Do you have a plain, undecorated wall that could use a splash of color? Maybe you’ve finally moved into a home with the high ceilings you’ve always wanted — but you’re not sure what to do with the negative space. 

Regardless of your motivations, you can easily emphasize your wall hangings with the proper tools and techniques. Take the following design advice to transform your walls into something wonderful. 

1. Harmonize Your Frames

Many homes feature walls full of framed photos. You want to showcase your collection, but the viewers' eyes — including your own — become distracted quickly. If you have a hodgepodge of mismatched frames, your vision gravitates toward the incongruity instead of the beauty of the individual pieces. 

For the most dramatic impact, you want your frames to either match or complement each other. While professional picture framing can cost a pretty penny, the results can last a lifetime, barring any damages. Consider it an investment in your existing property, but also in beautifying any future homes you may own later. 

2. Gather Necessary Materials

Few things can break your heart like a shattered picture frame, but these sadly result when you use the wrong materials to hang your artwork. For example, if your centerpiece weighs 40 pounds or more, you need a specialized cord to support the weight. Nails can pull right out of the wall with enough forward pressure.

You can't go wrong with painter's tape when it comes to hanging large pictures with more than one hole on the back. Measure a strip of tape so it is equal to the distance between the two holes. Then, use a level to place the tape on the wall where you want the art to hang. Voila! Now you know precisely where to drill your holes, and you won't unnecessarily mar your walls. 

3. Evaluate the Wall Space

If you want to fill your wall appropriately, it helps to brush up on your Art Class 101 lessons first. The right wall design will balance out the negative spaces with brilliant hues or designs. Do you have a tall space to fill? Consider longer, vertical pieces or a ladder-like approach of stacking photos to fill the area. 

You might have to work around archways or other curvatures. Consider how these draw your eye's attention when you look at them. A single small art deco piece or religious symbol at the top of your kitchen entryway can create visual appeal.

4. Balance Your Focal Points

If you have a fireplace and all your portraits on the same wall, are the other three just standing there bare? Instead of taking a single-wall approach, look at your room as a whole. Where does the viewer's eye naturally gravitate? Features such as picture windows and aquariums also divert visitors' attention, so balance these with accents elsewhere.

For example, maybe you devote your fireplace mantel to smaller, framed family portraits. You could then balance this out by hanging a large horizontal painting and two sconces on the opposing wall. That way, everyone has something interesting to occupy their observation. 

5. Think Outside the Portrait and Landscape Box

While you can say a lot about square and rectangular designs when it comes to frames, they aren't your only shape options. For example, maybe you knitted a dreamcatcher that you could use as a focal point above the headboard of your bed. 

You can also get creative with stick-on wall art that features an inspirational saying you like. Highlight these with a floral garland or use a pair of Bagua mirrors to draw attention the area. 

6. Coordinate Your Colors

Except when dealing with family portraits — and sometimes, even then — you can create a more stunning appeal by sticking to a color scheme. That doesn't mean that all of your artwork has to conform to the same few colors.  

In other words, there's no need to hang duplicates of Van Gogh's "Starry Night" to design a uniform pattern. However, you can always go with art that features blue and purple tones in the bedroom and more invigorating reds and yellows in living areas. 

7. Use Lighting Strategically

Finally, guests can't fully appreciate your works of art in the dark. You can use overhead track lighting to direct beams in the areas you wish to highlight. You can also find picture lights that illuminate the frame and portrait within, from above or below. 

Emphasize Your Wall Hangings With These Tips

Your artwork personalizes your home and lets you show guests a smidge about yourself. Make the reflection a positive one by using these tips to arrange your wall hangings like a design pro.

Author: Dylan Bartlett

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