Hanging multiple pieces of art

My friend has hung a large group of pictures on her lounge wall and it looks fantastic. I want to do the same but I’m really struggling to hang my pictures as a group that looks good. Any advice?

With a little creativity and planning you will be able to hang a collection of framed imagery that will have true impact.

CHOOSE THE FRAMED ARTWORK YOU WANT TO HANG. For visual interest, use frames of varying sizes and both vertical and horizontal artwork.

DECIDE WHICH WALL YOU WANT TO HANG ON A collection of art has much more impact if grouped within certain visual markers i.e. length of sofa, width of fireplace etc.

USE TEMPLATES Lay each framed picture on paper and cut around them. You can then place the paper cut outs on the wall, by carefully using low tack masking tape. This way you can get the positions right before you damage the wall with nail holes.

LAYOUT Try and think of the group of pictures as one large oblong. Generally it is best to use the largest item at the centre of the display at eye level. This will be the main focus of the collection, the smaller frames can then radiate out. Keep the grouping tight together.

AVOID A COMMON MISTAKE People often hang their artwork too high. If hanging pictures over a sofa, make sure that they are close enough to retain good visual contact. The pictures will not look so good if they float too far above the level of the mantle or furniture height. To create balance, they need to be grounded.

STAND BACK AND VIEW THE ARRANGEMENT If the pictures are visually balanced, by colour and size and provide a central grouping, you are ready to start hanging. Remember to use the templates to mark out where the nails need to go, you can nail through the paper and remove before you hang your picture.

Download our guide to hanging single and multiple images (950kb PDF)

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