An Easy Way to Hang Art

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Happy September, friends! I hope you’re well! It’s been a while since our last conversation but I’m still here, and have a fun little project to share with you. If you have a wall in your home that’s needing a bit of love and attention, or just some prettying up, perhaps today’s little story on hanging art will give you some ideas.

To be completely honest, the easiest way to do anything is to hire someone else to do it for you. But on a whim and on a budget, hanging art is not as difficult as it may sound. If you enjoy a bit of DIY and can tolerate the occasional imperfection, then all you need is craft paper, a picture hanging kit and a hammer. And pictures to hang, of course 🙂

A few weekends ago I finally got around to hanging art in the living room and it’s made such a difference in the overall look and feel of the space that I knew I had to share the process, in case there’s someone else out there who’s been procrastinating on hanging art and needs a gentle nudge. 

This is not breaking news but, sometimes, we need reminders that not every project needs to be a challenge, or take forever (and a village) to complete. Of course, it depends on the type of walls you have – we have paneling over drywall, so easy to nail into. Other materials, like brick or cement, could be a different story. Sorry if that’s you.  

The walls in my living room have been bare for too long, due in part to my indecision about what to hang (nothing I tried looked good or had the right scale), in part because I was so busy with architectural tweaks and finding the right pieces of furniture that I hadn’t had much time to really think about the finishing touches. 

I had picked up a series of architectural drawings and etchings at Brimfield Antiques last spring and they sat unframed in my desk drawer ever since. My packrat habits of picking up old frames at yard sales and thrift shops (and never wanting to throw any of them away) finally paid off because, over the weekend, I managed to hang all my etchings without needing to purchase new frames. Who’s laughing now? 🙂

 Old, mismatched, and incredibly charming, these frames come from different parts of the country, and remind me of different times in my life, but the common thread, which I’ve only now realized, is that they are all wood. Different widths, different styles and hues, some darker and some lighter, but all wood, and all lovely. 

Here are the steps for hanging art by yourself:  

1. Frame all your art first

You can do this professionally – there are many different places that will do that for you, from local framing galleries to big chain craft stores. It depends on your budget and preferences. Because I already had all my frames, I decided to go the DIY route. I used similar mats for a unifying effect and taught myself how to use a mat cutter. I had ordered these mats from Amazon, along with a simple push mat cutter, which I learned to use safely from this Youtube video. 

2. Install proper hanging hardware on all the frames. 

Once I matted all the frames, I wanted to make sure that they hung flush against the wall. Finishing nails are fine (I used a couple myself), but for a professional looking grouping it is best to go with a picture framing kit, which includes all the little bits and bobs you’ll need. 

3. Trace all your frames on craft paper. 

This is a necessary step because it will allow you to play with different ideas before you make up your mind.Taping paper to a wall is considerably easier and less messy than hanging pictures, and it will save you the headache of unwanted nail holes in your walls. I used low tack painters tape to play around with my paper gallery until I found the one I loved best. 

4. The final trick was to mark the hanging point on the paper cutouts…

…so that your frame will hang exactly where you want it. I still had a fumble or two, as I kept changing my mind once the gallery was up, but they were easy fixes. Here’s how it all ended up looking like! 

The whole process took a couple of hours – from matting and framing to taping the paper cutouts and figuring out which arrangement was more pleasing – but I had a lot of fun in the process and felt like a kid again, playing with craft paper and scissors. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning 🙂 

To see more of our living room makeover, make sure to check out the following Café Design stories:

A Cottage Living Room Makeover | Part 1

A Source for Chic and Inexpensive Window Shades

Thanks for stopping by! As I’m easing into a comfortable fall schedule, I’m hopeful I’ll be able to return to our regular posting schedule. Enjoy the holiday weekend!