How to Arrange Pictures on a Wall

So, you’ve brought home your brand new art pieces along with some beautiful frames, and you’ve got your xHangs or traditional picture hanging hardware - now where exactly are you going to hang your art so that it looks it’s best?

Choosing the correct place for hanging art is crucial as it can easily become the focal point of the room or simply fade into the background, depending on the decisions you make.

If you are only hanging one piece, you can do pretty well just by going by eye and being sure to remember the 57 rule. Now, if you’re looking to hang multiple pictures on one wall, it can get a little more complicated, but luckily you’re in the right place.

After all, with xHang providing a low cost and easy to use museum-quality picture hanging system, you may well be tempted to use it to turn your house into an art gallery after getting to grips with how quick, easy and effective it is. To learn the best methods for how to arrange 3 pictures on a wall, for example, consider taking these pointers into account:

How to Arrange Pictures on a Wall in Groups

The most important points to remember when planning how to arrange pictures on a wall are to plan the layout beforehand and to optimize your use of space as much as possible.

A common method of arranging multiple pictures is to hang 3 pictures on the wall next to the staircase so that each painting seems to “follow” you up the stairs, while still sticking to the 57 rule in relation to the floor.

If you’re wondering how to hang pictures of different sizes, this is when it gets slightly more complex! Ideally, you should assemble a pattern that has at least some element of symmetry or pattern to it, so that it doesn’t look like your pictures have just been scattered randomly along the wall. Here a few tips to keep in mind:

• Keep at least some sort of visual theme going through all of the pictures - if your art pieces are completely different and clash somewhat, try using similarly styled frames, and vice versa.
• No matter where you place a photograph or painting, keep symmetry in mind and try to use a similarly sized piece elsewhere to balance it out

Planning the Layout Beforehand

While the above image is just an example and not necessarily how you should lay out your pictures, planning the layout is the most important step by far. You don’t want to hang several paintings and then realise you’ve made a mistake, then take them all down and start again. Even with how easy xHang is to use, that’s less than ideal. Try this, instead:

• Lay your frames on an old blanket or several large sheets of paper, and draw around them to plan your layout, measuring the distance between each one to easily replicate this pattern on the wall
• If you don’t have anything large enough for this, draw smaller but proportionate shapes on a regular piece of paper (e.g. 7 inches becomes 7mm).
• You can then easily measure the distance between the hanging hook and the edge of your frame and transfer this information to your diagram, to ensure easy placement of your xHang, drilled holes or whatever other methods you might be using.

This is an easy and effective method of placing pictures in a pattern that ends up looking exactly how you want it to.

You can get as adventurous as you like with the layout as long as there is some level of symmetry and pattern to prevent it from looking random and accidental. You’ll find a picture frame layout guide with a few great examples at the bottom of the page to give you some further ideas. Another great tip is to:

Hang the Biggest Picture First

The largest picture out of your selection deserves to take pride of place and the other pieces should fit around it. It’s also worth mentioning that this centrepiece might not be a picture at all - hanging smaller pictures around a large functional piece like a mirror can also work just as well.

Hang your largest piece centrally and at 57 inches high or higher, giving it a priority spot that looks great with or without the others. It’s also a good idea to keep it away from corners as this can make it seem cramped up and cause it to be less of a focal point for the room.

You can then place your other pieces around the central picture, creating a symmetrical pattern that allows each piece to work together. This works great if the smaller pictures aren’t too much smaller, but if they are, they may look a little lost next to the large piece. In this case, consider assembling them into a separate pattern on another wall.

Not all rooms or walls need a huge centrepiece and a group of small paintings can actually look great, especially in smaller spaces such as corridors and stairways.

Don’t Overcrowd It!

Pictures should never feel like they’re competing for space or making a room look more cluttered. Space is an essential part of home decor and can be used to draw attention to furniture, centrepieces, windows etc.

Hanging too many art pieces will just end up distracting attention from all of them, as visitors no longer have any idea where they should be looking. As long as you follow the basic tips listed above, planning your layout in advance and being as efficient with space as you can, you can surely create something beautiful that will stand the test of time!

We hope this guide has given you some ideas for picture placement and provided some useful pointers on how to hang multiple pictures on a wall in a way that will impress your visitors and make your home feel truly yours.

We will leave you with a diagram that shows a few ideas for different picture placements on walls, but don’t be scared to do something unique and different!