Salon

How high to hang pictures

Galleries hang art with its centre about 145 cm (57 in) from the floor, roughly the eye level of an average adult. It works at home too, and it treats a gallery wall as one big picture: the centre of the whole group goes at 145 cm.

Nail heights, centre at 145 cm

With a 4 cm hanger drop.

Frame heightTop of frameNail
20 cm155 cm151 cm
30 cm160 cm156 cm
40 cm165 cm161 cm
50 cm170 cm166 cm
60 cm175 cm171 cm
70 cm180 cm176 cm
80 cm185 cm181 cm
100 cm195 cm191 cm

Nail heights, centre at 57 in

With a 1½ in hanger drop.

Frame heightTop of frameNail
8 in61 in59 ½ in
10 in62 in60 ½ in
12 in63 in61 ½ in
14 in64 in62 ½ in
16 in65 in63 ½ in
20 in67 in65 ½ in
24 in69 in67 ½ in
30 in72 in70 ½ in
36 in75 in73 ½ in

Above a sofa, bed or sideboard

Forget the 145 cm rule here. Hang the lowest edge 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 in) above the furniture so they read together. Over a sofa, leave enough room that a head resting back doesn't touch the frame.

Work out one nail Plan a gallery wall

Questions

How high should I hang a gallery wall?

With nothing under it, put the centre of the whole group about 145 cm (57 in) from the floor, the eye-level rule galleries use. Above a sofa, bed or sideboard, keep the bottom edge about 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 in) above the furniture instead, so the art and the furniture read as one.

How far apart should the frames be?

5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) between frames keeps a group together. Tighter looks like a salon hang, wider looks calmer. Keep the gap the same everywhere; Salon packs the frames with exactly the gap you set.

How wide should a gallery wall over a sofa be?

About two thirds to three quarters of the sofa's width. On a 210 cm sofa that's roughly 140 to 160 cm across the group.

What is the hanger drop?

The distance from the top of the frame down to where it actually rests on the nail: the sawtooth hanger, the D-ring, or the wire pulled tight towards the top. Measure it on the back of each frame; it's usually 2 to 8 cm.

My frame has two D-rings. Where do the nails go?

Choose two hooks for that frame and enter the distance between the rings. Salon gives both nail positions at the same height.

Do I need to measure from the corner of the wall?

Every position is from the left edge of the wall and up from the floor. If your wall has no clean edge, switch to measuring from the centre line of the wall or the sofa.

Is it free? What do you store?

Free, no account. Your wall and frames stay on this device and in the share link. Photos you add never leave your phone.

More from Salon

Gallery wall plannerGallery wall above a sofaAbove a bedGallery wall layoutsPicture hanging calculator