The Right Height to Hang Artwork Above Anything
There is an art to hanging artwork and mirrors. However, it’s not rocket-science and if you follow some basic rules and guidelines you’ll get it right every time!
Now, for the sake of my sanity – which is questionable on a good day – I will be referring to artwork/mirrors/etc… as “pictures” most of the time and focusing on average size pieces and wall spaces.
Guideline #1
“The center of your picture should hang 58-62″ from the floor when it’s the only item on that vertical wall space or when it’s above an item that is shorter than 32″ tall”
This rule applies to the following:
- Pictures or galleries that are not hanging above anything
- Pictures or galleries that are hanging above something that is shorter than approx 32” (bench/side table/etc…)
And for the love of God, it doesn’t matter how high your ceilings are or how tall your husband is – all of this is totally irrelevant to how a picture looks on a wall!
Why?
Because regardless of wall height or hubby’s opinion, there is still an invisible sightline that all human beings revert to when there is a tall whack-a-doody wall in front of them – and that invisible line sits at approx. 8′. Why? Because I said so. And a lot of other smart, cute and talented people said so too.
How high to hang art on a bare wall
- 58-62″ from the center of the artwork to the floor
These 3 pictures are hanging on a bare wall – meaning there is no furniture right underneath them – therefore, the CENTER of them is 58″- 62″ from the floor.
How high to hang art above wainscoting…
- 58-62″ from the center of the artwork to the floor
I’ve also seen installations where the art hangs slightly over the wainscoting – you’ve got to have mad skills and crazy cool art to pull that off my friend.
How high to hang a picture above the toilet
- 58-62″ from the center of the artwork to the floor
Hanging artwork above the toilet isn’t tricky – because the back of the toilet is under 32″ tall, the rule still applies.
How high to hang a picture above or close to a shorter piece of furniture
- 58-62″ from the center of the artwork to the floor
Again, as long as the back of the piece is approx 32″ or shorter, the CENTER of the piece should be 58-62″ from the floor.
The photo with the chair and lamp below is the perfect example of artwork above a shorter piece of furniture.
The artwork above this buffet is also a great example as the buffet is less than 32″ tall.
How High to Hang a Gallery Wall…
- 58-62″ from the center of the GALLERY to the floor
The same rule applies for a gallery wall as it does for a single piece – as long as it’s not above a taller piece of furniture, the center of the arrangement should sit 60″- 62″ from the floor. For a gal like me at 5’4, that number sits at about my eyebrows giving me easy eyeball measurements rather than having to bust out a tape measure every time.
THE EXCEPTIONS
Big pieces of artwork, arrangements, galleries or groupings that are more than 48″h
If you have an OBSCENELY big piece of artwork (like 48″h+) or have created a picture gallery that is more than 48″h, try hanging it so the center is approx. 48-56″” from the floor. There are always exceptions to rules, so if you are doubting yourself, get out the masking tape or some brown paper and map things out on the wall before hammering that nail in.
So seriously, now I want you to be a total dork and take a tape measure and measure out where 60″ is on your body (men, don’t flatter yourselves…) Now, use that spot on yer face as a marker and walk up to every piece of artwork and mirror in your home and see if they are hanging in the right spot!
Guideline #2
Hanging above a couch or a headboard
“If your picture is hanging above a couch or headboard, the bottom of the picture should be approx 5″- 12″ from the top of your furniture.”
Why? If there is too much space between the top of your couch/headboard and the bottom of your picture there will be a ‘visual disconnect’ between the 2 pieces. Your picture will act independently from the furniture, rather than being used as a foundation piece for a colour scheme or theme.
How high to hang art above a sofa
- Approx 8-12″ is usually a happy place for the average size piece of artwork or mirror.
When it comes to sofas and sectionals, I err on the side of slightly higher vs slightly lower and would place most average size pieces approx 10-12″ from the top of the furniture.
This next photo is a great example of approx 12″. If she’d gone any higher, it wouldn’t have connected well with the sectional.
Sometimes, it’s not just about getting the height right, it’s the SCALE that matters as well. The art below is gorgeous but slightly too small for the wall space, even bringing it down to 10″ wouldn’t make sense. This wall space needs a piece that is a portrait layout and slightly larger.
How high to hang art above a headboard
- 5-10″ is a good range, depending on the height of the headboard/size of the artwork.
