Principle Gallery

So, you bought the painting. You framed the painting. But how do you hang the painting?

It can be pretty daunting to have this beautiful piece of art and then have no idea where to put the piece, how high to hang it, or even know what types of screws. So to help you out, we’ve put together the best tips to make your art look THE BEST.

WHERE DO I PUT MY PAINTING?

Usually you buy a piece because you’ve already envisioned it hanging in your dining room right above the red cedar credenza. But in some cases, you may be torn between two perfect spots or may have bought the painting with no space in mind– which who could blame you? Here are some tips to help you decide the best spot and where to place it:

• SITTING ROOM OR STANDING ROOM: Do your guests usually sit or stand in the room where you’re thinking of hanging your piece?
  • If a “standing” room, we suggest hanging the work at the standard 57-60″ from the floor.
  • If a “sitting” room, we suggest hanging the work a little lower to improve viewing from a seated position. This could be around 50″.
• ABOVE FURNITURE: Do you have a couch or table that pairs well with your painting right above it?
  • It is highly recommended to either hang one piece on the above wall that is 1/2 to 2/3 the width of the furniture below, or to have a collection of pieces that, in totality, fill the space of 1/2 to 2/3 of the furniture’s width below.
  • We also suggest hanging the piece or pieces 6″-8″ above your furniture.

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HOW HIGH SHOULD I HANG MY PAINTING?

Now, we already mentioned the standards of height for your piece to hang, but let’s get a little more specific. WARNING: Math is involved.

• WIRED BACKING: Principle Gallery, more often than not, has a picture wire attached to the back of the piece. When mounting the painting, keep this in mind for the artwork will hang lower on the hook once the wire is taut.
  • To accommodate for this height difference, pull the wire from the center up towards the top of the frame and measure the distance from the taut wire to the top of the frame. Keep this measurement handy because it will be used in the next step.
• STANDARD HEIGHT: This is where things will get a little tricky and where more math is involved. The following steps are to help you hang your piece at standard height, which we are going to say is 60″.
  • MID-POINT: Find the mid-point of the painting’s height and add that number to 60″.
  • WIRE MEASUREMENT: Using the measurement of the mid-point and standard height, subtract your wire measurement. This is where the hook will be placed on the wall.
  • EXAMPLE: The distance from the picture wire to the frame is 4″, the mid-point of the painting’
  • s height is 20″, and the standard height is 60.”
    1. 60″ + 20″ = 80″
    2. 80″ – 4″ = 76″
    3. 76″ is where you will place the hook.
  • NEED HELP? You can always give the gallery a call if you need more instructions, but if not, check out this link that does all the math for you!
• HEAVY PIECES: If the painting is pretty heavy, we suggest using two hooks that are 4″-5″ apart. Don’t worry, the calculations from earlier will still be the same even with the addition of another hook.