Gallery wall layout: the plan for every hook
Two canvases side by side above a sofa, three in a row in a hallway, a grid of six on a landing: a gallery wall comes down to the centimetre. The plan below works out the height and position of every hook from your measurements, before you drill a single hole.
Your plan, frame by frame
Enter how many pictures you are hanging, their size and the gap you want between them. The plan treats the group as a single work: it centres it at the height you choose, then gives the height of the hooks for each row and their position from left to right.
Plan your gallery wall
Enter the width and height of one picture, between 10 and 250 cm, and the gap between pictures.
This centre falls outside the range the Smithsonian considers comfortable for everyone, 122 to 167.5 cm.
Paintings by Régine in this size
Régine Gardan
An award-winning artist, 1964 - 2018
- 25+years of painting
- 200+hand-painted canvases
- 35+exhibitions
- 14awards & honours
The right height for a group
No official standard sets the height of a painting, or of a group. The firmest reference comes from the Smithsonian: in its guidelines for accessible exhibitions, it places the centre of what visitors read on a wall 137 cm from the floor, a comfortable height standing or seated, and it considers the whole range between 122 and 167.5 cm comfortable. The plan starts from this reference for the centre of the group; you can change it at any time.
The gap between pictures
None of the museum handbooks consulted for this guide sets a gap between several frames. It is yours to choose: the plan takes it as it is and works out where each hook goes. It applies the same gap between all the canvases, across and down.
Where to hang the group
The Canadian Conservation Institute asks never to place a painting where a foot, a knee, a bag or a hand could knock it, nor in contact with furniture, a door or a curtain. Above a sofa or a console, the plan therefore tells you where the bottom of the group falls. Avoid hanging it above a radiator or a fireplace too: Museums Galleries Scotland points out that rising hot air carries dirt onto the canvases. For fixings, the National Park Service museum handbook asks for picture hooks rather than nails, two hooks for a heavy canvas, and a fixing into a stud or into concrete.
For a single canvas, our guide to hanging a painting works out the exact height of its hook, and the simulator shows it to scale on your wall. Régine's paintings are sorted by size: see our small formats and our square formats.
Frequently asked questions
How do you hang two pictures on a wall?
Treat them as a single work: line them up side by side, with the gap of your choice, and place the centre of the group at the height you want, 137 cm if you follow the Smithsonian's reference. In the plan above, enter 2 pictures per row and 1 row: it gives the height of both hooks and their distance from the centre.
How much space should you leave between pictures?
None of the museum handbooks consulted for this guide sets a gap between several frames: it is a choice. The plan above takes it as it is and works out where each hook goes, so you can compare several gaps before you drill.
How do you arrange pictures in a living room?
Above a sofa or a console, keep the group out of harm's way: the Canadian Conservation Institute asks that no painting touch furniture or be easy to knock. Avoid the space above a radiator or a fireplace, then centre the group on the furniture: the plan shows where its bottom falls and how high each hook goes.
Explore her colours
Each colour tells an emotion. Step into Régine Gardan's collections:
