And when the wonderful world of paintings combination is the one to go onstage, the scene cannot but become a refined art where the past joins the present, the large is rediscovered in the small, the modern winks at the ancient.
The paintings in a house are silent actors which move on the scene of our walls in a symphony of colours and shapes to give a unique, thrilling atmosphere to the interior.
To create it, it is enough to follow a few rules which mix harmony, mathematical accuracy and inventive combinations. Are you ready to discover the secrets to put paintings in your house?
Ring up the curtain.
The show begins.
How to put paintings on the walls: the rules you need to know
It is true that paintings are chosen according to one’s taste, yet there are some baseline rules which can help enhance the beauty of this furnishing object.
The main principle: the perfect height. The rule states 1.6 meters, at average eye level.
Although art never surrenders to strict rules, the final compositional harmony must prevail over everything.
It will be therefore important to analyse the relationship with architectural elements and with the other furnishing objects:
- if you want to place a painting in a side position, for example, it will be useful to think of a piece of furniture that balances its weight on the wall;
- if you prefer a position which faces doors and aisles, you need to use also other elements which visually capture the attention;
- if a painting is designed in order to be looked at while sitting on the sofa, it will be placed at a different height from the “ordinary” one;
- paintings can also lean against the wall or against a piece of furniture, instead of being hung up.
Rules are made to be broken: how to hang paintings in an original way?
How to hang paintings with different sizes
Hanging up paintings with different sizes can be a way to play with the space you have. In this case, you can choose two ways, both charming and astonishing.
The first way is strict and precise. It draws a neat template, a sort of mathematical harmony where paintings fill the available space and are combined in a perfectly aligned manner.
There is another way, as charming and astonishing as the first one, where the free arrangement of paintings comes to life through a choreography void of rules. In this case, paintings dance in an apparently random way, finding their place in the continuous call of styles, colours and shapes.
How to hang ancient and modern paintings
The new is very old, we can say it is always the oldest, the French artist Eugène Delacroix said.
One of the most original ideas to hang paintings is to put ancient paintings next to modern ones.
With their timeless charm and marks of the past, ancient paintings can wonderfully dialogue with modern works of art, which embody contemporary spirit. Tones, themes and sizes must be balanced, in order for each painting to find its place.
An idea to decorate large walls is to create a gallery of paintings where ancient and modern pieces alternate in a timeless tale. Old paintings can be precious jewels at the centre of the combination, surrounded by modern works which act as a dynamic, astonishing background for them.
How to hang two large paintings
If you want to hang two large paintings on the same wall, one close to the other, the first thing you have to pay attention to is the way you put them: you’d better choose the right height and a similar style for the two pieces. Only in this way will it be possible to create a dynamic, thrilling atmosphere, as a pleasant orchestra of colours and stories.
How to put paintings in the living room
The living room walls are usually the “hardest” to decorate with paintings. Because the living area is full of other pieces of furniture, as bookcases, cupboards, cabinets, etc., which make the creation of an agreeable combination more difficult.
Disregarding the common location above the sofa (which we will speak about in the next paragraph), we can however use these pieces of furniture to create a nice choreography in the spaces. Consoles, cupboards and similar pieces of furniture can be the visual bases for paintings, which are put on the walls and perfectly join the surrounding furniture.
How to put paintings above the sofa
The wall above the sofa is the best one to hang a painting in the living room.
But in order for the final result to be nice and elegant,
. Otherwise, it is better to have a bare wall rather than spoiling the overall balance by using a painting which is too small.
A dyptich (or, generally speaking, any arrangements of paintings) is a good way to decorate the whole space with elegance.
Paintings for the kitchen: which ones to choose?
In the kitchen, a place where art is represented by perfumes, colours and flavours, paintings can become the perfect ingredient to “spice up” the interior with delicate harmony.
The best subjects? Natural elements, in whatever way, of course!
Paintings to put in the bedroom: the most beautiful ideas
Paintings are the most beautiful and meaningful furnishing objects in the bedroom, the cosiest place in the house.
Delicate landscapes and natural scenes can bring the wonder of nature into the bedroom, providing peace and harmony. At the same time, abstract works of art and contemporary paintings encourage imagination and open the doors of mysterious, astonishing worlds.
In this guide, we have dealt with the unique show of paintings combinations.
We have spoken about the freedom to hang different paintings together, both ancient and modern, and about the way to create strict combinations. We have explored new styles and ideas to decorate the most important rooms in the house.
We have learnt the rules to hang them. And we have discovered that breaking the rules is sometimes nicer than following them.
Here we are: the curtain falls.
And what about the encore? There’s always time … Discover L’Oca Nera’s paintings collection and enjoy the show!
