Fun fact: my design career really started with some art walls. When I first started this blog, a couple of readers got in touch and asked me to hang artwork for them. Then we started to work on other projects in their homes.

My background is in the arts--I have a Master's Degree in Modern Art and Curatorial studies from Columbia, I worked at a public art organization in NYC for nearly 6 years, and I served on the board of Public Art St Paul for another five--so I suppose it's not surprising that the art is one of my favorite parts of any project.

The more I use art to finish spaces, the more I think about the ways we can be strategic not just with the type of art we choose, but the way we hang it to polish a room.

One of my favorite tactics is the stacked pair. Stacking an actual pair is pretty fool-proof, and it can be a great way to fill all of those narrow spots in a house. This pair, purchased by the client when they lived in India, is just the right size between windows in this bedroom.

This large pair of prints framed in lucite balance the entryway, which is not centered on the wall.

Similarly, in a house in Piedmont California the pair of large-scale framed Otomi balance the cased opening to the dining room, and are a sightline from a matching opening from the living room, to the left of the stairs.

This window is off centered on the banquette, so once again we used a stacked pair to create balance.

In a Minneapolis sunroom we split a pair of antique garden prints to vertically flank a sconce. (this whole arrangement repeats at the other end of the room.)

In Manhattan, our art-collecting client stacked two black and white photographs on a narrow wall over her grandmother’s settee. The matching frames keeps it cohesive but the different sizing makes it dynamic.

Same concept, but with graphic prints. The two pieces to the right of the window are united by theme. Together, their weight visually balances the larger piece at left.

Here are more examples, just for fun!

I do love balance. Using pairs to create organization can help leave space for the inclusion of more unique items and odd layouts elsewhere. Most pairs in a room (chairs, tables, lamps) run on a horizontal plane. A stacked pair gives the same balance, but since it runs vertical there is a new sense of movement.

I’m working on updating some other strategy posts about art hanging. Stay tuned!

Hanging Art: The stacked pair

Hanging Art: The Row

The road to the magazine