Art is an excellent way to bring a beautiful, decorative touch to any room, as well as add a bit of your own personality to any space. We carry an extensive collection of the best artwork at the Lake of the Ozarks, so it's not hard to find a piece (or quite a few) to fall in love with when you walk through John Elliott Interiors. Today we have a few tips to help you decide exactly how to place that art in an eye-pleasing way.

Hang at Eye Level
Art should be hung with the center of the piece at eye level, which can be difficult to determine since not everyone's eyes fall at the same height. Interiors designers took the average height of most people to come up with the guideline of placing that spot at about 58-60 inches above the ground. For pieces that will be placed in a child's room, you may want to hang it just a bit lower. If you are placing art above a sofa or a headboard, aim for the bottom of the art to hit about 8-10 inches above the furniture.   


Grouping Multiple Pieces
If you would like to display more than one piece of art on the same wall, a good way to begin your arrangement is by deciding where you want the largest piece and then place the rest of the art around and outward from it. You want to create visual balance with a sense of symmetry so it doesn't look like you just threw them up on the wall without a design in mind.

For pieces that are all the same size, use the idea of a symmetrical grid for their placement. When you place art in a single horizontal row, align either the center of each piece or the tops. Also, leave at least 2-3 inches of space between each piece of art. A great tip for placing a grouping on the wall without making "mistake" nail holes is to cut large pieces of kraft paper in the size of each piece, and then arrange those on the wall using painter's tape until you come up with your favorite display.   


Lean Instead of Hang
Rather than hanging your art, leaning it instead can add an interesting look to the room, and it's the perfect solution if you don't want to put a nail in the wall. This can be done on a mantel, the top of a bookshelf, or you can place a long, slim picture ledge on an empty wall to display multiple pieces. Sometimes layering pieces of art slightly with each other looks incredible too. This also makes it easy to rotate your collection, allowing you to trade out pieces of art with each season. 


Our Lake of the Ozarks interior designers can give you all the advice you need when you are ready to place your art. They can also guide you toward the many beautiful pieces that we carry at John Elliott Interiors, but the final decision on which ones to buy should be up to you. If a specific piece of art captures your eye and speaks to you in a way that makes you happy, then that's the perfect one for you to take home.