Getting the hang of art display:

Getting the hang of art display

By JUDITH SHAW BEARDSLEY
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Do you think a mahogany frame would be the perfect choice for that landscape painting destined for your all-mahogany dining room? Think again.


A rainbow of frame colors on display at Frame Center in Hyannis.
(Staff photo by Steve Heaslip)
And were you planning to hang it high enough to view standing up? Consider that most people in that room will be sitting down when they see it.

It's easy to make mistakes when framing and hanging art. Achieving a look that works both for your room and your art takes thought. People take design courses on this issue, and there's even a trade association devoted to the topic: the Art and Framing Council in Illinois. When you first walk into a framing store with your special photo or painting, the choices can truly be overwhelming.

Making the effort to frame and hang artwork right, though, can be worth it - especially when what's on the wall holds a special place in your heart.

''It's important to have things around you that are part of your life, rather than things that match your living room,'' emphasizes L
aura Anderson, Cape painter and manager of Frame Center in Orleans. ''A painting or photograph is part of a story, a relationship that you have with an artist, or a place or person. It makes you feel comfortable and completes your home environment.''

She urges thinking about the things you like to look at, then displaying them creatively.

''You can take collected travel postcards or children's artwork, mat and frame them with style, and create something entirely unique to you,'' she says.

Beth Williams, owner of Elizabeth Williams Interior Design in Brewster, agrees: ''The image should always be something that you love,'' she emphasizes. ''It can be a wine label or a playbill, for example. It's how to display it in a way that works that's the issue.''

To avoid ''paralysis by analysis,'' here are some tips from experts to help get you started. And remember, if you've already broken some of these rules with past decisions, you can always start over.




Common mistakes

Don't frame a picture to enhance a room. Instead, choose the frame to enhance the picture.

Don't play it safe with a black or brass frame with a white mat. This doesn't do justice to the art or the room unless it's part of an overall design decision - like framing black-and-white photos in black and white and exhibiting them on a red wall.

Don't hang pictures too high. Generally, the lower, the better, using 58 inches from the floor to the center of the picture as a good rule of thumb. Consider whether viewers will be sitting or standing.

Don't put artwork in direct sunlight or over a heat source. Both can damage the piece.

Don't combine art and photos in a grouping. Go for a unified effect in pieces, styles, framing and spacing.

Sources: Laura Anderson, Cape painter and manager of Frame Center in Orleans; Beth Williams, of Elizabeth Williams Interior Design in Brewster


n Selecting a frame:

Choose a frame based on what works with the mood and style of your piece rather than trying to match the room's decor. ''A frame can enhance a piece or destroy it,'' says Anderson. ''If it's a somber painting, keep the framing somber, don't try to brighten it up - don't fight the feeling of the art.''

She also suggests trying to stay within the time period of the piece: ''If it's a work from the 1800s, whether photo or art, consider a gilded frame.'' You get the picture.

One of the hottest trends in framing today, according to Kim Ahern of the framing council, is placing a small picture in a large frame. Anderson notes: ''A small painting can look like a jewel when framed this way.''

n Add a mat:

For proper balance, be sure that the width of the mat is greater than the width of the frame.

Mats should pick up the colors in a painting. For visual appeal, consider a double mat, with the outer mat picking up one of the less prevalent colors in the work and the inner mat picking up a more prominent color. A mat color can also integrate the photo with the room, just as long as the choice suits the art.

n Less can be more:

What about people who prefer little on their walls, who feel most comfortable when their surroundings are clean and spare? Minimalists, too, have effective wall decor options.

''Do one bang-up piece on the wall that's fabulous,'' recommends Anderson. ''It can be an abstract painting or even a mirror in a wide gilded frame. What's nice about a mirror is that it expands a room, yet doesn't 'fight' with anything.''

n Don't hang them too high:

One of the most common mistakes that homeowners make is to hang pictures too high. Williams thinks ''the lower the better. In general, figure on 58 inches from the floor to the center of the picture. This keeps your eye down and helps you relate to the other items in the room.

''When things are floating,'' she adds, ''you feel less grounded. Also consider whether you'll be viewing the piece when sitting down, like in a dining room, or standing up, like in an entryway.''

An exception to this rule is when hanging art above a sofa. Ahern, of the framing council, says the bottom of the picture should be 8 to 10 inches above the top of the sofa.

n Framing is also protection:

Frames provide more than good looks - they protect your art or photograph and ensure its long life.

When framing a photo, first dry-mount it on acid-free paper - a permanent process using a heat press and an adhesive to adhere the photo to its backing - to prevent rippling in the Cape humidity, says David Sadoski, a professional photographer who also owns the Port Framing Gallery in Harwich Port. A mat is then added to prevent the glass from resting on the photo, which could result in the two sticking together if there is condensation or a temperature change.

Glass protects artwork from dirt and dust as well as ultraviolet rays and track lighting, Anderson adds. Experts generally recommend non-glare glass.

Even with these protections, however, designer Williams recommends never putting your framed art in direct sunlight or over a heating source. She also nixes exposing them to steamy bathrooms with their risk of mold and mildew.

n Putting them together:

For groupings - whether art, family photographs or antique postcards - Williams favors a unified look. She suggests displaying different pieces in similar frames, and perhaps varying the matting. She recommends keeping a consistent distance between the items and doesn't think photos and art should be displayed in the same grouping.

If you already have a variety of pieces in a variety of frames, however, don't despair. Ahern believes ''when you do the unexpected, you create tremendous interest.''

Once you've selected your pieces, Williams says the first step is to think about the size of the wall. If you're doing a grouping over a mantel, she suggests having it cover 75 percent of the mantel's width. ''One large image is good,'' she explains, ''or you can take the perimeter and fill it in with smaller things. Just make a definite border in your mind and stay within that border when arranging the grouping.''

There's some expert disagreement on how far apart pieces should be within a grouping. Williams prefers equal distances between pieces; Sadoski prefers varying the space. Ultimately, you have to do what pleases your own eye.

Sadoski recommends a practical technique to accomplish this: ''Cut brown craft paper to the size of each piece and stick it on the wall in varying configurations with masking tape until you have the arrangement the way you like it,'' he says. ''An important factor is to put the 'heaviest' pieces at the bottom. It's a matter of weight - and remember, color, as well as size, adds weight.''

n Where to put them:

Groupings don't always have to be targeted for one large wall in the living room. Sadoski recommends displaying photos diagonally up the walls of a stairway.

''Clients tell me that this is a great way to get those antique or contemporary photos out of the boxes or albums to a place where they can look at them every day.''

And Anderson says groupings can solve some decorating problems: ''If you have a 1950s kitchen, consider an entertaining group of 1950s pictures on the walls.''

Bonnie McNally of Orleans has a wall of historic family photos in her dining room set up in a way that would win approval from the local experts. The grouping provides an engaging view for visitors seated at her dining table, but that isn't its primary purpose. McNally moved away from her native Nebraska in 1964, and these photos reflect her family heritage - backing up the experts' view of how personal art can be.

''It's peace and warmth to me,'' she says.

Information from wire services was used in this report.

(Published: March 12, 2006)