Thursday Tip # 12- Art above the sofa

Do you have  one big blank space above the sofa?  Are you wondering how to fill it?  If the number of questions I get about this is any indication there are lots of question marks out there about this topic.  Ta da... answers.  I  introduced this topic a little in last week's Thursday Tip  when I discussed scale, but I wanted to give more formatting options this week. 

 This is an area where there are lots of thoughts on how to and how not to hang art for best effect.
My guideline is to think about ways to fill at least 2/3 the width of the furniture. It is often difficult to find large scale art so think about pairings of various types.  It also looks good if your art expands to the edges of the sofa.  Once you go beyond  sofa width the art starts to look very top heavy and the sofa  is diminished. You should also consider the height of the art.   Remember it is a long way to the ceiling so refrain from work that is only twelve or 14 inches high.  It will look lost even if it is long enough.

I have to thank  Interiors PL    for creating this great graphic that provides many options for what to hang over a sofa.

11 options for hanging art over a sofa.

My favourites in these options are  4, and 6-11.  They all fit the guidelines I discussed above.  1 and 3 are my least favourite because they don't fill up enough space for me.  I like 5 because it is asymmetrical  and I could balance this placement by adding things on the left of the sofa to create a pleasing balance. Richard Mishaan discussed  another aspect of asymmetrical placement in a House Beautiful post.

Why asymmetrical layouts work

Here is the same idea expressed in one of my painting compositions called Breathe.

 Margaret Ryall, 2004, Breathe, acrylic on canvas, 12 x 24in.

 Are any of these options wrong?  Not really.  There are only guidelines in interior design,  no right or wrong. 

Do you have a favourite way to arrange art above your sofa?  Please share.

Thursday Tip # 11 - Art and space

After a long hiatus I am back to Thursday Tips at the request of a reader who liked these short and to the point tips for "small improvements that have big impact".  For this week my favourite topic - art.


The biggest mistake made when hanging art is not matching the size/shape of the art work to the space you are hanging it.   Work should look "comfortable" in its space not cramped or looking like it is awash in a sea of wall.

Layout follows vertical space

source

Long console needs substantial work to fill space

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Perfect  size and composition for top of stairs

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Size and shape  works with width of headboard

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Art shape and size  follows wall shape

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And there you have it.  Large works for large spaces or smaller works massed together for impact.  No little pieces lonely on a big wall.  No large pieces squat into a small space.  Oh, did I mention I have a lot of opinions on gallery walls?  I'll save that for another tip.