No matter how much one would like to have a large, sprawling house, the budget does often not allow it. Most often our budget and lifestyle only permits a rather smaller, cozier house. And you may feel that it is a challenge to liven it up. The obstacle can be defeated by learning how to efficiently arrange artwork on a small wall.
Your house is your haven. In a sense, it is an extension of your own personality. It gives you a sense of homeliness once you enter it and stay there. For a person who is visiting you, it offers an insight into your mind and gives them a perspective as to the kind of person you are. It also mirrors your goals and dreams and offers you comfort when you are not feeling your best.
Here is a list of five pro-tips that will help you arrange artwork on a small wall and decorate your house for more space saving:
- Choose a theme when looking at arranging pictures –
Every home is an extension of not just the person who inhabits it, it is also an extension of their headspace. If you have accumulated a collection and are wondering how to display them correctly, the crux is in choosing a theme. But a theme does not necessarily have to be a topic, it can be look and feel of the artwork as well. You can either choose to go eclectic or choose to display elegance. If you do not have much artwork of a particular genre to display, there is no need to panic. Mixing genres to give a funky look to the house works as well. And having less artwork to display is great for space saving. - Go unidirectional when looking to arrange artwork on a small wall – If clean lines, rhythm and balance is your thing, look at arranging pictures in a line, either vertically or horizontally. This is a great way for both space saving and displaying artwork that is in frames of the same size. When choosing whether to go vertical or horizontal, the answer to that choice is the size of the wall. Horizontal arrangement looks great on a broad wall and vertical arrange works on a tall wall. However, this approach may not work when you have too many pictures to hang, say five or more. Especially in the dining room and the bedroom.
- Choose a grid if in doubt on how to hang pictures –
In case you have an extensive art collection or a lot of pictures with the same dimensions, you can do no wrong by choosing to display them as a grid. This style reflects order and symmetry in the house. Again, this only works if you have a lot of framed photos that are of the same dimensions. This is a great method of arranging pictures that have a common theme. But again, this style is purely dependent on the architectural integrity of the house. The size of the walls will determine the grouping of the photographs. A broad wall will allow for space between frames and a narrow wall will not allow for this luxury. But undoubtedly, a grid formation is great for space saving and captures attention when one walks into a room. - If eclectic is your thing, arranging pictures in a cluster works great – If you are not too sure how to arrange artwork on a small wall, you can choose to display them as a cluster. This arrangement lends a very organic feel to the house and the location it is displayed. It may seem to be asymmetrical but is oozes a sense of freedom.This is a great direction to choose when you are unsure of how to hang mismatched frames in a particular space. This also works in case you want to replace artwork in this display without disturbing the look and feel. This method is the path of least resistance except for the same space limitations. However, the chances of going wrong are most in this method. This only works if it does not end up looking messy.
- Think old school: Salon style –
If modern is not your thing, choose to go old school and revamp your wall by arranging pictures in salon style. Salon style is more like the 18th Century academic style of arranging artwork. It is best characterized by a floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall frenzy of art hung tightly together, very neatly at that. The method is becoming the new rave for interior decorators. This style is a throwback to the era of romance and drama.Like the clustered style, it’s a good way to showcase pieces of art of different sizes and with different frame materials, especially if you have pieces that are of different sizes that have different frames. The framing materials used here not only define the space with their hard, reflective surfaces, they also make a room feel more closed-in.
Final Words
Though there are many other ways to arrange artwork on a small wall like displaying them on shelves and going with the choice of displaying a single picture. The thing of hanging a single picture on the wall is that it needs to be really powerful and should tie in the entire room together.
If space saving is your key approach, use frames of the same shape and size to maximize the number of pieces you wish to display. At the same time, try to focus on the composition of the architecture of the walls. Do not try to use a particular approach unless it works with the overall vibe of the space.
Before you choose how to hang your artwork, one of the best things to do is to arrange your pictures on the floor. This allows you to choose the best composition when arranging pictures. This will also allow you to experiment on different configurations.
