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.
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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Provide a common denominator
Diverse mediums and frames are brought together by a single, shared wall color.
Embrace unexpected placement
Art is a sweet surprise when hung for the benefit of those with their head on the pillow.
Interrupt the pattern
A boldly graphic piece gives the eye somewhere to land in a room full of patterns.
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Use negative space
Corners are notoriously difficult places to fill. Take the opportunity to make your own curated corner gallery.
Create a mood
A moody vintage oil painting ties together a heavy wooden mantel and a wrought-iron candelabra.
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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.
Don't commit
For less serious art, like concert posters, keep them off the wall so that you can rotate them on a whim.
Bring the outside in
Landscape photographs printed on foam core are a sweet reminder of a favorite place.
Introduce old to new
A slightly stuffy wood block of trees looks sweet against a modern cabin wall.
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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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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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.
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.
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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