4 Art Strategies Before Remodelling

Have you ever tried to hang a piece of art on a wall but found a light switch in the way?  Avoid this design faux pas with careful planning prior to remodelling.  You can greatly improve your display options for family photos and artwork with thoughtful decisions about sightlines, lighting and placement of windows, light switches and air vents.

First, consider where your important walls are, and it's not just over the fireplace.  When you consider sightlines you will find great walls for hanging art at the ends of hallways or walls viewed through doorways. Have you ever been in an art gallery or museum where you see a striking piece of art in the distance, at the far end of a gallery or down a corridor?  That is the result of intelligent use of sightlines, and good lighting. 

Walk around your home and look through doorways from one room to another, what is on the opposite wall?  What is at the end of the hallway?  These walls could be an overlooked opportunity for stunning art display.  Once you have determined some significant walls for art display you can plan how to improve the wall spaces and placement of lighting. 

Windows offer interesting choices in remodelling.  A large picture window takes up a whole wall and makes it difficult to display a prominent piece of art. One solution is to install smaller windows on either side of the wall to preserve a large wall space in the center for art display.

Lighting is essential for enjoyable viewing of artwork and is much more easily installed when the walls are torn apart for remodelling.  Adjustable lighting like track lighting and adjustable recessed cans are easy to direct onto to art work and create better illumination than wall washers and ambient lighting.  And don't forget to keep the light switches and air vents out of the way.

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4 Art Strategies Before Remodelling

Art Groupings

Salon style

Arrangements of framed artwork create a special decorating touch in your home and needn't be difficult to make.  There are many ways to create art arrangements, but three basic types of wall groupings are the Grid, the Mosaic and the Salon.  

  

The Salon style is the loosest form and is derived from 19th century Paris salons where art was hung floor to ceiling, (before there were big screen televisions). Don’t be afraid to cover the wall. This is your chance to get creative and let the art sing. If done properly, the grouping can have a lyrical feel as your eye moves from one piece to the next.








With the Salon style it is okay to be completely eclectic or pick a theme or color for a more calming effect.

Hanging is best done by planning ahead by laying out your pieces on the floor to create an arrangement.  Take a picture of the arrangement with a phone or camera before you start putting them on the wall.  Be sure to measure your wall space beforehand to check that the art will fit.

Salon style with objects

Mosaic

The Mosaic art hanging differs from the Salon in that it is a little more formal.  The framed artwork is still of varied sizes and styles but with a more linear outline.  Begin creating your arrangement by laying your art on the floor and try to leave space of 2 - 4 inches between pieces.  You can then use masking tape on your wall to outline where the grouping will go.  This helps you visualize the end result and also serves as a guide when hanging. 

Grid arrangement

Grid patterns are made up of equal sized artworks like this collection of map lithographs. Hanging requires careful measuring and patience.  For tips about measuring and hanging art go to our How-to-hang-art page for instructions and a video.

Art Groupings

How to Light Art

Clients frequently ask about lighting for artwork at The Studio Shop and it doesn't have to be complicated.   Here are some of the basics about light bulbs, placement, recessed lighting and track systems. 

Picture lights that mount to the back of a picture frame are a convenient way to provide lighting for artwork.  They are available in a variety of sizes and finishes to match your picture frame and home decor.
Track lighting and recessed cans provide flexible lighting for artwork with a clean, built-in look. Track lighting is the most flexible system for moving lights and aiming at artwork. Recessed lighting with adjustable heads are attractive for their clean look but aren’t quite as flexible as track. Recessed lighting with fixed lights are used for wall washing and ambient lighting, not very suitable for art lighting. High-end fixtures can include louvers and filters for focusing light just on the art, reducing ceiling glare and filtering UV rays.

MR-16 low voltage systems are used for track and recessed can systems.  They are very popular for lighting of art in residential and retail situations because of the compact bulb size and clean white light.  These low voltage systems use a transformer on the fixture or hidden in the ceiling. The bulbs emit a small amount of UV rays which are filtered by the glass lens that comes with most MR-16 fixtures. TIP: Do not touch the inside of the bulb when changing bulbs because your finger oils will make it burn out sooner.

PAR 30 bulbs are larger than MR-16s and have a standard screw-in base. They are commonly used in residential recessed cans and track lighting in art galleries.

Light placement should be set so that the light strikes the wall at 30 to 45 degrees, measured to a point at eyelevel on the wall, approx. 60” from the floor. A steeper angle than 30 degrees will create deeper shadows and shallower than 45 degrees may cause reflective glare. On an 8 foot ceiling place your track or recessed cans 20” to 36” away from the wall and on a 10 foot ceiling, 42” to 60” from the wall.
Flourescent and LED are very energy efficient and have made much progress with full color spectrum but not yet good enough for art lighting.
And finally, the UV light warning. UV rays cause fading and are present in sunlight and small amounts in flourescent and halogen lighting. It is recommended to use UV filtering glass in all picture framing and to avoid hanging framed art in direct sunlight.

How to Light Art

Video: How to Hang Art on Your Wall

Video: How to Hang Art on Your Wall