Wall Decor

Ever wondered how high to hang a picture? or how to group pictures together and make them look right? Does anyone know if you can group oil paintings with water colors?? Well....here are the answers! I took a wall decor "lesson" a couple of years ago (from an experienced interior decorator/designer) and these are her answers- and I must say....I think she's right! 


The biggest mistake most people make.... hanging their pictures too high. Why? Probably because the husband does the nailing/hanging and men tend to hang everything too high. Oh...just fix it. It ruins the look of it!!


Its like a pet peeve of mine to see pretty art/pictures hung too high....seriously...drives me crazy. This actually bothered me before I took this class so now that I know "the rule"....it REALLY bothers me.

I know someone who is an interior decorator (or maybe I should say...she has a degree but doesn't "practice" it) and when I've been to her house-ALL of her pictures are too high. DRIVES ME CRAZY. Then....to top it off.....she has her childs art/school work hanging in the dining room. Dining rooms are supposed to be formal...put that stuff in the playroom or kitchen! 


I could go on forever about these things that bother me but I don't know who reads my blog nor would I want to be ugly=) 




Wall Decor Lesson

How much art do I need? How big? Where to hang?

For small art work, you need to hang in pairs or sets, just 1 will be lost on a wall. Multiples are harder to work with but can work wonderfully on a large wall (high ceiling room).

For groups of 2, you can hang them side by side, on top of an other or diagonal. Best place for these, small bathroom wall, bedroom wall or hallway. Avoid groups of 2 on mantles! You want one BIG something on mantles.

You want to hang them above furniture approximately 3-6 inches. How far apart do you hang them? Well...that depends on how big the pictures are but usually 1 1/2" to 3" apart. If you hang them too far apart, you'll show too much wall space and mess up the grouping feel.

BEFORE hanging pairs or groups, take newspaper, trace your pictures, cut them out and hang on the wall with tape. This will work out better in the long run, you wont have your husband complaining' because he has to putty up all the holes in the wall.

Never put a huge piece of art in a small room. The bigger the room, the bigger the art UNLESS you use small groups of art.

Where to hang?
(Rule of thumb) The center of your art should be eye level to an average height person. For a woman, average height is 5'5'' or 5'6'' so it would be hung at about 5 ft. A man's average height is 6 ft.

Ever noticed how men tend to hang art too high and women too low? Its the height difference!

If you are hanging art on top of each other, make the middle of the 2 be the average eye level.

Where to hang?
Never hang art in the center of the wall---always hang in the center of the room or centered over the piece of furniture.
Ex-center of picture should be in the center of the sofa, not on the center of that wall.

Always want to keep art proportional with the furniture. If you have a large sofa or bed with a painting above it that isn't quite big enough, add sconces on each side of the painting or something similar.

How to use different types of art and make it look ok?
Art work changes with time. You can have landscapes, flowers, blues themed art, etc. Tie the art pieces in with similar colors or similar frames and you wont notice the difference. You can mix canvas pictures and framed art as long as you stick to similar colors in the art itself.

Where and when to use...MIRRORS.
DO NOT USE THEM ON YOUR MANTLE unless YOU CAN SEE YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR.

Most people put mirrors over mantles because they dont know what else to put up there... rule of thumb, never put a mirror anywhere unless you can see into it. Unless you have a low mantle, a mirror shouldn't be up there! Who wants to see the reflection of the ceiling fan?

A mirror should only be hung where it can reflect something pretty. Never have a mirror reflecting a wall. (in a hallway with nothing on the other side other than a blank wall) Art is much prettier than mirrors, USE IT!

LASTLY
People gather a lot about someone just by walking in their front door. You should never have more pictures of yourself throughout your house than others. What do you think that tells people about you? Self-centered!

Old pictures never go out of style... find pictures of your mom/dad, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc from years ago and display them. The older, the better!

Whatever is in style now in fashion--give it 1 year and it'll be in style in home decor (colors, etc)


Hope everyone enjoyed a lesson on wall decor- I'll leave you with a few artist I love. These do a mixture of oil and watercolor.

Pryor Buford Graeber

She grew up with a friend of mine's mom and they were good friends. Small world! I just love the landscapes/trees and the colors she uses.  I'm pretty sure she mostly does trees/landscapes and angels. You definitely couldn't own too much of her stuff unless you wanted it all to look alike?! =)

Andrew Bucci

Mr. Bucci grew up in Vicksburg and attended St. Aloysius then All Saints-where he studied art. He later moved to New York and studied fashion (which some of his art shows) and now resides in DC (I believe). He is 90 years old and STILL painting. He has recently been featured in Delta Magazine and Mississippi Magazine. T-A-L-E-N-T-E-D!

My mom recently informed me that her family is good friends with the Bucci's. Vicksburg is a small town where "everybody knows your name..." 

I particularly think its AWESOME that he grew up in Vicksburg because he is nationally recognized and has won numerous awards - selling his art all over the US. 

Hope Carr 

Hope is from Yazoo City, MS. She does BEAUTIFUL watercolors of landscapes, architecture, still life, city scenes, etc. My mom and I discovered a store that sold her stuff and since then... we've emailed and even called and talked with her. SUPER nice lady with lots of talent! 

http://hopecarrart.com/

Peyton Hutchinson

Also from Mississippi. I first met Peyton 2-3 years ago at the Renaissance Arts Festival. Immediately was attracted to all of her work. She and Pryor Graeber use similar colors. I love ALL of it!

http://www.peytonhutchinson.com/

Mary Buckley

Also from Mississippi

 Dot Courson

This painting is called "Speaks to Me"

And another artist I would like to share with y'all is Debbie Hays Lewis from Leland MS. She does BEAUTIFUL paintings. I can't seem to "steal" one of her pictures off her facebook so I can share it with y'all=(

For Vicksburg people-go by Willinghams and check out her art....you're sure to love it!

I'm just wishing and hopin' - my husband doesn't see the "need" for beautiful paintings like I do!!!!