Displaying Art Over a Sofa

Measure the width of the sofa. This is the maximum width your art should occupy. If it is wider, the sofa will appear out of balance and the wall will appear top heavy. If it is necessary to hang art that is wider than the sofa, visually widen the width of the sofa with side tables and lamps of a color and texture similar to the sofa and do not exceed the combined width of the side tables and sofa with your art arrangement. The minimum width of an arrangement should be no less than 2/3 of the sofa back.

Draw a rectangle on the wall as a guideline for the space to be used -- use a self-erasing fabric marking pencil, the line will disappear in a day or so. This rectangle should be as wide as the area to cover the art. The height of the rectangle is determined by the proportion of width to length of five to three. For example, if the width of the space is 50 inches, the height of the space should be 30 inches. This creates a rectangular shape that is balanced and in proportion.

Arrange the art within this rectangle. Hang the most important piece of a collection, or a single piece, so the center of the piece is at eye level. Typically this is 60 inches from the floor. It is not necessary to fill the rectangle, but it should not be exceeded.

Hang a collection so that the spaces between items are equal and there is one strong suggested horizontal line, typically along the bottom of the arrangement. “Suggested” means that the line is not solid, but is implied by elements, in this case the bottom edges of the art pieces, being present across the imaginary line. A line of dashes on a page suggests a horizontal line but is not solid.

Position the bottom edge of the pieces no less than 8 to 10 inches from the top of the sofa.

Choose art with a common factor, if using a collection. This could be frame style, matting color, subject or theme, but there needs to be a common factor for cohesion in the arrangement.