How high to hang art

The short answer: hang art so that its centre sits at eye level, 145 cm (57 in) above the floor. When it hangs above a piece of furniture, measure from the furniture instead, and leave 15–25 cm (6–10 in) between its top and the bottom of the frame.

Almost every mistake is the same one: art hung too high. It ends up floating near the ceiling, cut off from the room and from whatever stands beneath it.

Open wall: eye level 145 cm (57 in). Above a sofa: gap 15–25 cm (6–10 in).

Where to put the nail

Choose what the art hangs above and the size you have.

It hangs abovePrint sizeHeight of the furniture, cmGap above the furniture, cmHook or wire, cm below the top edgeMeasure from the top of the frame down to the hook, or to the wire pulled tight. Leave it at 0 if the frame hangs from its top edge.

Nail or hook: 175 cm (69 in)
Centre of the art: 140 cm (55 in)
Top edge: 175 cm (69 in)
Bottom edge: 105 cm (41 in)

All heights are measured from the floor.

On an open wall

Put the centre of the art at 145 cm (57 in). It is the height galleries hang at, and it works because it measures the centre rather than the top: an A4 print and a 50×70 cm print share the same centre line, so a wall of mixed sizes still reads as level.

The same rule holds in a hallway, above a low bench or a radiator. Low furniture sits too far below to anchor the art, so the art stays at eye level instead of dropping to meet it.

Example roomThe bench is low, so the painting stays at eye level rather than coming down to it.

Art above a sofa

Leave 15–25 cm (6–10 in) between the top of the sofa back and the bottom of the frame. Any closer and the art crowds the heads of the people sitting there; much further and the sofa and the art stop reading as one group. The same goes for a couch of any shape: measure from its highest point.

Width matters as much as height. Aim for art about two-thirds the width of the sofa — for a 200 cm (79 in) sofa, around 120–150 cm (47–59 in). Our largest print is 70×50 cm, so above a wide sofa hang two side by side: two 70×50 prints with 8 cm (3 in) between them span 148 cm (58 in). Every room photo gives you three suggestions, made from the same room and the same choices, so any two of them sit well together as a pair.

Hang a pair as if it were one piece: their shared centre goes where a single piece's centre would, with the tops and bottoms lined up.

Art above a bed

The same rule as a sofa, measured from the top of the headboard: 15–25 cm (6–10 in), or up to 30 cm (12 in) above a low headboard. Without a headboard, measure from the top of the pillows as they stand against the wall.

Centre the art on the bed, not on the wall. For a 180 cm (71 in) bed, the two-thirds rule asks for art about 120 cm (47 in) wide — again a job for a pair rather than a single print.

Above a sideboard, dresser or table against the wall

Treat it like a sofa: 15–25 cm (6–10 in) above the top. If a lamp or a vase stands in front, the art can rise a little to clear it, but not so far that it loses touch with the furniture.

Example roomClose enough to the sideboard that the two read as one, with the vases standing in front of the frame's lower edge.

Above a dining table

A dining table stands away from the wall, so the open-wall rule applies: centre at 145 cm (57 in). If the room is used mostly seated, you can bring it down by 5–10 cm (2–4 in) — as long as it stays clear of the chair backs.

Example roomThe table stands away from the wall, so the painting keeps to eye level; the pendant hangs in front of it.

Tall ceilings

Keep the centre at eye level whether the ceiling is 2.4 m (8 ft), 2.7 m (9 ft) or higher. The instinct in a tall room is to hang higher to fill the wall, but that only lifts the art out of view. Fill a tall wall with a larger print, or a pair, instead.

Before you drill

Mark the outline on the wall with painter's tape, step back to the doorway and live with it for a day. Then use the calculator above: the nail goes at the top edge, minus the distance from the top of the frame down to its hook or wire.

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