HOME The art of hanging

From eye-catching ways to group multiple artworks to making use of picture shelves, here are 10 ways to display wall art to perfection in your home

ALT ART

In this holiday home on a farm, where many paintings and objects can’t be regularly dusted, the best way to create an art installation was to paint it directly onto the wall. With the help of an overhead projector, the homeowner outlined and filled in an image of a hawthorn branch on the white wall of the kitchen-diner. Its thorns and flowers serve as “subtle reminders of the masculine and feminine elements balancing the home’s interiors”.

TIP: Create a similar look using readymade, budget-friendly adhesive decals. These need not be thought of as permanent installations: many of the adhesive versions can be easily removed and replaced by new ones when the look of your space – or your taste – changes.

MATCHING PAIR

This pair of abstract artworks takes pride of place on the wall of a tranquil bedroom. It’s an excellent idea to place companion pieces close together to emphasise their joint use of colour and style, and make them the focal point of a space. The additional rules to follow are also similar to those that govern the hanging of artworks in a classic “white cube” gallery: allow plenty of space around the pieces to avoid visual clutter, and ensure that they are not mounted too high up on the wall – an artwork should generally have its midpoint at eye level.

TIP: Combining beautifully with this pair of paintings by South African artist Jeanne Gaigher, whose work is available via Lemon (lemoncollection.co.za), is a vintage Le Corbusier chaise longue – the perfect vantage point for contemplation.

SHELF LIFE

This homeowner credits her geologist grandfather with her taste for collecting. From Egyptian scarabs found in North Africa to vintage botanical art prints picked up in New York, she has an eye for items imbued with charm, history and a tale to tell. Plus, her talent for display makes them more beguiling: using shallow picture shelves to display artworks is perfect for curator-collectors of all stripes because they enable an easy change up, refresh and add to the combinations in which your pieces appear.

TIP: These picture shelves are crammed with favourite artworks. To create a similar collection, choose a theme or colour focus – botanical illustrations, for example – then start hunting at auctions, in junk stores and online.

IN THE MIX

Combining practical with aesthetic pleasures, this kitchen is situated in a stylist’s home in which all the walls and fitted storage cupboards have been painted pure white to serve as an ideal backdrop for an ever-changing display. It’s a joyful, confident mix: a trio of golden ceramic ducks draws the eye upwards, shelves hold a mix of cooking essentials, framed artworks and collected treasures, and a favourite image snapped in Namibia is used as a focal point behind the hob. TIP: Take inspiration from the photographic image featured, and enlarge and frame your own photographs. Then display them wherever they will regularly catch your eye and give you pleasure, from a kitchen shelf to a bathroom windowsill.