It’s easy to get carried away when investing in a new piece of art. We’ve all been there, standing in a gallery, instantly falling in love with the magnificent piece which stands before our eyes, and knowing in an instant, it must be ours.
However, it’s important to stop and think.
I know this can seem like an impossible prospect when confronted with true love, but you must consider whether you have the space to accommodate such a piece. Depending on the size of your space, a small instalment may fade into the background, or a larger one dominate the landscape.
Grab Your Tape Measure
A good rule of thumb is to allow for around two-thirds to three-quarters of a large wall space to be covered by your art. This will allow you to work around your furniture and prevent the area from appearing too cluttered.
If your wall is very small, skip straight to the next step.
Grab Your Calculator
Work out the width of your art piece and divide the figure by eight.
You want to leave a “margin” of bare wall space on either side of the piece equalling roughly three-eighths of the width. For example, if the area (L x W, just in case school was a while ago for you) of your wall space is 36 inches, the ideally sized piece of art to hang there would be between 20 and 21 inches wide.
Grab Your Coat
Now you know the ideal size for a piece of art to fit in your space, it’s time for the fun part –shopping.
Head down to your favourite gallery and pick that perfect piece. The numbers we’ve worked out are somewhat important, but don’t forgo something you really love for the sake of an inch or two. Just make sure it’s centred when it comes time to hang it.
Grab Your Hammer and Nails
Now it’s time to get your new acquisition up on the wall.
In an open space, such as a hallway, you should make sure the centre point of the art is at approximately eye-level (around 60-65 inches from the floor), but in a living or dining room, where people are more likely to be sitting, hang it a little lower (with the bottom of the frame between six and twelve inches from the top of the sofa, table, etc.)
If you have more than one piece on the same wall, go for groupings of three or five to create a natural centre point and keep the space between them equal, even if the frames differ in size.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully you have found this guide useful. If you need expert and passionate advice on purchasing the perfect (both in terms of size and aesthetic) piece of art for your space, Florian Kappe is ready to help you.
Our complete advisory service will ensure you make the right decisions at every stage of your art collecting journey.
Please get in touch today for more information.
