Hanging a Painting Over a Couch

Sit on the couch and place your arms behind your head. Assign a helper to measure the distance and record it, so you do not hang the painting so low that you bump into it every time you move. Ideally, leave 6 to 9 inches of space between the lower end of the painting and the top of the couch.

Measure 58 to 60 inches up from floor, and mark the spot on the wall with a pencil. This mark is the eye level of most people.

Assign a helper to hold the painting up against the the wall so its center falls 58 to 60 inches from the floor. Step back, and review the placement of the painting. If there is sufficient space between the top of the sofa and the lower end of the painting, you can hang it at that point. However, you need to reposition the artwork if there is too little space between its lower edge and the top of the sofa, or too much space between its upper edge and the ceiling. According to Rental Decorating Digest, you should roughly allocate two-thirds of the space between the ceiling and the couch for the painting.

Check the sides to ensure the painting is centered on the couch, not the wall. You want to hang the painting at the midpoint of the couch.

Hold the painting in place, and put a strip of painter’s tape on the wall, with its lower edge even with the top of the frame. Mark the ends of the frame on the tape before removing the painting. Divide the width of the frame by 2, and mark this spot for the hanger between the marks on the painter’s tape.

Turn the painting over, insert the hook of the tape measure into the center of the hanging wire along its back, and pull it taut toward the top of the frame. Measure the distance, and record it. Measure downward from the lower edge of the painter’s tape, and mark the hanger location with pencil.

Drill a hole over the marked spot on the wall above the couch. Insert a metal picture hook into the hole before suspending the painting on the hanger.