60" from the floor to middle of the artwork.

I've avg height, 5'7" and I've always used the rule of thumb to hang something where the center of the picture is eye level for me. Now when you have a grouping, etc, I try to make the center of the grouping eye level and I ignore ceiling height. I allow for tweaks but that's my starting point for sure. One of my pet peeves is artwork hung too high.

I'm not a professional decorator. Accordingly, my preferences may not pass as being correct, but I like to celebrate high ceilings.

Accordingly, when art is physically large and the subject matter within is also large enough to be easily seen, I hang very high. Some art is better viewed from afar in my opinion. Here are some examples:

The secretary is about 7' tall against a 17' wall

{{!gwi}}

The living room wall is 12 feet

{{!gwi}}

The foyer has 17' ceiling and we have art all-around

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

No offense to anyone, but I agree that artwork should be hung at a reasonable eye-level, as opposed to floating up too high. It needs to feel "grounded". In the case of very high ceilings, I believe this allows artwork to be of grander scale, as opposed to hung higher. I like the 60" rule, as mentioned earlier.

I am another firm believer in eye-level....

Agree with the two previous posters. Eye-level, and definitely not hung too high even though the ceilings are tall.

I like eye level but specifically with your more modern look which usually lends itself to lower ceilings, I think the lower-hung artwork compliments your style, room and overall atmosphere much better.

Vern Yip says to hang the middle of the picture 60" up from the floor. :)

I agree that art should be hung at eye level. However, if you have high ceilings like fnmroberts I think you can get away with hanging some pieces up much higher. I think in a room with a high ceiling, art above a sofa for example, should still be hung at eye level. But say you have a slanted wall going up to a vaulted ceiling, then you can add art higher. I have art hung above a doorway in my master bedroon because it's a big wall and I think it looks quite dramatic that way. If I get around to it, I'll post a picture.

Although I like some of the artwork placements in fnmroberts home, I am an eye level person myself, unless it is over a sofa or furniture piece. In that case, it should hang less than 12" from the furniture...like they were a pair.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Of course, there are the unusual circumstances, like the case of my extra long painting and my tall foyer ceiling.

lishaana - Are those paintings of Greece? I have a smaller acrylic on my screened porch. I picked it up in Santorini for $5!

I have read 60-62" from the floor to the middle of the picture, as well. Exceptions may be if you have a high narrow picture, then you might hang it so that eye level is about 2/3 up from the bottom of the picture and in a room where you would always be seated like a dining room, you might want it a bit lower than 60-62" from the floor.

I've read it recommended to cut out a paper/cardboard template of the picture, then tape the template on the wall to get an idea of scale, but haven't tried that yet.

I think it is fine to hang artwork high if you start low and stack it or if your ceilings are such that it looks good, as above in fnroberts. We have had to do that. Our ceilings are 11 feet. In the hallways I have it starting low and going to the ceiling because I don't have enough walls otherwise. Also I have hung artwork on either side of my GR armoire from low to near the ceiling. I think it depends, but in the room above, I think 60-64 inches from the floor to bottom of frame or canvas is more practical and more in keeping with the decor.

Thanks everyone for the advice... It just confirms my thoughts... DH is the one that needs convincing... Now I have all this ammo!

NewHomeBuilder- The paintings are from Greece... From the island of Rhodes to be exact. There are a lot of similar paintings sold throughout the greek islands...A lot of them are mass-produced paintings over print or photograph. But you can find authentic paintings if you look hard enough.

Yes, my little painting was done by a local. He had many raw canvas scenes to choose from. I kinda wish I had purchased four, so that I could group them. I have the canvas framed and sitting on a furniture piece on the porch.

Good luck with you hanging.

Eye level is where the middle of the artwork should be. Fnmroberts, I have to say that your artwork is hung WAY too high. Yes, they are tall walls, but that doesn't mean you have to put artwork there. The pieces of furniture don't need help drawing attention to themselves, they are decorative enough.

Newhomebuilder, on the other hand, your pics could be hung about 5-6" higher and would balance the wall out, and move the goose pic over to the left, it doesn't need to be directly above the table.

A good rule of thumb (besides the 60" from the floor to the center) is for pieces above a sofa should be 10" from the top of the sofa to the bottom of the picture.

Art on walls should be looked at straight on, no one should have to strain their necks to see your decor.

