15 Ideas for Hanging Art We Got From You Guys (+ a Fun Reader Challenge)

Our #ehdweekendmakeover hashtag on Instagram is not a new thing for us. We took a dive into it (oh wait, maybe it was #showemyourstyled) over the holiday season in a big blog post about all the seasonal decor this amazing community was doing in their homes and sharing. We also regularly dig in for inspiration and occasionally run one on the Instagram feed that has us excited, but other than that, it’s mostly just a place where your guy’s designs and dwellings can be seen and that frankly feels like a wasted opportunity for us…until now.

We’re bringing #ehdweekendmakeover to life and making a big move toward being a part of it ourselves on an ongoing basis. This team has a TON of projects right now personally (so many makeover takeovers brewing and just general “new year” refreshes happening), and we bet you do, too. Each month—maybe even a few times a month, depending on how the design zeitgeist is feeling—we’ll throw a weekend project challenge your way via Instagram, and want you to share, share, share with the hashtag so that we can then go through and share back, both on the blog and on our social channels.

To kick things off, we’re starting with a project that likely EVERYONE can engage with. Raise your hand (or hide your head in shame…either way), if you’ve had art leaning in corners of rooms around your house slash shoved into the back of closets slashed stacked under beds for…years? There’s something that feels so permanent about hanging artwork, so you put it off because maybe you haven’t figured out a cool enough arrangement, or maybe you haven’t bought any frames…either way, we get it. Jess, whose living room and kitchen you’re going to see THIS MONTH…we’re shooting it TODAY, has been working on a gallery wall for probably about a year. Michael JUST hung a wall of art after months (also maybe years?) of hemming and hawing. Arlyn doesn’t even want to tell you how long she’s had art unframed and ignored that she actually really loves, just hasn’t bothered to put up. I know I absolutely have some stuff I need to get on my walls. THIS IS THE WEEKEND!!!! Who’s up for the challenge of taking some time this weekend to grab some frames, dust off your diptychs (or even get those downloadable prints actually printed), and commit to getting some art up on those walls?

We mined through what you guys have already tagged recently to get you started with some ideas in case you’re stumped or just need a little spark of inspiration…all in rooms that YOU GUYS designed, which we love nothing more than to share your beautiful, hard-earned work.

We shared this image from @chelseamohram on our Instagram recently (you guys loved it as much as we did) for SO many reasons (the eclectic mix of chairs, the mix-and-match cabinets) but today, we’re including it on the blog because of the art. Hanging multiple pieces can bring out all your doubts and uncertainties…do you have to line them up, do the frames have to match, how do they look all good together? You can certainly hang whatever you want next to whatever you want, but here, this feels eclectic yet pulled together because all three artworks are oil portraits (picking a theme for a gallery wall is my go-to fundamental tip for that). As for the alignment, a good rule of thumb is to place your largest “anchor” piece and then pick if you want to line up art at the top, center or bottom (there is no wrong answer here)…and build from there.

I’m pretty sure this is not how @goldalamode’s dining room looks anymore in terms of that sweet, soft pink molding, but since we’re here talking about art, it’s worth mentioning the art of the “off center” frame. I think we’re all somehow conditioned to put art smack dab in the center of either a big wall or vignette, (did they teach us this in school or something? how to center art on a wall 101?) but choosing to shift the eye and do something a little unexpected really pays off in terms of visual interest.

This is actually pretty genius on multiple levels. @dinexdesign skipped the works on paper altogether and went instead with a super punchy rug hung on what I’m guessing is a curtain rod? Here’s the genius part though…there’s a TV behind that. If you suffer from must-hide-my-black-box-itis, you no longer have to choose between something pretty and something practical.

@fieldtheory rocks the modern line art diptych. The white frames here fall in line with the mostly creamy palette, while the black punch from the prints adds a welcomed tension and contrast.

One of the questions we get SO often is…what to do behind a sofa. And while there are a bunch of options (gallery wall, one large piece, a wall hanging, a mirror, nothing), we rarely see the whole shelf + leaning art option in this room from @house.becomes.home and like…why not? It might make me a little nervous in “earthquake country” but if you live in a place where the ground isn’t prone to shaking things up and personal items not at ground level flying around a room, it’s a nice option. Keep in mind you’ll probably have to pull your sofa away from the wall an inch or two more than the depth of the shelf to avoid head bumps, though.

Another regular “please help me” quandary we see is what to do above a bed. It’s totally fine to go without anything above your bed, but the four-poster here in a room from @suzannahstanley really helps to frame out a spot for a quiet moment. Don’t think you always have to totally fill a space with art…sometimes, some open white space sings louder than an overload of styling.

Oh how I love this shot from @jennasuedesign. Is this technically a wall mural and not “art”? Sure! But who needs a 16×20 portrait when you’ve got a WHOLE WALL OF BEAUTY? Please note the molding details along the corners. We’ll always sign off on a feature wall when it looks like this.

@mrorlandosoria knows how to build a killer gallery wall (I wonder where he learned it from…). And the reason this one is so special is that it’s not just abstract prints and cool line drawings…it’s his parent’s personal mementos and family photos (see more of this room here). This is my absolute favorite way to do a gallery wall: nearly top to bottom but with a tight focus.

Never underestimate the power of an overscale piece of art. Period. (Thanks @mymoderndom for the inspo.)

Speaking of really big art installations, I will never not love a giant map that takes up the majority of a wall. I’ve spent many a late night searching for a vintage one on Etsy and Craigslist and have yet to find something that sets my heart ablaze, but my (and your) best bet is likely digging through flea markets until you make a big score like this one similar to @nicolewear.

@sunnycirclestudio always has such fantastic inspiration and I love the risks in each of her designs. A polka dot wallpaper paired with a playful modern print will always be a winning combo.

Another wallpaper + framed art winner from @sunnycirclestudio, but this time with more traditional oil portraits. I think this one works so well because they are still in line with the color palette established by the quirky paper.

If you missed our house tour of @thegoldhive’s San Diego home, here’s a sneak peek (but head here to see the whole thing…it’s SO lovely and full of tons of doable DIYs). One detail that immediately caught our eye was the traditional photo rail she installed (to match the one in her dining room original to the 1930s).

An oil nude where you get all oily (or bubbly) in the nude…why the heck not? I’m assuming @cocollected placed a slender shelf or the likes behind the tub as not to have to drill into tile for hanging. Oh…looking again, maybe it’s just leaning on the tub, so in real life, maybe this isn’t the most practical, but it sure looks fun styled to camera.

And finally, this vignette that we love so so much in the home of our friend Mandi from @vintagerevivals. Yes, the card catalog itself is a work of art, but also, the off-center picture ledge with the leaning print is another example of not always having to be dead center. She could have easily added a taller plant to the right side to balance it, but the round mirror also does a great job of filling a little space and breaking through all the straight lines.

Like we said, we plan on doing an #ehdweekendmakeover feature once a month birthed from a prompt we’re going to give you, but don’t feel like you can’t use the hashtag on any image of your home you want us to see. Head to our Instagram Stories this weekend to see what I’m going to hang up this weekend. Plus, if you story your own #ehdweekendmakeover art edition, we’ll share on our stories (as long as you also tag @em_henderson, otherwise I don’t think technically it’ll let us). Good luck this weekend, can’t wait to see what you guys come up with. Xx