Weekend Project: Hanging Pictures

September 8, 2011

Posted by Kevin Sharkey

Arranging framed photos or hanging a new painting on your wall can feel like a big project. After renovating my apartment I know I wanted to make sure that the placement of the art being mounted on my walls was just right. However, I realized there is no need to agonize over a picture hanging project. If you do a little bit of prep work and follow a few basic design rules, it is easy to create an interesting display in a weekend.

There are so many different ways to exhibit your favorite artwork and photographs–deciding your strategy is the first step to creating an attractive display. For today's post, I've rounded up some tips and inspiration to help you get the project done.

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1 Instead of marking your walls with nails, use picture rails to display your artwork in a variety of ways.

2 Add pop to a collection of black-and-white prints by using mats in a rainbow of colors.

If you have a lot of pictures to hang, adhere photocopies or white paper that approximate the size of the frames and stick them to the wall using removable tape in the grid you want. That way you can move them around without creating holes in your wall.

3 If you have a lot of pictures to hang, adhere photocopies or white paper that approximate the size of the frames and stick them to the wall using removable tape in the grid you want. That way you can move them around without creating holes in your wall.

This arrangement was created by tracing the frames on to kraft paper to make a template and then taping and moving those templates around to get the final look.

4 This arrangement was created by tracing the frames on to kraft paper to make a template and then taping and moving those templates around to get the final look.

Give a grouping of horizontal and vertical photos a chic, cohesive look -- and add interest to a long wall in a hallway or above a sofa or bench. Use the same frame and mat for each, then hang pictures along the same center line, spacing each two inches apart. Alternate horizontal and vertical pictures, using the latter at the ends.

5 Give a grouping of horizontal and vertical photos a chic, cohesive look -- and add interest to a long wall in a hallway or above a sofa or bench. Use the same frame and mat for each, then hang pictures along the same center line, spacing each two inches apart. Alternate horizontal and vertical pictures, using the latter at the ends.

If you have a several photos of the same or similar subject, create a photo gallery with them like Martha did here http://www.marthastewart.com/265313/creating-a-photo-gallery

6 If you have a several photos of the same or similar subject, create a photo gallery with them like Martha did here http://www.marthastewart.com/265313/creating-a-photo-gallery

7 The secret is to divide and conquer multiple framed pictures: Mark a horizontal midline on the wall, and hang all pictures above or below it.

8 Think outside the frame. Here, we printed images on stretched canvases (ours are from Duggal) and mixed posed and candid shots for a nice contrast.

A bulletin-board picture rail hung the length of a hallway or between two doorways lets you proudly show off kids' artwork while keeping tape and thumbtacks off the walls.

9 A bulletin-board picture rail hung the length of a hallway or between two doorways lets you proudly show off kids' artwork while keeping tape and thumbtacks off the walls.

10 Pictures in high-traffic areas, such as halls and entryways, often end up askew. Remedy this with self-adhesive Velcro tabs in 1/4- or 1/2-inch sizes.

This display is so impactful. The home's owner converter Polaroids into documentary art, taped them to the wall, and held them in place permanently with a Plexiglass overlay.

11 This display is so impactful. The home's owner converter Polaroids into documentary art, taped them to the wall, and held them in place permanently with a Plexiglass overlay.

These sepia landscapes are framed by a decorative trim that sticks to surfaces when gently heated. The images and trim are arranged on freestanding panels that were painted to match the walls and then mounted when the artwork was complete.

12 These sepia landscapes are framed by a decorative trim that sticks to surfaces when gently heated. The images and trim are arranged on freestanding panels that were painted to match the walls and then mounted when the artwork was complete.

In the thin vertical space between two tall windows, a little piece could get lost. These five eighteenth-century landscape prints use the awkward space cleverly: Hung frame to frame, they function as one.

13 In the thin vertical space between two tall windows, a little piece could get lost. These five eighteenth-century landscape prints use the awkward space cleverly: Hung frame to frame, they function as one.

An unbound family album fills a wall. It is composed of inexpensive eight-by-ten-inch frames. The frames give consistency, while the pictures differ in size and style; some are horizontal, others vertical. Begin a grouping like this with one row or a minigrid of four frames.

14 An unbound family album fills a wall. It is composed of inexpensive eight-by-ten-inch frames. The frames give consistency, while the pictures differ in size and style; some are horizontal, others vertical. Begin a grouping like this with one row or a minigrid of four frames.