The hanging guide
How to hang artso it looks planned.
Two things decide whether a piece looks planned or guessed: how high it hangs, and the light it hangs in. This guide covers both, step by step.
Choose your piece
Find the piece, then hang it with confidence.
Each one arrives ready to hang. The guide below helps you choose the right height.
Italian Holiday
Black frame
Es Vedra
White frame
Set Sail
Hickory frame
Gozzo
Black frame
“Excellent print, high quality. Frame is perfect. Easy to hang.”
C A. S. · Verified buyer
“Everything arrived in perfect condition and it was easy to hang.”
Mercedes A. · Verified buyer
“The print is stunning. I absolutely love the new frames. I can change the print out with the seasons and change my vibe while being able to store my other prints safely and not needing to purchase a new frame. I will definitely be ordering more prints!!”
Tatum · Verified buyer
I. Height
How high to hang art
Measure up from the furniture beneath it, not down from the ceiling.
Above a sofa or console
Leave 8 to 10 inches between the top of the furniture and the bottom of the frame. That is close enough for the two to read as one arrangement.
Then check the width. Let the art span about two-thirds of the furniture. Above an 84-inch sofa, that is roughly 56 inches of art.
Above a bed
The same two-thirds rule applies. A king bed is about 76 inches wide, so look for art near 50 inches across. Our Gallery size, 50 by 38 inches, fits. Above a queen bed, our Statement size, 42 by 30 inches, fits. Leave 6 to 8 inches between the top of the headboard and the bottom of the frame. With no headboard, measure from the top of the pillows.
On an open wall
In a hallway or on a wall with nothing beneath it, hang the piece so its middle sits near eye level. Over furniture, the furniture sets the height, not your eye line.
In a group
A gallery wall follows its own rule: keep the same three inches between every frame. Our spacing guide draws it to scale.
Read the gallery wall guideII. Light
The light that flatters a print
A print can only look as good as the light that falls on it.
Aim a warm light at the center
Mount a light above the piece, a little out from the wall, and aim it at the middle of the print. Tilt it so the beam meets the wall at about 30 degrees. That angle lights the whole surface evenly and keeps the beam from bouncing back into your eyes.
Choose a warm-white bulb
Warm-white bulbs, often labeled 2700K, flatter the warm tones in most prints.
Keep direct sun off the print
Sunlight fades any print over the years. Hang art on a wall the sun does not reach, or out of the window's direct beam.
III. Windows
When a window is the problem
Where you hang the piece decides how a window's light lands on it.
Glare is bright light bouncing off the front of a piece. The usual cause is a window on the opposite wall. Hang the piece on the wall beside the window instead.
Beside the window, the light crosses the wall instead of landing straight on the print.
The Endless Frame
One frame. Every season.
Get the height and the light right once, then keep them. Change the print as the seasons change, without ever replacing the frame. One Endless Frame stores up to 50 prints laid flat, plus up to three mounted prints. And if a window ever throws glare, remove the acrylic glass. With it out, the glare from the glass is gone.
Good to know
Questions about hanging art
How high should you hang art above a couch?
Leave 8 to 10 inches between the top of the couch and the bottom of the frame. Close enough that the two read as one arrangement.
How big should art be above a couch?
About two-thirds of the couch's width. Above an 84-inch sofa, that is roughly 56 inches of art. For a group of pieces, measure from the outer edge of the first to the outer edge of the last.
How high should you hang art above a bed?
Leave 6 to 8 inches between the top of the headboard and the bottom of the frame. If the bed has no headboard, measure from the top of the pillows.
What size art goes above a king or queen bed?
Use the two-thirds rule. A king bed is about 76 inches wide, so look for art near 50 inches across. Our Gallery size, 50 by 38 inches, fits. Above a queen, our Statement size, 42 by 30 inches, fits.
What is the best light for framed art?
A warm-white bulb above the piece, aimed at its center, with the beam meeting the wall at about 30 degrees. It lights the whole surface evenly and keeps the beam out of your eyes.
How do you stop glare on framed art?
Hang the piece on a wall beside the window, not across from it, or close the curtains at the brightest hour. On the Endless Frame, you can also remove the acrylic glass, and the glare from the glass is gone.
Your turn
Measure once. Then enjoy the wall.
Choose your piece, use this guide to place it, and swap the art with the seasons in your Endless Frame.
Gallery wall spacing: the three-inch rule →How to size art for your wall →How color changes a room →