Do's and Don'ts of Hanging Art

Do's and Don'ts of Hanging Art

 

Updated: Jul 28, 2023

Buying a piece of art is a wonderful and personal thing. Art should be purchased when it catches your eye and it speaks to you. A piece of fine art deserves a place to show it off well, whether it's a painting, a photograph, a sculpture, ceramic, or glassware. Even a fine art print. They all deserve the right spot so you can admire it everyday. However there are places best suited to certain types of art. I'm only going to focus on wall art for now.

1. Near or facing a large window or glazed doors:

Our homes are becoming brighter with larger windows and glazed doors being the norm in most houses. This can cause a issue for some mediums like watercolours, acrylics, and fine art prints. The best type of art for this places are oils, pencil drawings and pastels as they are less likely to fade over time.
 

2. Over a radiator or heater.

Oil paintings scream luxury, with their thick application and rich texture. They can make a room look sophisticated. However, there is one place that can be detrimental to them, over a heater or radiator. They can start a to crack from drying out. I would also avoid hanging acrylics there to as the chemicals in the paint can breakdown . Pastels, pencil drawings, collages and photographs can all be hung over radiators without any adverse reaction.
 
3. Bathrooms
 

A painting can add a beautiful finishing touch to a bathroom, but again, I would be mindful of the type of art you hang in there. I would avoid watercolours in particular the high moisture environment would not be good for them. I would, in fact avoid any artwork with glazed framing ans the steam can get behind the glass and destroy it. In my opinion the best medium for this would be an oil or acrylic painting which are not usually glazed.

4. Outdoors

These days, our gardens have become an extension of our homes. They give us extra space to enjoy in summer and we love to decorate them as we would inside. However, I would not recommend hanging any piece of fine art out there, no matter what the medium. That said however, why not commission a local artist to create mural, or if you're feeling creative, you could so something yourself with paints suited to the outdoors.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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