MEASURED DECISIONS
You don’t have to live with too-high TVs, paintings, sconces and dining-room lights
Hanging light fixtures, flat-screen televisions and art all require commitment — you’ve got to put holes in your walls or ceiling, which can be a scary proposition. My clients and friends are often paralyzed by the thought of getting it wrong.
The right measurements depend on your physical height and the room’s use, but there are guidelines you can follow. Here’s how to make sure your walls don’t end up looking like Swiss cheese.
ARTWORK
The biggest mistake people make when it comes to hanging artwork is not hanging it at all. David Kassel, the owner of ILevel, a professional art installer, says that people are just too scared to put holes in their walls. But unlike a light fixture or flat-screen television, hanging art does very little damage to your wall (the thin nails used in hanging most pictures make tiny holes, and if you mess up, the picture usually ends up covering the hole).
As for art placement, Kassel says there is no right or wrong way but there are some general rules of thumb: When hanging art, make sure you consider the room’s purpose. In a living room, for example, art should be hung at a height that looks good when viewed while standing and sitting. But in a hallway, where you are always standing, you might hang pictures a bit higher.
In general, pictures should be hung so that the centre of the work is at eye level; for most people, that means the middle of the picture should be about 58 to 60 inches (1.47 to 1.52 metres) from the floor. Kassel says adults often automatically hang pictures at an adult’s height in a kid’s room, but it’s better to hang it at a height that suits the child.
When hanging pictures next to one another in a grid, you should have about two inches (five centimetres) both vertically and horizontally between items. Even spacing can be difficult when grouping different-size frames together, so Kassel recommends keeping at least two inches (five centimetres) between items to lend visual cohesion.
FLAT- SCREEN TVS
Most professional television installers say that many people ignore the optimal height guidelines for hanging flat-screen televisions to hang their televisions over a fireplace, which is almost always too high. Optimal viewing, no matter the size of your screen, is straight on at eye level. Travis Bingler, commercial account manager at the Charlottesville, Va.-based electronics store Crutchfield, suggests always assessing the right height from a seated position rather than standing, and to ensure you have thought of all the installation logistics — the wires, power source, components and cables. “For many,” he says, “the guts of the TV are an afterthought to the placement, and they can’t be.”
SCONCES
If you hang wall sconces too far apart, your room will look disjointed; too close, and it will look cramped. When hanging sconces in a hallway or living space, you want eight to 10 feet (three metres) between them so they emit a good balance of light. They should be just above eye level, anywhere from 60 to 68 inches (1.52 to 1.78 metres) from the floor to the centre of the sconce back plate. Sconces on either side of a bathroom mirror should also be hung just above eye level. When hanging sconces on either side of a fireplace, consider the mantel width. If your fireplace is very wide, they should be hung over both ends of the mantel, not way off to the side. Near smaller fireplaces, sconces should be about eight inches from the sides of the opening.
The best way to establish the proper height for wall-mounted lamps is to sit on your sofa or lie on your bed as you would when reading and measure from the floor to just above your shoulder. You want the fixture mounted so the light hits between your head and your book. For couples of different heights, choose a mounting height that is a compromise of the two measurements. In general, the top of the fixture should be 55 to 60 inches (1.4 to 1.52 metres) from the floor. As for width, I suggest mounting the fixtures about eight inches (20.3 cm) from the sides of the headboard.
DINING ROOM LIGHTS
One mistake people make is hanging their dining room fixture too close to the ceiling, giving it no relation to the table.
You want to centre the fixture over your table and hang it so the measurement from the bottom of the fixture to the surface of your dining table is 30 to 36 inches (76.2 to 91.4 cm). Choose a fixture with a width at least six inches (15.2 cm) narrower that the table’s width on all sides. If you move your dining table for parties, use an S-hook on the chain to lift the fixture up five or six notches to accommodate people walking under it.