Don't let finding the right spot for your favorite pieces be too daunting, but give some consideration before hammering a nail in the wall.
"It's always fraught with problems, but a few things will certainly prolong the life of the artwork," Ryan says.
• Don't just nail anywhere. Find a stud that will support the weight of a picture or sculpture, Ryan says. Similarly, make sure the art is sturdily secured with wire and ready to hang.
• Don't worry if you don't like where a piece hangs after a while, Johnson says. Just be sure you have extra paint to cover the hole.
• The centerpiece on a wall isn't always a picture.
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"If you hang a mirror, make it reflect something of interest, other than yourself," Rohr says. Hang it opposite a window with a nice view, a place you keep flowers or across from other pieces of art.
• Don't hang art low around chairs and couches that may get regularly moved back and forth and could bump into the piece.
• Homes have bigger and bigger TVs and more of them take up wall space.
"It's very hard to put art against it, or above it," Blanich says. "In my mind it would be doing the artwork a disservice. I think it's very hard to find art that would go with (a TV)."
Rohr suggests keeping the TV in a room not used for entertaining, or add height around it with large vases, sculptures or plants.
• Track lighting on dimmers are a good way to control the amount of light on a piece of work as well as controlling the atmosphere with lights around the outside of a room creating an intimate space, Johnson says.
A cheaper option is to use lamps around the room.
• While you want the space to be your own, it's always good to have someone to bounce ideas off.
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"It is helpful to have another eye, whether you disagree with them or not," Blanich says. "I'm of the mindset that if you disagree with them, you know you're right and if you agree you know you're right."
- John Lamb, Forum News Service
