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9 Fresh Ways to Display Your Art

Don’t let your collection just sit in a closet––start enjoying those paintings, posters, and photos right now

Miranda Jones
1 /9 Photo by Thomas J. Story

Provide a common denominator

Diverse mediums and frames are brought to together by a single, shared wall color.

2 /9 Photo by Lisa Romerein

Use negative space

Corners are notorious difficult places to fill. Take the opportunity to make your own curated corner gallery.

3 /9 Photo by Lisa Romerein

Introduce old to new

A slightly stuffy wood block of trees looks sweet against a modern cabin wall.

4 /9 Photo by Thomas J. Story

Shelve it

Have more bookcases than free wall space? Hang your art on the shelving itself. This works well for both large and small pieces; with small ones, group lots of them together or they’ll get lost visually.

5 /9 Photo by Thomas J. Story

Raise it

Draw the eye up (and save your walls from holes) by using the tops of window- and doorframes to showcase small artworks. Color is key: See how the yellow pieces here pop against the robin’s-egg blue.

6 /9 Photo by Lisa Romerein

Distract with it

Divert the gaze from the ubiquitous living-room eyesore by hanging a painting larger than the flat-screen right above it. Note: Since the TV already has a frame, ditch the one on the art.

7 /9 Photo by Ericka McConnell

Surprise with it

Art becomes comfortably everyday when you incorporate it into a high-traffic-area tableau. This tip is not, of course, meant for your Chagall—or any other irreplaceable pieces.

8 /9 Photo by Thomas J. Story

Unify it

Even a random collection feels coherent when displayed in a wraparound gallery. The trick here? Hang the gallery centered on a line just above eye level.

9 /9 Photo by Lisa Romerein

Embrace unexpected placement

Art is a sweet surprise when hung for the benefit of those with their head on the pillow.