How to Hang Wall Art Like A Pro

art prints

Determine Your Location

Once you have collected your pieces of print art, you'll want to start to think about the best place to hang them in your home. As most canvas prints are susceptible to damage from elements like temperature and humidity, it's recommended that they hang in a cool and dry area of your home. Some optimal areas include living rooms, bedrooms, and hallways where the temperature stays consistent.

Luckily, within these areas, there are so many different places to hang your wall art, such as above:

• a bed 

• living room furniture 

• a fireplace 

• a desk 

You can ultimately much hang your art anywhere in these areas that there is a blank wall available. The choice is yours!

Consider the Arrangement

But before you even think about hanging your art, it's essential that you consider the arrangement of your pieces. This step will help you to avoid any unnecessary holes in your wall.

We recommend gathering your art prints, placing them on a table—or even the floor—and moving their positions until you find an arrangement that you like best. This process allows you to get creative and try different layouts without committing to one solution. Once you have made your final decision, take a photo of the arrangement so you can refer back to the picture as you begin to hang them.

This technique is especially valuable for prints in a series. Some pieces of art are designed to be hung together—in a triptych for example. On the other hand, you might take three pieces from completely different artists, and decide that you want to make a series out of them! Art that uses similar colours or themes is ideal for matching like this.

Hanging Multiple Prints

If you are working with an extensive collection of art, you might find yourself needing to create several different series of prints—perhaps a series for each room. When you have a lot of art to arrange like this, it's important to treat them as a gallery to achieve a balanced look.

When you are arranging wall art with groups of prints, you can really get creative. Try a few different techniques like hanging them side-by-side, slightly staggered, symmetrically, or even asymmetrically. Whatever layout you decide on, we highly recommend using low adhesive tape to plan out your arrangement on your wall and help you determine your optimal hanging position and nail placement.

Judge the Distance

Measuring your available space and the distance between each print will help keep the correct spacing between them as you begin to hang them on your wall. Ideally, the space between each piece should be in the range of 5cm to 15cm. This, as a general rule, is the sweet spot.

Another helpful recommendation is that your art arrangement should not span wider than the piece of furniture that you're hanging it over. While these "rules" are certainly solid advice, feel free to experiment with different measurements, especially if you want to achieve a different effect.

Hang at Eye-Level

Most people tend to hang their wall art too high on the wall, and it's widely accepted in the art world that the optimal position to hang a piece is at eye level. To be exact, you should look to hang your print at the height of 5'7, which represents the average human eye height, and is also a measurement that is regularly used in galleries and museums.

Of course, there are a few exceptions to this rule. For those with low ceilings, you will have to calculate the optimal position based on the available space, and if you intend to hang your art over a couch or a fireplace, these prints will naturally be placed higher on the wall.

Reach Out to Us for More

For more information on how to hang your art like a pro, reach out to our team of experts—we are more than happy to answer any of your questions. If you are still searching for your dream prints, check out our stunning range of canvas prints and framed wall art in our online store.

How to Look After Your Canvas Art Prints

One of our selection of canvas art prints

Canvas art prints today are brilliant quality and should be long lasting as well. They are a beautiful way to enjoy your favourite artwork on your walls every day. When you invest in a canvas piece that you love it’s worth spending that little extra time learning how to look after it properly. In this guide, we will discuss the proper handling and care your canvas print will need to stay in perfect condition for years to come.

Hang in a Cool and Dry Room (this can be ignored though*)

Once you have purchased your print and and we've delivered it to your home or office, you will likely begin to think about the walls where it will hang best. Wherever you decide to place your piece, we advise considering elements such as the temperature and humidity of the room. For a canvas print, cool and dry conditions are best since heat and moisture can cause your canvas to stretch over time. It is good practice to avoid hanging in areas like bathrooms and kitchens where heat and humidity often accumulate. The optimal rooms to hang your prints tend to be the living room and bedroom, where humidity is low, and the temperature stays mostly consistent. *However we might also contradict ourselves a bit here, in that canvas prints can work really well in bathroom or kitchen because unlike an original artwork you won't be as concerned if the canvas does take a bit of a hammering from humidity and heat because it is relatively inexpensive and easy to replace!

Avoid Direct Sunlight

Hanging a canvas print in a well-lit area of your home will undoubtedly bring out its vibrant colours, but—if possible—we recommend keeping your new wall art out of direct sunlight unless you don't mind having to replace the artwork every few years. Canvas art (and in fact most artwork) really does not fare well under frequent exposure to the harsh NZ sunlight. While most canvas prints are sprayed with a UV-resistant coating consistent direct sunlight can still cause your print to eventually fade a lot faster.

Frequent Dusting

Like any furniture or fixture in your home, your canvas print will accumulate cobwebs and dust. To keep your print looking stunning, we recommend dusting it regularly using a dry, soft brush, or even using a clean feather duster to gently wipe the canvas’s surface. If you can, try to avoid rubbing the print with your fingers, as this can damage the print material. If you have a framed canvas print, feel free to use a damp cloth to remove any dust, but be sure not to spray any water directly onto the exposed print.

Don’t Use Chemical Cleaners

We strongly advise against using chemicals to clean your print. Many household cleaning solutions contain strong acids that can cause real damage if they come into contact with your wall print. Most prints are treated with a protective UV coating that does not react well to chemical or water-based cleaners, often responding by breaking down and stripping the ink. If your print needs a more thorough cleaning, you can try running a damp microfibre cloth or a dry lint-free cloth over it gently. For tougher stains and grime, your best option is to take your print to an art restorer, they will work carefully to clean your print without any damage.

Careful Storage

Whether you’re moving to a new house or simply updating your home or office décor, you may want to put your canvas prints in storage. The key to storing your prints is to have them upright in either back-to-back or face-to-face positions—this ensures that they are protected from damage. If possible, it’s also recommended to keep them off the floor, as this will help prevent them from absorbing moisture out of the ground and reduce the chances of physical damage. If your canvas is going into long-term storage, we advise wrapping it in acid-free craft paper or even acid-free bubble wrap, which will keep your print from scratching and yellowing from being in contact with acidic wrapping materials.

Find Your Own Stunning Canvas Print

With the proper care, it’s easy to keep your canvas art prints looking vibrant and pristine for years to come. If you have any doubts about your cleaning and storing methods, refer back to this guide, or contact one of our team for more advice. If you’re interested in purchasing a high-quality print for your home, we have a stunning range of canvas prints in our online store, deliverable across New Zealand and around the work (unframed canvases only outside of NZ). Browse our collection today and find one that you love!

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