This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you choose to purchase through links I provide [at no extra cost to you]. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
During our remodel, our contractor found a group of the home’s original blueprints hidden in a wall. While they were old and slightly water-damaged, we wanted to save them and have them hung in our home.
So I had them restored – not cheap but SO worth it – I 100% recommend this place if you’re in St. Louis and need something restored. We ended up being able to have four of the six blueprints we found restored. I knew I wanted to display them all together to show the original home’s plan, which meant that I’d have to figure out how to hang them in a group. Spoiler alert! I did it 😉 and I’m going to show you how:
Hanging pictures gives me slight anxiety; I don’t want to mess up the walls, I want the pictures to be even, the height to be right, you get the gist. And hanging 4 photos in a grouping was REALLY stressing me out, but I just did it and it wasn’t as painful as I thought!
Here’s how to hang multiple pictures evenly with zero stress and only a few tools!
Supplies you’ll need:
- hammer
- nails
- laser level – I have one built in to my stud finder but this one has amazing reviews at a great price
- blue painters tape
- hold your pictures up on the wall to eyeball about how high you want them off the ground and between spaces on the wall. I was going to eye-level but not too low to keep them out of reach of my kids
- use a laser level to make an even line on your wall. use a pencil to mark a tiny spot on both of the furthest ends of the laser line on the wall – no need to draw a line across the entire wall
- use your painter’s tape to create an even line between the two points you just drew on the wall
- hammer a nail into the wall right above the painter’s tape
- remove the painter’s tape
If you’re hanging a group of 4 pictures, just repeat the same steps for the second ‘row’ of pictures. I didn’t measure the exact distance between the top and bottom row of pictures, just eyeballed it.
Hanging art can be tricky! I’m sharing my easy tips for how high to hang pictures so you get it right every time!
Some people have a great eye for hanging pictures and can throw a piece of art up on the wall perfectly while others struggle to get it right. If you’re one of the strugglers and can use help figuring out how high to hang pictures on the wall, tricks for hanging groups of pictures, and other tips for hanging art, this post’s for you! I’m sharing all of my must-have tips that will make hanging your next picture a breeze! [post includes affiliate links – full disclosure statement available {here}]
How High Should I Hang a Single Picture?
When you’re hanging a single picture on the wall with nothing under it, it should be hung so that the center of the picture is 57-60″ from the floor. This is roughly eye level for the average person. Simply grab your measuring tape and measure the height of the picture you’re hanging, divide it in two, and then add 57-60″ to that measurement to arrive at the exact height the top of the picture should be on the wall.
You may want to err more toward the 60″ measurement if your family is on the taller side, it’s a space people are typically standing in such as a hallway or entryway, you have high ceilings, or if that higher height just looks better to your naked eye. Consider hanging pictures closer to 57″ on center in rooms where people are most often sitting [like dining rooms], where your ceilings are 8 foot high or less, and/or if your family is on the short side.
You can use the same rule of thumb when hanging two pictures with one directly above the other. Simply treat the two art pieces as one large picture with the center point between them being 57 – 60″ from the floor.
When I hung {this square floral art print} [30″ x 30″] that’s also in my girls’ bedroom, I left about 5″ of wall space between the art print and the dresser:
Room Sources: Floral artwork | Acrylic lamp | Faux fern in wood planter [similar] | Coral [similar] | Dresser | Dresser knobs
If you’re wondering about the best width for a picture over a dresser or sideboard, about ⅔ the width of the furniture piece is a good rule of thumb for how wide your picture should be [I wouldn’t go much narrower than ⅔, but a bit wider than ⅔ works too!].
So what about spacing when you’re hanging multiple pictures?…
However when you’re hanging an eclectic gallery wall like this one in our home office, the spacing doesn’t need to be consistent. A spacing of around 2-3″ between pictures is a good place to start but some can be closer and others farther apart depending upon what looks right to your eye.
Sources: Desk [similar] | Rug | Semi flush mount ceiling light | Acrylic curtain rods | Faux fiddle leaf fig tree [similar] | Console is thrifted | Elephant art print | Woven tray | Wood planter
The best way I’ve found to hang an eclectic grouping of art like this without putting a ton of holes in the wall is to plan your whole wall out before hanging anything. Lay all of your pictures/objects out on the floor and move them around until the arrangement and spacing seems right. You can find more tips for creating and hanging gallery walls in my post on gallery wall ideas.
Minted even has a pretty awesome new feature that allows you to change up the colors in some of their art prints [you can find their customizable art prints {here}]! For example, you’ll see that under the size options for {this art print}, there is a clickable option to “Customize this print to fit your decor”. It allows you to rotate the art print, zoom in on it, or completely change the colors in it.
Simply click “Customize” to zoom/crop it yourself and add notes on any changes in color that you want made by Minted’s art specialist. You can even give them specific paint colors [for ex., say “Please match color to Sherwin Williams Lucky Green”] or send them photos of a fabric piece, rug, or whatever else you’d like your art to match with. Once you place your order, an Art Specialist will email you a proof of your revised artwork – you can accept it or make any further revisions needed.
What Hangers Should I Use?
The type of hanger to use for hanging pictures depends on whether it’s going into drywall or a stud, how much your picture weighs, and the type of hardware that’s on the back of your framed art. The hangers I use most often are {these OOK picture hangers} because the nails are thin so they don’t make huge holes in the wall and they’re really stable, even when they’re going into drywall rather than a stud. For pictures that are meant to hang on the end of a screw, I use {these self drilling zinc anchors} if I’m hanging a picture on drywall without hitting a stud. For extremely heavy pictures, it’s best if you can drill your hanger into a stud but if not, toggle bolts are the way to go.
And with that… you’re ready to hang artwork like the pros! If you’d like to keep this info handy for the next time you need to hang a picture, Pin the image below:
If you found this post helpful, you’d also probably enjoy some of my other must-have measurement posts including my post on the pendant light height over your island and my post on must-have bathroom measurements.
What is the 2 3 rule hanging pictures?
What is the 2/3 rule for hanging pictures? If you're hanging more than one picture on a wall, aim for the 2/3 rule. Your collection of artwork should be 2/3 the size of the object you're hanging it near [whether that's a couch, credenza, or another type of cabinet].
How high to hang two pictures on top of each other?
Regardless of if you're hanging pictures vertically or horizontally on a wall, when it comes to hanging two or more pieces together you want to figure out the spacing between each + then treat it as a single oversized piece of artwork with the center of the grouping at 57 or 60 inches off the floor.
How do you hang two pictures together?
Measure the wall space where you want to hang the pictures and mark the center point. Measure the width of each picture and mark the corresponding points on the wall, ensuring they are evenly spaced from the center point. Use a level to make sure the marks are at the same height.
How do you arrange hanging two pictures staggered?
Hanging two pictures staggered? This is optimal with larger pieces. Try staggering them by hanging one lower than the other, so that top and bottom don't match. Grouping larger and smaller pieces asymmetrically helps to create interest and energy.