Hanging Paintings Above a Sofa: Tips and Compositions

The most common mistake is leaving too large a gap between the top of the sofa and the bottom edge of the composition. This makes the sofa and the paintings look disconnected, as if each exists on its own. It is important that the sofa and the paintings together form a single, unified vertical composition. This will make your ceiling appear higher and the room feel more spacious.

In the first illustration you can see an incorrect compositional example — it stretches the room horizontally but does not create a unified composition.

In the second illustration you can see the correct composition. Note that paintings should be hung approximately 22 cm above the sofa, leaving enough space from the corner of the wall, an edge, or a door — otherwise everything will look very cramped.

Also, on both sides and along the bottom of the composition, the edges are perfectly aligned, with no single piece sticking out. This last rule is not always essential, but if you want a foolproof result, we recommend following it.

At the bottom of the second illustration, you can see various compositional options.

Illustrations 1, 2A, 2B and 2C show compositions made up of one large painting, or a large and a small painting together (one of which could be a mirror).

IMPORTANT: if you have a smaller and a larger painting, hang the smaller one lower and the larger one higher. The smaller painting will look like a pedestal. Also, always hang the darker painting at the top — otherwise the composition will feel bottom-heavy.

3A and 3B show compositions made up of one large vertical painting and several smaller horizontal paintings that together form a vertical format. 3C consists of many small paintings, but they too are arranged vertically.

4A shows how three horizontal paintings form a vertical composition, while 4B is a traditional triptych.

Text adapted from http://fredgonsowskigardenhome.com/