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Many Do It Wrong

How High Should You Really Hang Picture Frames?

Large-format picture near the dining table
When hanging pictures, many people are often faced with the question: what is the right height? Photo: Getty Images/alvarez

January 11, 2025, 4:16 pm | Read time: 5 minutes

Whether family portraits, landscape photos, black and white photographs, or art prints, people like to display their beloved and sometimes expensive works within, but above all, on, their own walls. The only question is often: what is the right height for hanging picture frames?

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Hanging pictures on the wall is a popular option for adding the finishing touches to a room with decoration. However, hanging them is usually less of a problem than the question most people ask themselves: how high should the picture frame actually hang? Sometimes, they end up looking too high, and other times, too low. Both can create a disharmonious effect in the room. So, if you don’t have a good feel for the right height when hanging a picture frame, it’s best to use the following measurements and tips as a guide.

Before Hanging: It’s All About the Proportions

Pictures are considered central elements when decorating a home. In a way, they serve as a complement to pieces of furniture and, at the same time, create more homely flair. They can convey insights into one’s life, wise messages, memories of special moments and people, or simply pure inspiration.

Finding the right height and placement for a picture frame on the wall depends on several factors. Above all, proportions play a key role when hanging pictures. The ceiling height, the dimensions of the picture, and the size of any furniture underneath should be considered before hanging it.

Of course, this all sounds very technical and theoretical, but for a stylish and harmonious presentation, you should definitely listen to your gut feeling. In the end, the aim is and remains to create a harmonious overall picture. Personal taste can also sometimes be the deciding factor.

Finding the Right Spot

The first step is to find a suitable place for the picture frame. While the size of the picture is not the only consideration, it does play a significant role. The rule of thumb when hanging a picture frame is large paintings also belong on large walls. This means that smaller pictures can also hang on rather limited surfaces and still have a pleasant effect in the room. The other way around is rather difficult!

It is just as harmonious if a large piece of furniture, such as a couch, also has a large picture above it. As a general rule, a picture should be two-thirds to three-quarters as wide as the piece of furniture below it.

And there is something else that is important to bear in mind. Namely, the orientation of a picture itself and its associated effect on the room. If it is a vertical composition, this creates a stretch effect in the room, which makes a wall appear higher. While horizontally aligned pictures lead to a visual expansion in width.

But How High Should a Picture Frame Be Hung?

The gold standard for hanging pictures on the wall is that hanging them at eye level creates the best effect. In most cases, this value is between 1.40 and 1.60 m from the floor to the center of the picture. In this way, about one-third of the picture is above eye level and the remaining two-thirds below.

Großes Bild in der Nähe vom Schreibtisch
If a picture is mainly viewed from a seated position, the height can also be varied slightly – depending on how it feels best for you

This principle is also used in museums to show paintings to their best advantage in front of the people looking at them. However, because, in this case, you tend to stand while viewing, this can also lead to deviations at home. This is the case if you mainly look at a painting while sitting at your desk, dining table, or couch. In this case, it is advisable to adjust the height of the picture to the height of your seat. It is, therefore, also important to consider your position when hanging the picture and experiment with different positions if necessary.

Above the Sideboard

A classic approach is to display paintings, photographs, or other artworks above sideboards or chests of drawers. Otherwise, a bare space above such a piece of furniture can seem unsettling. To ensure that the symbiosis of furniture and picture looks harmonious in the room, a certain distance must be maintained when hanging. Ideally, this distance should not be exceeded or fallen short. Ideally, the distance from the bottom edge of the picture frame to the sideboard should be between ten and thirty centimeters.

Above the Sofa

Großformatiges Bild über dem Sofa
If both the sofa and the picture are particularly large, a short distance between the two elements is recommended to create a harmonious effect

Large-format picture frames are often placed above expansive seating furniture such as the sofa. Accordingly, these are usually placed at a short distance from the piece of furniture. In this case, the distance from the back of the sofa to the bottom edge of the picture should be around 15 to 25 cm. This spacing allows the painting enough room to ‘breathe.’ It also ensures that people sitting won’t easily bump into the wall decoration when resting their arms on the backrest.

Above the Bed

Many people like to have beautiful pictures above their bed. And because a bed usually has considerable dimensions, you should also consider a few aspects when hanging a picture frame. The painting may occupy up to two-thirds of the headboard’s width. This achieves a harmonious and balanced effect in the bedroom, ensuring the picture is proportionate to the space. It is advisable to keep a distance of 20 to 25 cm between the lower picture frame and the headboard.

More on the topic

Above the Table

Großformatige Bilder in der Nähe zum Esstisch
Large-format pictures are shown to their best advantage next to a long dining table

Last but not least is the table. In this case, too, picture frames are preferably hung on the nearest wall. If this decoration is also of a large format, it is best to hang it parallel to the table’s long side. This allows both elements to have the best possible effect in the room. The recommended height for hanging the picture frame is 1.45 m from the floor to the center of the picture.

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of MYHOMEBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@myhomebook.de.

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