Most decorators and designers will tell you to hang them at eye level. I’ll tell you a little secret: They don’t actually mean EVERYONE’s eye level. The average is that the middle of the picture should hit around or a little above five feet. This is on an empty wall.

When you are hanging pictures or mirrors above furniture, you can hang them lower. There should be a gap of at least three to six inches between the top of a table, chair, sofa, or mantel and the bottom of the frame. The picture should look like it is part of the vignette you are creating, and not an afterthought.

If you are hitting your head on the frame when you sit on your sofa, maybe you should go lie down and take a nap! J I have never had that problem, but if you do just add another pillow to your back. (Just remember not to go overboard with the pillows!)

When you hang your pictures too high on the wall, when you are sitting you will not be able to see them very well. If you are going for a gallery effect, then the first pictures that you hang will be the ones at eye level. Then you can arrange the rest around those.

If you are hanging pictures in a hallway, use narrower frames to keep bumping into them to a minimum. (A few less drinks at cocktail time, though not as fun, will keep you from knocking them off too!) Save the larger, chunkier frames for spaces that are out of the way of traffic.

Remember, if you have to crane your neck unnaturally to see the painting, or stand on a stool to look in the mirror, it’s TOO HIGH! Décor should be about comfort and you shouldn’t have to hurt yourself to see the beauty.

Picture from photoxpress.com

Copyright© 2010 Christina Rodriguez. All rights reserved.

Your home can be a relaxing haven where you shake off the stresses of your day when you arrive. Peaceful, light-filled rooms that have positive flowing energy can be yours with just one phone call. Contact me, Christina of Diva by Design™, at info@divabydesign.org, or (956) 970-2040 to bring a new harmony to your surroundings.

Christina Rodriguez is President of Diva by Design™, an interior decorating, home staging, and redesign company. She is also a proud graduate and affiliate of The Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. If you would like to know more about home staging as a business, click here.