Art Hanging Calculator
Three quick answers before you pick up the drill: where the nail goes, how wide the art should be, and how to space two or three canvases side by side. Change a number and the wall changes with it.
01
Where does the nail go?
Galleries center art at about 57 inches (145 cm) from the floor, roughly average eye level. Above furniture, leave 8 inches (20 cm) between the furniture and the bottom of the art.
Your nail goes at
—
from the floor
02
How wide should the art be?
Above a sofa, bed or console, aim for art about two-thirds the width of the furniture.
Aim for about
—
wide
03
Two or three side by side
Same size, same gap, so the group reads as one piece. Keep the gap narrow: 2 to 5 inches (5 to 12 cm). Measure from the center of the wall or the furniture.
The group is
—
wide
The rules behind the numbers
-
Eye level
Center the art about 57 inches (145 cm) from the floor on an open wall. In rooms where you mostly sit, such as a dining room, a few inches lower is fine.
-
Above furniture
8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 cm) between the furniture and the bottom of the art keeps them reading as one group.
-
Width
About two-thirds of the furniture below. If one canvas isn't wide enough, use two.
-
Shape
Wide furniture calls for wide art; narrow walls and the space between two windows call for a vertical canvas.
The full method, with examples
La Maison Casopra
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