How to Hang Wall Decor

Hang pictures at eye height.

While methods for hanging varying kinds of wall décor differ by décor type, you can still follow some general guidelines for successfully decorating your walls. According to a post at Apartment Therapy, you should hang wall décor at 57 inches, which is the "average human eye height." The center of the object should hit the 57-inch mark. Don't limit yourself to only hanging pictures as wall décor. You can hang baskets, bowls, plates or other flat-backed objects neatly on your wall, as long as hanging hardware is attached to the back.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• 3 thumb tacks
• Spool of string
• Hammer
• Nails

Instructions

1. Measure 57 inches from the floor, and make a light mark on the wall. Start at the left side of the room for your first mark, and then measure again in the middle of the wall, and make another light mark. Measure 57 inches from the floor on the right side of the wall and make a very light third and final mark.

2. Push a thumb tack into each of your marks. Tie a string to the leftmost thumbtack, and then pull the string over to the center thumbtack, wrap it around that tack, and then pull it over to the rightmost tack and wrap it around that tack, too. This creates a visual line along the wall at the ideal height to hang wall décor.

3. Stand at different places in the room and in other rooms with a clear view of the wall on which you're hanging the décor. Looking at the wall from different points of perspective will help you decide where along the line you should focus your efforts. This point might not always be the center of the wall.

4. Measure from the middle of your object's flat back to the place where its hanging hardware is attached. Measure an equal amount of distance upward from the string on the spot where you decided to hang your décor. Lightly mark this spot.

5. Drive a nail into that spot. Hang your first piece of wall décor here. If you want to hang several pieces of wall décor along the 57-inch line, measure an equal distance on each side of this first piece of hung décor. Measure between the hardware and the middle of the object's back every time so that all of your objects' centers are located at the same 57-inch line. Remove the string and tacks after you no longer need them, and erase all visible pencil marks.

6. Use the first object as a center point for groups of wall décor. If you don't want to hang all of your artwork or decorative objects on a continuous line, you can create a grouping of wall décor. Because groupings aren't exact, you only need to try to keep the center artwork of the group around the 57-inch line. Larger objects look better in the middle, and smaller items make sense around the group's perimeter.

Tips & Warnings

• You can add hardware to the back of flat-backed objects that aren't necessarily meant to hang. For example, you can use water-soluble adhesive plate hangers that are rated by weight. Buy ones matching the weight class of your objects and put them on your décor the night before you plan to hang it. The glue hardens after several hours. If you ever want to take the hangers off, soak the object and its hanger in water.

References

• Apartment Therapy: How To: Hang Your Artwork and Not Screw It Up
• Apartment Therapy: How To: Hang Art in Groups
• Apartment Therapy: Roundup: Tools for Hanging Artwork
• Apartment Therapy: How To: Hang a Wall of Pots
• Apartment Therapy: Baskets as Wall Art