How to hang pictures perfectly: expert tips for beautiful, balanced walls

Hanging pictures is one of the simplest ways to make a home feel truly lived in. Walls come to life not only with colour, but with the stories we choose to place upon them. Over the years, whether decorating historic houses or contemporary family homes, interior designer and colour man Edward Bulmer has found that the art we surround ourselves with plays just as important a role in shaping a room’s character as the paint itself.

Here are a few principles that as an interior designer, Edward returns to again and again when helping clients bring art and interiors into harmony.

Start with the architecture

• Make the room do some of the work for you.

• Look at the wall shape between mouldings – is it portrait, landscape or square?

• Let your pictures echo that shape.

• A portrait picture floating in the middle of a landscape wall will always feel like it’s arguing with the room.

• If that happens, build a wider grouping around it so the overall shape becomes landscape too.

Think about visual weight

• Big, detailed works deserve pride of place at eye level.

• Smaller pieces can sit above or below them – like a little supporting cast.

• Try not to mix pieces with dramatically different “weight”: a grand gilt-framed oil paired with a skinny printed poster will rarely be happy together.

• Likewise, framed and unframed works usually clash.

Use negative space wisely

• The wall you don’t use matters just as much as the part you do.

• Get the spacing right and you’ll see more picture than wall, which is exactly what you want.

• When the balance is right, the whole room feels calmer and more intentional.

Symmetry… or not

• Symmetrical groupings are timeless and tidy.

• Asymmetrical ones feel more relaxed and lived-in.

• If you go asymmetrical, keep the visual weight roughly balanced on either side of the centre line so it still feels harmonious.

Lay everything out first

• Before you hammer a single nail, mock up the layout.

• I like marking the wall size on the floor with tape measures and arranging pictures there first.

• When grouping prints or watercolours, aim for a gentle, undulating line along the tops of the frames rather than a strict, ruler-straight one.

Hang with two fixings

• Groups stay neater when each frame has two fixings – no more constantly straightening them.

• If you have lots of pictures or tend to move them around, picture rails are brilliant.

• Heavier works need brass or iron rods; lighter systems in steel or aluminium work well too.

• Frank Scragg in Birmingham is a go-to for picture-hanging hardware; they stock everything, sensibly packaged and good value.

Mixing styles and periods

• Don’t stress about mixing centuries.

• What matters is quality and presence, not date.

• Think of great combinations you see in historic houses: Freud next to Sargent next to Gainsborough works because the furnishings and artistic weight are in the same league.

• Little extra tip: hang your Hockney print next to a lino cut, but maybe don’t sandwich it between a school photo and a holiday snap.

Match the art to the room’s purpose

• Put your favourite and most meaningful pieces where you spend the most time.

• Kitchens and bathrooms can still have art, just choose glazed frames or pieces that are decorative rather than precious.

• Less-loved pictures can shine in less-used corners; they still add atmosphere.

Let the subject matter set the tone

• Pictures influence a room’s mood instantly.

• Heavy vs light, masculine vs feminine, serious vs witty – choose pieces that support the room’s personality.

• Give your best artwork the best spot: over a fireplace, in a side-lit position, or somewhere without glare.

• Avoid hanging important pieces opposite windows or directly under strong overhead lights.

Hang across panelling, doors and staircases

• Don’t be shy about putting pictures over panelling or even on the front of a jib door.

• Staircases are perfect for picture displays.

Light it well

• Modern picture lighting is excellent thanks to improved LEDs:

  • Energy efficient

  • Low UV

  • Dimmable

  • Great colour rendition

• Choose between frame-mounted lights or directional spotlights.

• Both can be bought off the shelf or made by specialists.

Want help choosing the perfect wall colour to match your artwork? Book a Colour Consultancy session with our experts — they’ll create a bespoke palette just for your space. If you’re curious about our plastic free and  fully declared list of ingredients, read about how our paints are made from plant- and mineral-based ingredients on our website.