How to Line Up Pictures on a Stair Well Wall

Hanging a series of pictures on a staircase requires more thought than just choosing which pictures to put up. The angle of the stairs needs to be determined in order to have the framed pictures line up properly. This creates a sense of harmony between the pictures and the stairs, making them aesthetically pleasing. Pictures that aren’t hung on the correct angle will have their center of gravity thrown off, and the proportions of the entire photo arrangement will not look right. Thankfully, finding the correct angle of the staircase is fairly simple, leaving you more time to decide which pictures to hang.

Measuring tape
Pencil
An assistant

Instructions

- 1
  Hold the measuring tape at the top of the bottom-most stair. Measure up to eye level, about 60 inches and place a small, 1/4-inch pencil mark in that spot. The first row of pictures can be placed at a level below or above eye level, so long as the line is at the same angle of the staircase.
- 2
  Repeat at the top of the staircase, measuring up from the top-most stair.
- 3
  Hand one end of the measuring tape to your assistant and have him or her walk to the bottom of the staircase. Press the measuring tape against the wall so that both pencil marks are connected, creating a parallel line that mimics the angle of the stairs.
- 4
  Place a 1/2-inch hash mark every 12 inches along the top of the measuring tape.
- 5
  Line up the first row of your pictures so that the top two-thirds of each hangs directly above the hash-marked line, following the angle. Make sure that the lower-right hand corners of the frames are in line that is parallel to the hash-marked one. Adjust larger frames accordingly. Hang any additional pictures, whether larger, smaller or the same size as the others, above or below the first row in proportion to each other.

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