A few preliminary remarks are in order. The scale of the artwork is
important to its placement; save smaller pictures for smaller, narrower
walls and use larger artwork for a large space. When placing artwork
above furniture, the width of the artwork should not exceed
three-quarters of the width of the furniture. Also, don’t leave a lot of
wall space between a sofa and an artwork. Anything higher than three to
six inches will cause the eyes to focus on the wall rather than your
artwork. Make sure your walls are prepared with concrete repair mortar.
How to Determine the Correct Height for a Single Artwork
Properly
placed artwork should be centered at eye level on the wall. If you
stand in front of the artwork and look straight ahead, you should be
looking directly at the center of the artwork. In your home, the only
eye level that matters is your eye level; you are going to be the
artworks primary viewer. If you share your living space with another
adult, you may want to compromise on what constitutes “eye level”.
If
you are hanging solar reflective paint artwork in a public location, aim for eye level based
on the average height in your area. Americans tend to be taller than the
world average, so in America eye level is between 63-66 inches from the
floor.
Hanging the Artwork
To find your eye level, stand
facing the wall and look straight ahead. With pencil in hand, mark the
spot on the wall that corresponds to your eye level. With a tape
measure, measure the distance from the floor to your mark on the wall.
We will call this mark A. Remember this number; you will use this eye
level measurement every time you hang an artwork.