Yea, but just try to figure out why eye level is when I'm 5'4" and hubby is 6' ;D The conversation usually goes, how high do you want it? Eye level. Whose eyes are we using?

Mostly, I just wanted to say I really liked your artwork lishaana.

Rob, pretend you're 5 foot 7 inches, that's what I do !!

Everyone's right here I think. Eye-level, 5'7" or 60" is the rule of thumb unless you're talking about a small seating area where you'll be viewing the artwork at close range. In that case rule of thumb says seated eye-level.

****To Newhomebuilder****
I have the twin of your JRT asleep on my sofa right now!

That's why Vern Yip says 60". It's a good rule of thumb for all heights.

I say hang it the way you like it to be hung, I have oils all over my house and all hung at different levels, and yes, I have high ceilings in most rooms, for sure above the sofa in pic. above is way to low, I don't want people sitting back with their head against my paintings or frames, knocking them askew....also some are hung so low, looks like midgets live there? just use common sense, I was raised by an artist and lived with paintings all over the house and all were hung at different heights according to sz. of painting as well as height of wall or angle. some paintings that look like they were done by a child, the farther away the better...can't believe some of the crap, I've seen in galleries...LOL

"****To Newhomebuilder****
I have the twin of your JRT asleep on my sofa right now!"

Ann - Would love to see him/her. My Riley is asleep on another sofa right now. The sofa in the other pic was in my old house.

michelle_phxaz and susieq07 - I am 5'9"...far from being a midget! LOL The angle that I took the photo makes the painting look too low, where in actuality, it is 10" above the sofa back. The sofa is so large, that when I sit on it, my head barely clears the back cushion, thus placing my head a good 6" from the painting frame. Here is a photo of the same painting in my new home. It is hung exactly the same height as in the other house, but over a smaller sofa. It's impossible to hit your head on the frame unless you are sitting improperly. In that case, if the painting were higher, than someones greasy head would be all over my wall. YOUCK!!!

And Michelle, you are right, I could have moved the painting of the goose over a few feet, to anchor both the table and chair, but we wanted the painting to match up with the ceiling point and the middle of that wall. That yellow chair got moved around a lot. We no longer live in that house anyway. :)

Like susieq07 says, hang it the way you like it to be hung. I think that's just what fnmroberts has done. :)

Whoops! I didn't mean to hi-jack this thread either. My apologies to the OP.

fnmroberts - Your reasoning makes a lot of sense. :) I think that unless someone can actually go into a home, the full affect of ones decorating style/reason can not be known. It cannot be relayed in a photo. Your home is very pretty...looks like an upscale gallery. I love your secretary!

Newhomebuilder, the height of the dog pic over the green-blue couch is PERFECT. It is much more to scale than your first pic, and most people sitting on a couch like yours probably wouldn't rest their head on the wall.

"****To Newhomebuilder and Ann****
And I have the triplet of your JRTs at home right now.

Riley is so cute. He's the best accessory in the room, and that's saying a lot because the room is lovely.

Mine is named Lucy and she's my little shadow.

I guess it is a matter of personal preference. Looking at newhomebuilder's photo of the loveseat, photo and candle sconces, if it were in my house - and I wish it were - I would bring the bottom of the picture frame down to within about six inches of the back of the sofa. And probably lower the sconces. To me, the items on the wall are not properly anchored to the sofa.

When I was trained in fine art sales, I was told pictures should be hung so your eyes hit the center of the picture from north to south. A picture is suppose to blend in with the room's decor. When it's hung too high, it's not a part of anything, put rather just a picture that was hung wrong.

fmroberts, you have a gorgeous home! I agree with you that art should be hung according to how and where it is viewed. I love the way you the pieces hung in your home.
The 60" rule is a very general rule that does not apply in many circumstances and does not take into consideration the surrounding furniture. It's also quite staid.

bumblebeez

Thank you for your compliment. No visitor has ever not appreciated placement of our art, but seeing them first-time in a photo (through a wide-angle lens) must give a mistaken impression compared to viewing first hand.

Oh yes, our furnishings in the LR, DR and Entry are quite formal. My DH inherited the secretary and DR table - originally from his great-grandparents and before. We've had them for more than 30 years and my decorating attempts to keep the traditional character of pieces we have no intention to part with and maintain a traditional/eclectic feel. Unfortunately, we have owned much larger homes before and the scale here is not as accommodating to large art. The rest of our home is more relaxed!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and holiday season.