in
a long hallway or up a staircase is one of those exceptions where it’s
great to mix things up and hang a variety of art. But in the main living
areas, try to create a balance between neighboring walls so the art
pieces don’t compete with each other.
PROPORTION
Keep the artwork in proportion to the furniture. A tiny picture over
an oversized credenza can make the art look lost. An oversized artwork
over a small loveseat can overpower the seating. But rules are meant
to be broken. If you’ve got a good eye, play around with things
a little. You might create a wonderful unexpected relationship between
the furnishings and the art that will surprise and delight everyone.
CREATIVE ARRANGEMENTS
A lot of companies sell art shelves these days. You can lean the art
on the shelves or hang a few pieces and have the others lean against
a wall. You can also mix vases, sculpture and other objects with the
art for a nice visual arrangement. The great advantage of displaying
art this way is that you can change the order when it pleases you without
messing up the walls.
