8 Do’s and Don’ts For Decorating Walls

Are you confident in the do’s and don’ts for decorating walls?

A blank wall leaves so much to the imagination. Do we leave it blank like a clean canvas or do we style with all the things we love in life? Decorating walls can certainly be tricky to the point where many people ignore it completely. Before you start buying pieces of art or framing every photo ever taken make sure you consider some times for creating the most beautiful space. Ultimately it’s going to save you plenty of time and effort, and possibly also money.

Do’s

1. Use your walls as a showcase for your own favourite photographs. Select the best of the best and have your photos blown up. You can choose to have each photo at varying size or you can create a wall of images the same size for symmetry and formality. Some people choose coloured frames while others opt for monochromatic styles. You could even leave them unframed and stick them onto art foam for a more raw and natural look.

2. Hang art in every room in your home. Keeping colour and liveliness in each room will make your house feel like home. Make sure you consider the dining room, bathroom and also laundry, incorporating pieces that make the room feel alive and welcoming. The bedrooms are an absolute must where art and framed pieces should generally match with the colour wave of the room.

3. Treat several pieces as one unit during the hanging process and plan in advance. When considering placement, remember to think about each piece you have available. While three photos or pieces of art may all fit well together, what if there’s a fourth in the set that will look off-centre if placed randomly to the side. Treat the set as one complete series and work around the best ways to make them fit well together. Have a play with your arrangement on the floor before fixing them to the wall.

4. Not all art needs to be hung up on the wall. There are other ways of displaying your favourite photos or artworks including leaning against the wall placed upon the mantle or a console table. You can even layer different sized pieces together to create the illusion of depth and contrast. This can actually create quite a striking display and focal point.

Don’ts

1. Art doesn’t have to be expensive and as such you don’t necessarily need to spend thousands on pieces you love. You can hang gallery walls of your family photographs or mount pieces of fabric or wallpaper on canvas or art foam. There is a rapidly growing number of affordable online galleries available for you to select great artworks from including many retail stores (like House & Garden!).

2. The central point of either a single piece of art or framed photograph should be at eye level. If you hang your pieces too high it can create an out-of-alignment vibe on the wall, especially when looking at where nearby furniture is placed. Equally, hanging too low can create too much spare room above your pieces making proportions look wrong and as though there’s still too much open space.

3. If you have a small photograph or artwork you can simply select a much larger frame and incorporate some mat around the art. This will take up much more space on your wall meaning it will have a more striking effect and look more proportionate.

4. Don’t hang art by yourself. It’s always better to have at least two people so one can hold it in place and the other can step back and make sure the placement is correct. It’s also important to make sure you space things apart properly the first time. Approximately two inches or less on either side and below and above is enough space. Be sure you don’t hang pieces too far apart from each other.

Remember, House & Garden stocks a huge range of wall art, frames and furniture to help you create beautiful spaces in your home.

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