Picture Perfect: Creative Ways to Spice Up Your Walls

When designing our homes, we have a tendency to focus on what furniture to get and the accessories that go with them. While these pieces form the basis of our interiors, we must also remember to give attention to the vertical surfaces in our space. Decorating walls with artwork, photos, mementos, and other collectibles is a quick way of updating the look of a room and adding much needed personality and character.
Here are easy ideas to jazz up your plain walls.

Find the Center
Whether it’s the center of a wall, furniture piece, or artwork, it’s important to know where to start, how you want a room to look and feel, and what you can use to achieve that. Have some masking tape ready and trace your pieces on old newspapers. Cut them out to give you an idea of their size, and then stick them onto your walls until you have an idea of their size, and then stick them onto your walls until you have an arrangement that you’re happy with. This is advisable so you won’t end up with walls full of holes in the event you make a mistake.

Follow a Formula
Pieces should be hung at eye level, around 55-60 inches. Take note that the center of the piece should be at eye level, and not the top of the frame. Measure horizontally and vertically, divide into two, and you should be able to find the center of your piece. Situate this center at eye level. This works for individual pieces; for multiple frames, hang the major pieces at eye level and arrange minor ones around them. Leave a gap of two to three inches in between frames.

Decide on an Arrangement 
Symmetric grids are always easiest, but if you have an odd number of pieces you want to hang, you might be better off with a less formal grouping. For multiple pieces, start with larger pieces at the center and work smaller ones in relation to it.

Keep to a Theme
You can go by color, shape, type of item, or the design of what you want to hang. For example, a group of like items such as travel photos, a collection of plates, or different artwork in similar frames. Group related items together to give your arrangement cohesiveness. If you want to hang unrelated pieces, use black frames with white mats to tie everything together. You can also use a variety of frames but stick to a central theme. A lot of small pieces will have a bigger impact when grouped in one big arrangement.

Get Creative
Don’t stop at artwork or photos. Hang mirrors, maps, posters, and even found items that can be framed. Go beyond framed art and show off your collectibles on slim ledges that can easily be attached to walls. Even your children’s artwork, when framed properly, can serve as a great accent in any area.

Work with What You Want
Your home is your personal space, and while it pays to invest in art, you can also find affordable yet beautiful options from flea markets, secondhand stalls, department stores, or even rummage through your belongings for things you can frame. Take more photos, save mementos, and pages from old books. The possibilities are endless.