15 Fresh Ways to Display Your Art

Don't let your collection just sit in a closet--start enjoying those paintings, posters, and photos right now.


Just the right amount of cheeky
Just the right amount of cheeky


Let art imitate life
Who says that art has to be serious? Hanging a picture of a bed, above the bed, is just the right amount of cheeky.
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Brought together by a shared color
Brought together by a shared color


Provide a common denominator
Diverse mediums and frames are brought together by a single, shared wall color.


A sweet surprise
A sweet surprise


Embrace unexpected placement

Art is a sweet surprise when hung for the benefit of those with their head on the pillow.


Gives the eye somewhere to land
Gives the eye somewhere to land


Interrupt the pattern

A boldly graphic piece gives the eye somewhere to land in a room full of patterns.
Decorating with patterns


Corners are notoriously difficult
Corners are notoriously difficult


Use negative space

Corners are notoriously difficult places to fill. Take the opportunity to make your own curated corner gallery.


Mood lighting fixture
Mood lighting fixture


Create a mood

A moody vintage oil painting ties together a heavy wooden mantel and a wrought-iron candelabra.
Decorating with family finds


Pale art on a pale wall
Pale art on a pale wall


Create balance

By hanging a pale piece of art on a pale wall, it becomes an equal player in a sweet tableau, instead of the focal point.


Rotate on a whim
Rotate on a whim


Don't commit

For less serious art, like concert posters, keep them off the wall so that you can rotate them on a whim.


A reminder of a favorite place
A reminder of a favorite place


Bring the outside in

Landscape photographs printed on foam core are a sweet reminder of a favorite place.


Sweet against a modern wall
Sweet against a modern wall


Introduce old to new

A slightly stuffy wood block of trees looks sweet against a modern cabin wall.


Hang your art on the shelving itself
Hang your art on the shelving itself


Shelve it

Have more bookcases than free wall space? Hang your art on the shelving itself. This works well for both large and small pieces; with small ones, group lots of them together or they'll get lost visually.
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Draw the eye up
Draw the eye up


Raise it

Draw the eye up (and save your walls from holes) by using the tops of window- and doorframes to showcase small artworks. Color is key: See how the yellow pieces here pop against the robin's-egg blue.
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Divert the gaze
Divert the gaze


Distract with it

Divert the gaze from the ubiquitous living-room eyesore by hanging a painting larger than the flat-screen right above it. Note: Since the TV already has a frame, ditch the one on the art.


Comfortably everyday
Comfortably everyday


Surprise with it

Art becomes comfortably everyday when you incorporate it into a high-traffic-area tableau. This tip is not, of course, meant for your Chagall--or any other irreplaceable pieces.


Centered on a line just above eye level
Centered on a line just above eye level


Unify it

Even a random collection feels coherent when displayed in a wraparound gallery. The trick here? Hang the gallery centered on a line just above eye level.
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