Unless you are an ace do-it-yourself person, or you work in a gallery, hanging picture frames is a particularly tricky task.
How often have you seen a lovely group of hanging pictures in someone else’s house, and thought how much nicer they looked than your own display? A really well thought-out plan to hanging pictures will make your display far more pleasing.
Do you want a group of frames of different sizes? Maybe you have three or more similar sized frames with a cohesive theme. Whatever your pictures are, there is a solution.
Firstly, think about your wall size. Is it a large empty wall that could take a group of pictures? Do not think about using a small wall for large pictures, it will look cramped. Put your group of pictures on the floor and move them around until you find a composition that pleases you. Can you then imagine them on the wall in front of you? If the answer is yes, then you can start hanging them.
Pictures need to be at eye level to make an impact. Obviously, this varies for a short or tall person. Galleries tend to use 60” as a guide to eye level, and this is probably a good model for the home. If you are hanging pictures on a wall above a sofa, do not make the mistake of hanging them midway between the sofa and the ceiling, as the eye takes in the blank space between sofa and picture first. Lower them to between 3” and 6” above the sofa back (bearing in mind headroom for the person on the sofa).
If you are hanging a row of frames, start with the middle one first and then the outer ones. This makes it easier to ensure they are equidistant and level. Use a tape measure to get the exact distance between them, and a spirit level to ensure they are level. There are special tools available on the Internet (and probably in DIY stores) available to make picture hanging easy, and it is probably worth investing in one of these, as they are not expensive.
Perhaps you have a lot of family photos that you would like to display; well these can make a lovely presentation in a group. It does not matter if the frames are different because the theme is the same. Finally, do not make the mistake of hanging picture frames in a corner, as this will look as if they are disappearing into the wall.