This next photo is perfect. The art is hanging approx 5″ above the headboard, so it’s not too low OR too high, creating a seamless look from wall to bed.
Guideline #3 Hanging above a fireplace mantel
And the Guideline is…
“When hanging artwork above a mantle there should be approx 3″- 6″ of wall space between the top of the mantle and the bottom of the picture”
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The taller your mantle is, the less distance there should be between the top of it and the bottom of the picture.
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A shorter mantle can accommodate a bit more wall space in between.
Why? Because it looks best that way – says me.
This lovely setting flows so well with the artwork sitting approx 5″ from the mantle. That, along with the accessories set a colourful and ethnic vibe!
Whether it’s a grand mantel or a more simple profile, the same rule applies as shown next…
And if you have NO mantel? We’re back at 58-62″ from the floor, however, I would go on the higher side, rather than the lower. If you have a raised hearth, it’s that same distance from the HEARTH (but I might drop it down to 58″).
Guideline #4
Hanging artwork above furniture that is 32″h+
And the guideline is…
“When hanging a picture above a piece of furniture that is 32″h+, there should be approx. 3″-8″ from the top of your furniture piece and the bottom of your picture.”
So, if you have a buffet that is approx. 32″ tall, you might choose to hang your piece somewhere between 6″-8″ from the buffet top. If you have a taller piece (ie: 40″ or taller) you might choose to hang the picture closer to the 3-5″ range so that there isn’t too much wall space between the 2 pieces and it doesn’t go to high on the wall.
In this next photo, there is also wainscoting to consider, and I bet the owner actually went back to the 58-62″ from the floor. Like I said, these are only ‘guidelines’. Get that painters tape out and mask out your art on the wall before hanging it. Take photos of your taped off areas and then see which one seems the most natural.
In this next photo, the mirror has approx 6″ of clearance – perfect!
Guideline #4 Leaning
The last option for hanging a picture is ‘leaning’. If the piece you are placing your artwork on is low enough and the artwork is stable enough (either light enough to sit without sliding out or heavy but supported with an anchor at the back) then you can lean your artwork.
If a piece of artwork is sitting on something that is too high the artwork will be awkward to look. I hate getting a kink in my neck – Lord knows I’m kinky enough as it is! So, let’s keep things in moderation. Think about how the artwork is viewed…
- If it’s a mirror, is it only reflecting the ceiling when leaning?
- If it’s framed with glass are you only seeing the sheen of the glass, not the artwork itself?
- Is the beauty of the piece de-valued because you can’t see it head-on?
So, next time we chat and I ask you ‘how’s it hangin?’ – you better have the right answer!
Chat soon,
Kylie M Interiors E-design, Virtual Design, Online Paint Colour Consulting, Decorating and Design Ideas Budget-friendly AND fun
What an awesome site! Thank you Kylie! Great idea for your online consulting too! Will be contacting you in future.
Carol
Hi Kylie,
Thanks so much for providing the information, it was the best that I found! I do have a question though on hanging pictures. I just hung 2 pictures in my dining room. One is above a 33″ buffet which I placed it 10 inches above, and it looks great. The second companion picture is on a wall that has nothing else on it or under it. I also placed it at the same height as the picture above the buffet. I think it looks to low now and the center of that picture is at 57 inches. What would you suggest? Both pictures are 27/1/2 inches tall. Any help would be appreciated.
Sue
Hi Sue, thanks for asking!
You did great with the buffet photo – good for you! If you change your other piece of artwork so that the center is ‘approximately’ 60-62″ from the floor you’ll feel MUCH better 🙂
~Kylie
Thanks so much…yes, it needed to go up!
Sue
Hi there love tthe tips, what about hanging art above wainscotting. our ceilings are 9′ high and the wainscotting is 5’4″ high, thanks
Hi Michelle, ‘generally’ you’d probably only want about 4″ of wall space between the top of your wainscoting and the bottom of your picture frame. If it’s too high it’ll just float in the wall space and you’ll have to crane your neck up unnaturally to see them. Thanks for asking!!~ Kylie
With wainscoting, we too have 9ft ceilings and are preping to instal wainscoting that is just over 5ft high. We have a couple paintings that are roughly 30inches tall and 48inches wide. I’m worried that hanging them above the wainscoting would place them too high. Should we go with a chair rail hight wainscoting instead of the higher to accommodate the paintings? (The paintings are quite valuable and we don’t want to loose them but we do prefer a the taller wainscoting).
