Before committing to buying new wall art, think about the size of the room you want to hang it in. Ideally, the artwork will cover about two thirds to three-fourths of the wall. A guideline for this size is an average 5’6″ person. The smaller the artwork, the more unimpressive the room will feel. If you’re not sure what size to purchase, take a photo of the art in various sizes and compare it to the wall.
In general, a piece of wall art should be at eye level. If it’s over a fireplace, it should be three to six inches off the top of the mantel. Make sure to measure the height of the wall before hanging the artwork. Different wall surfaces require different techniques for hanging art. In general, however, the art should cover about 50 to 75 percent of the wall. This allows for some overlap, and the remaining space frames the artwork nicely.
You can determine how big to buy your wall art by measuring the height and width of your wall. By multiplying these numbers, you should be able to estimate the size of your art. Make sure to leave at least an inch of space on each side. A painting on a large wall, on the other hand, should be three eighths of its width. A triptych or diptych should fill wide spaces. However, when choosing a diptych, you should leave approximately 1.5 inches between the two pieces.
Learn more wall art ideas and tips at Dolphin Gallery.
