Your Home Gallery: Tips for Displaying Artwork on Your Walls

There are many ways to display artwork on your wall, whether it’s tacking, taping, or nailing. At Better Decorating Bible, we usually like to break the rules so we’ve come up with some unusual yet simple and elegant ways to enhance your home with art.

Photo By: Pieter Estersohn, Designed By: Suzanne Kasler Interiors

Set It On A Dresser Or Desk

Sometimes, you don’t need to nail it to the wall. Just setting it up against it is enough. This trick works particularly well if you have an artsy, relaxed, home. Dressers also work well if you don’t have a desk next to a wall.  The type of art that can lean, rather than hanged, is almost unlimited. What you’d be going for is art that’s in poster form, or in a light frame.

If you have art that is in an oversized frame (a “life-sized frame”), you may want to just set it on the floor instead of a desk. As long as you can comfortably view it, and it’s not in anyone’s way, it will work.

Use A Ladder

A ladder is another good way to “hang” art. When you can’t hang it (e.g. if you rent) or if you don’t want to tear up the walls with nails, or your walls simply won’t support large pieces, a good option is to use a well-constructed ladder.  Ladders are “artsy” and they can be used inside as a focal point in a room. If you have small pieces, you can stack paintings or prints on top of each other – on each step.

An Easel

Easels are made for art – literally. So, you can set them up almost anywhere and place almost anything on them. As a free-standing option, they can be placed in corners or the middle of the room. If you want to give it an antiqued look, try staining it and then distressing it. If you spend the time on the actual easel itself, you can get away with a minimal frame or no frame at all (depending on how the piece is mounted).

Use Removable Hooks

Removable hooks are yet another option, which mimics traditional hanging, but which is much more user-friendly. You’ve seen them before – the hooks with removable adhesive backings. You apply the adhesive strip, stick it to the wall and, when you’re done with it, you pull a little tab and the hook comes off. Depending on what you’re buying, these hooks can hold a decent amount of weight.

Use Painter’s Tape

Painter’s tape, or washi tape, is a clever alternative to regular tape. Like regular tape, you can fix prints to the wall. But, unlike regular tape, washi tape is beautiful to look at and it comes up very easily.

Bolt A New Fixture To The Wall

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can fix a new structure to the wall – a roll of brown paper. This will let you create your own art on the wall. You could also fashion a kind of “pull down screen” effect for existing art. Rather than hanging someone else’s art on the wall, people tend to use this option acting as an artist. This is a cool option for kids, because you can showcase their artistic style without creating permanency.