What is the length of the wall? The length of the sofa? The sizes of the artwork????

Changing the frame to a more contemporary one will modernize the art and make a world of difference.

@Sammie J I do not have the precise measurements but I do not think they make a difference. I am looking for a concept. I might change the art or buy a new sofa if thats what it takes.

@Donna Tepper any specific ideas as to color and shape? Also, I think just changing the frames will still make it look like a museum

What does the rest of your furniture look like? I kind of love the mix of gilded old-fashioned frames around more modern portraits--especially that second portrait. It's old fashioned at first glance, and then surprises you as you look closer. Your sofa has very crisp lines. If your coffee table and other furniture is also clean and modern, I think the art and furniture mix would be awesome.

If your furniture as a whole is more traditional, like that in the first picture, then yes on Donna Tepper's suggestion of contemporary frames.

The art is lovely and timeless feeling and is its own thing... the frames for each are perfect. A lot of galleries that I have been to paint the walls gray and hang the art from wires and have good lighting highlighting the art. I think if you focus on getting the art on the wall right then you can pick the furniture to give you the style/ look you want.

@mcarroll16 I have two more chairs for the couch. My biggest problem is too much brown/bronze which is not "in" now. The art is brown, dining room table is honey brown, side board. All together it has no character I am afraid

A couple of thoughts. First, if you like those pieces, and they work together, I wouldn't worry about "in." That changes much faster than the life cycle of good furniture. Second, the design bloggers say that brown is coming back.

If it's too much brown/bronze for you though, are there other inexpensive pieces you can swap out for contrast? This art will be over your white sofa, so you're already breaking up the block there. Maybe you could use a couple of brighter brass lamps in the room. Put a bright-colored runner across the sideboard (that's my solution to my 70s-oak stained sideboard). A more mid-century or contemporary pendant over the dining table. Things that continue the great old/new mix that your art pieces already embody.

@mcarroll16 interesting idea to put a more modern fixture. When I was young traditional furniture and art made me feel well off. Now it makes me feel old. I definitely want an "in" look

Have the couch face the art and place an uncomfortable bench under the art? Only half joking! :)

One advantage to hanging art from wires, as Rawketgrl suggested, is that it gives you the flexibility to rearrange the art without worrying about holes in the wall (I have an older house with traditional picture rail that I use for it's intended purpose).

I strongly recommend doing a virtual mock-up of the artwork before you hang it, once you are in the house and can get a photo of the wall with the furniture in place. It doesn't take fancy photo editing tools. You can try out different placement and experiment with the frames. If you need help with the mock-up, there are people here who will help (you can tag me).

I love the artwork, BTW.

Oh what beautiful art!

Use the whole wall behind the sofa. One big art gallery wall.

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I think the art as framed is perfect. Your sofa and pillows are modern, so you already have a nice mix going. If you want to add modern pieces, maybe new lamps and end tables, and/or a new area rug. i really think a gallery wall would detract from your beautiful paintings. To fill the space, you could add tall plants or trees. I would hang the artwork closer together than the art in your first photo, and about 6-8” above the top of the sofa.

@cawaps I did some more measuring and thinking based on all the wonderful advise. The wall is almost 17 ft. The couch is 81 inches . I also have the morrors below, 2 of them, 80 by 39. Celing height is 10 ft. i can put the second painting in the middle which is the biggest at 38 by 48 amd mirrors on the sides sticking par the couch

I think in order to look like they were in a museum they need to be hung on their own not behind a sofa. in an entry or hall?

@Cheryl Smith @decoenthusiaste

the whole point is for it to not look like a museum. there is no usable wall on the other side for a sofa. I did not know about the battery operated art lamps, I will look into that, thank you

Seriously?.. your title comment says you want a museum look🤷🏻‍♀️and the suggestion is to “ float “ the couch which needs no wall to be against…never mind that a little diplomacy is called for when you are asking free advice

@2btydrvn thats crazy! I was having a really hard time posting- that's why it is a picture of the text with the couch on top, not a typed post. It kept deleting and freezing so I took a picture of what I have already posted so I can keep trying without writing it from scratch every time. It does not accept dictated text either. I just fixed it. Thank you for pointing it out

Whew! Things make more sense now.

Fabulous paintings!

Whenever I have to hang several pieces, I cut out large pieces of paper in the exact size and tape them up. I can re-arrange them w/o damaging the walls.

When I get the placement right, if I'm still not sure, I take a photo and Photoshop the artwork in just to be sure. (If you don't have good photoshop skills, come back to us and somebody will probably jump in and do it for you -- maybe me, if I happen to be around at the time.)

Once I'm really sure about placement, I stick a tack through the paper were the wall hook should go, and tear the paper down.

"Floating" a couch means letting it stand clear of any walls. Its a much more modern look, museum or not.

Ghost dining chairs would continue the antique+modern vibe:

Friends of ours have a knockoff version that was much cheaper, and quite comfortable.