Hi Joe. So with your 9 ft ceilings and 5′ wainscoting you are left with 4′ of wall space (I’m kind of talking out loud to myself here). So I hauled out my tape measure and looked at things on my own wall space. When I hung my invisible artwork above my ‘5 foot high wainscoting and left 4-6″ between the top of the wainscoting and the bottom of the frame it felt pretty darn good. This left approx. 12-14″ from the top of my artwork to the ceiling which also felt good.
Now if you were to treat it like a normal wall, your artwork would normally hang with the center approx. 60″ from the floor. You ‘could’lower your wainscoting to 4′ instead of 5′ (the standard for a 9′ ceiling is approx. 42″). I feel like 4′ would be another option for you, but I would NOT do 4 1/2 feet as it would divide the wall in half which is not an ideal look. If you did 4′ wainscoting your artwork would still sit 4-6″ from the top of the wainscoting. This means that the center of your artwork would sit almost EXACTLY the same height that it would if there were NO wainscoting. That being said, I still like the 5′ level for the fact that it isn’t standard. Place some tape on the wall at the 5’ level and cut out some wrapping paper in the size of your artwork and tape them up. This should clarify your choice for you. Thank you for asking, hope it helps!
~Kylie
Hi Kylie,
I have a 40″ x 60″ picture that I had thought about for above my bed headboard. The space from the top of the headboard to the ceiling is 47″. The picture is of large poppy flower heads. Is this picture too overwhelming for the space?
Oh dear, I’m sure you don’t want to hear this…but it’s too big :(. It will look squished as even if it’s centered int hat space you’d have only about 3″ above and below….Hopefully you have a long low dresser that has a mirror or hutch above it in your bedroom. If you do, consider removing the hutch/mirror and then you can hang your lovely poppy piece and get full enjoyment out of it! (above your headboard 32″h would really be a happy place…)
Sorry to be the one to break the bad news – good luck and thanks for asking!
~Kylie
Thanks very much for the tips. I have another question re: picture hanging. We have a large painting (2′ X 3′) that we would like to hang above our couch in the living room. My partner wants to center it over the couch and I want to align it with the left edge, where I think it’s balanced by a side table and lamp on the right side. What do you think is better?
Hello, thank you for asking! I’m not only a decorator, but a mediator 😉 And are you ready for this???? The hubs is right. In the ideal world your artwork would be centered on the couch and you would have something on the left side of the couch, at side table height to balance out the side table/lamp. I hope that helps!
~Kylie
I hung a framed mirror on the back wall of my bar so that it was centered all the way around. To me it looks like it is too high but my husband says it’s fine. It is 10″ above the backsplash but my eye is telling me it should be closer and possibly even sitting on top of the backsplash. The framed mirror is 32″ x 66″ and the back wall of the bar is 52″ x 71″. What would you recommend?
Janine you are so RIGHT! It seems like a good gut instinct to center things in a space, but often they need to be OFF-center (top to bottom – not left to right) in order to work). I bet you should only need a wee bit of space in between the backsplash (but I wouldn’t sit it RIGHT on top…)
How high off the full should i hang a full length mirror?
Thanks,
Alison
Love all your tips & whys! Under Guideline #1, and your first Why, “our invisible line sits at approx. 8′.” So does this mean if you have a 12′ wall our brain sees it as 8 feet? If so, that’s how you based your picture hanging measurements which makes it pleasing to the eye no matter the wall height?
Hi Mac! Well, it’s not that we see a 12′ ceiling as 8′ (and it definitely isn’t scientific), however generally, what kind of sits ‘within our easy viewing space’ kind of stops at the 8′ level, which is more or less what we’re used to seeing. And yes, this is why no matter how tall your ceiling is, you want to base it on an average 8, maybe 9′ ceiling height.
Great post but for the love of Mike get rid of the ads . Your site won’t even load over LTE and I am missing half the content
Hi David, understandable, but my writing/articles are free and they are my way of making some income, otherwise I can’t write!
Hi Louise, thank you so much for sharing my info with your readers, I hope it’s been helpful and thank you for the link to my site – much appreciated. I just desperately wish I knew some French so I could return the favour! 😉
~Kylie