Love where you live. Sign up for our newsletter

How High Should I Hang A Picture: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet

by on Mar 21, 2023

Wondering how high to hang pictures in your home? Should they be at eye level? Does that mean my eye level or the eye level of the average person? What if I have very high ceilings? What about those gallery walls everyone is posting Pinterest pictures of? It’s a lot to think about, right? Sometimes it seems as if there are as many answers to this question as there are different kinds of houses. This quick cheat sheet is designed to help you make this decision based on your own interior, and find the perfect height to hang pictures in your home.

Should I hang this picture at eye level?

At first glance, eye level may seem like a good idea. However, “eye level” means something different for each individual. Especially if you’re very tall or (in my case) very short, hanging at your eye level can be problematic. Instead of hanging pictures at your subjective eye level, follow the hanging guidelines in this article evenly throughout your interior. That way your paintings will look good, no matter whose eyes are beholding.

How high to hang pictures in a hallway or entryway

As a rule of thumb, it’s best to hang your picture at least 60 inches from the ground in places where they will be viewed from a standing position, such as in a hallway. For smaller pictures, you can hang them a little higher, about 65 inches. This height is the most comfortable for people of all sizes.

If you’re putting in a gallery wall that will be viewed from a standing position, the bottom edge of it should be at least 60 inches from the floor. The gallery wall can go up as high as you want but make sure you leave a gap of at least one foot between the highest point of the gallery wall and the ceiling.

picture hanging in entryway
Entryway artwork at eye level. Image from SS Edit.

How high to hang pictures above a sofa

Whether it’s one large work of art or a grouping of several, there are a couple of rules to hanging pictures over a sofas or couches.

The first is that you should hang any pictures at least 8 inches from the back of the sofa. The second is that width of the work, or works of art, should take up about 2/3 the width of the sofa. If you have a small interior, use a mix of small and medium sized pictures to fill up that space. If you have a lot of wall space to fill or a large sofa, go for bigger pictures.

These rules also work if you are hanging pictures above a console or hallway table.

Artwork about the sofa
Artwork about the sofa from Southern Living.
colorful artwork hanging above an orange couch
three pieces hanging above the couch.
Well placed artwork over the sofa. Found on Pinterest.

How to hang pictures along staircases

Staircases are good places to put gallery walls. Groupings of smaller pictures should go along the staircase diagonally, at least 60 inches from the bottom of each stair. Because of the height differences between stairs, this is not the place for large pictures. Leave those for spaces with even elevation.

Also, just as in other spaces, you don’t want to hang all the way up to the ceiling. Leave a gap of at least one foot from the top of the picture and the ceiling. It’s okay if it’s not perfectly measured out. You have some wiggle room here to arrange the pictures in the way that looks best.

Perfect staircase gallery from Wildflower Home.
Perfect staircase gallery from Wildflower Home.

And don’t be afraid to break the rules! This staircase gallery is a perfect example.

accent wall with gallery and wallpaper
We love this gallery staircase from Rebecca Propes.

How to hang artwork in rooms with high ceilings

Unless you live at Downton Abbey, your pictures should not be hung floor to ceiling or “salon style.” This preferred picture hanging style of the old European aristocracy just doesn’t look good in modern interiors. Even the oldest museums don’t hang artwork this way anymore!

If you don’t want your high-ceilinged living room to look like Hogwarts, leave the top third to a half of your wall space free. How much space you leave depends on how high your ceilings are. If you have a two story high great room or entry foyer, keep pictures in the bottom half. If your have high ceilings don’t reach two stories, hang in the bottom two thirds.

Also, when you have a lot of wall space, it’s better to hang up one large picture instead of many small ones.

Room with high ceilings and well placed artwork from Home Bunch.
Room with high ceilings and well placed artwork from Home Bunch.

The right height for wall art above a fireplace

The best thing to hang above a fireplace is a mirror. Why? Because the heat and dryness of the fire will slowly damage any work of art you put above it. But hanging a work of art is fine if you don’t light the fire that often or if the fire isn’t real (and therefore, doesn’t get too hot). That said, the rules for hanging mirrors in your home are the same as for hanging pictures.

Hang the mirror at least eight inches from the mantelpiece. The mirror (and it should be only one large mirror) should measure about 2/3 of the width of the mantelpiece.

Artwork above a non-working fireplace.
Artwork above a non-working fireplace.
Mirror above the fireplace.
Mirror above the fireplace.

Picture hanging hardware and supplies

We all know the basics of what you need to hang a pictures, a nail and a hammer, but there are a handful of tools that will make the job so much easier and ensure that your artwork is safely in place.

Hooks / hangers: Make sure that the hook is the appropriate size for the artwork. The heavier the artwork, the larger the hook and nail should be. If you have an especially heavy piece, consider distributing the weight across more than one hook and/or ensuring the hook is attached to a stud in the wall using a screw, instead of just a nail.

Museum putty: You will find museum putty dotting the wall-facing bottom corners of the frames of all the artwork in my house. I especially recommend using it on pieces that hang closer to the doorways that naturally get jolted more. It safely keeps all of your pieces of art nicely in place.

Level: Yes, you can eyeball it, but if you’re building a gallery wall or just want to save yourself a little grief, use a level.

Tape Measure: Measure twice and you won’t regret it! Or have to fill a bunch of holes with putty before you’ve finished your project.

Safety

Just a quick reminder, that if you live in an area prone to earthquakes, consider having artwork framed with acrylic instead of glass. Not only is it safer, but it’s also much lighter and is available with UV protection so your beloved artwork doesn’t fade away in the sun.

Art is a crucial ingredient to making your house feel like a home. Using the tricks in this cheat sheet, you will be able to hang your favorite pictures in a balanced way that compliments the rest of your interior. These simple tricks also work in any room. So whether you’re hanging pictures of the kids in the den or framing up some seashells in your coastal bathroom, your pictures will always look perfect! And once you know the rules, you can break the rules!

We’ve talked about art in the home, now let’s discuss lighting! Here are a few tricks on how to achieve a Scandinavian feel using lights.

Scandinavian lighting tips

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

1 Comments

  1. You mention hanging a picture above the back of a sofa at least 8 inches. Is that 8 inches to the bottom of the picture? 8 inches to the center of the picture or 8 inches to the top? Thanks!