Tips from the Christchurch art world: Nailed It Art Hang

Hamish Noster is an art lover and ace art hanger. He’s got years of experience hanging everything from paintings to rugs, and he knows how to keep things level. Here are Hamish’s top tips on where and how to hang art like a pro.

Rearranging existing art Hanging new art is an opportunity for change. Ask the professional to organise and rearrange what you already have while they’re there.

Before you hang Lean art against the wall you’re thinking of hanging it on. Leave it there for a while so you can get a feel for how it will look in that place.

Brighten dark rooms Give darker rooms a lift with light-coloured artwork.

Avoiding sunlight fading Some types of art, like watercolours, are more susceptible to fading when hung in a sunny spot. You can frame art behind special glass that reduces fading.

Hanging heavy things away from a stud You have to find a wall stud to hang heavy things like big mirrors. To get a bit of flexibility in the placement, I can attach batons or cleats to the frame and hang them on the stud, offset to the desired location.

Hanging rugs These can make great wall art – I can stitch a sleeve onto it and then insert a rod for hanging.

The right height A lot of people naturally hang things higher than necessary, and you end up craning your neck to look at them. Keep the centre of the artwork at eye level. And avoid lining up with the door height; it looks too ‘matchy’. Better to go slightly over or slightly under.

Arranging Lay everything out on the floor first so you can arrange it in a way that looks best. I can do a sketch of the layout and make it happen. As a rule of thumb, spread out sizes and orientations, mix things up and it will end up looking better, not too uniform. Avoid putting the biggest piece in the centre.

Command hooks Don’t use them. It takes new paint three months to fully dry, and if you put command strips on newly painted walls they will absorb the chemicals and dry out, which means they’ll pull paint off the wall when you remove them. Watch out for sunny spots for the same reason – the strips can dry out. Small screw holes are easy to fill in later if you want.

Earthquake-secure hanging Don’t use string – it’s better to attach hangers on the back of an artwork which hang directly on wall hooks. This is more secure, and as an added bonus it will always stay level instead of slipping around like string.

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