If you want your home to look like a designer was involved then one of the simplest things you can do is hang art, or decorative wall hangings, at the right height. You might read on the Internet that the rule is 57” on center above the floor. That will work well with some things but certainly not all. The measurement 57” from the floor to the center of the artwork is not the height you will experience in an art gallery, a scenario where you are standing to view art. The 57” is based on an eye level that is somewhere between sitting and standing which makes sense in a home where you are likely to be doing both.
Here some general ideas:
If there is no furniture below a piece of art then the above rule is often applicable. The 57” even applies if you are hanging more than one piece. Use the 57” measurement to the center of a grouping of two or more pieces. That may position some pieces rather low, but that will give you a truly professional and dramatic look.
We do break the standard rule all the time, however. One instance is when positioning art over furniture. Let the artwork “connect” with the furniture piece below it instead of floating feet above it. Depending on the height of the furniture piece, a space of 4”-10” above it is plenty. Keep in mind when doing this that it is important to keep the scale of a piece of furniture in line with the scale of the art. For example: if you are hanging something above a sofa, whatever you are hanging should be at least 2/3 the visual weight of the sofa.
