Hanging artwork in your home is a fantastic way to provide life and personality to any room. But finding the perfect arrangement for your art isn’t always easy. Use these quick tips to create the ideal layout for your paintings and pictures.

Choose a Location – The size of the room and the artwork are important hanging considerations. Generally, you should hang your art around 58 inches from the ground. You can also hang a collection of art in a grid to draw attention and make a bigger statement. Thin, slick frames work well for grids or rows. Try salon-style frames if you have one big piece of artwork and want to surround it with other small pieces of art.

Arrange Your Art – Once you’ve chosen a location to hang your art, you’ll want to be strategic about how the piece or pieces are arranged. Be sure to leave six inches between your furniture and your art. Hanging frames too close to sofas or chairs can result in them being knocked off the wall. It’s also a good idea to build around your largest piece of artwork — small pieces by themselves may look out of place in relation to furniture. Try to keep at least two inches between each piece to avoid overlapping. You can preview your art by hanging cardboard cutouts in place of your frames. Once the cardboard is situated, remove each piece and hang your art.

Pick a Frame – Most frame stores carry a number of ready-to-use frames in common sizes. Custom frames can be ordered online. Abstain from using frames that are the same color as your walls. Additionally, be sure to avoid covering canvases with glass. Adhesive strips and hooks, humidity-resistant strips, metal strips and magnets are popular hanging options for hanging lighter pieces. Heavy-framed items will need more consideration than a lightweight poster. Thick steel hanging wire, flat-mounted hooks, French cleat hangers and molly bolts are all common pieces of hardware that can support art weighing over 25 pounds.

Hang Your Art – Use a laser level and a tape measure to make sure your alignment is straight. You’ll also need different fasteners and anchors to hang or attach things to drywall and masonry. Drywall is thin and crumbly, which will require special anchors and fasteners. Most masonry will require special bits to set screws and fasteners. But due to masonry’s natural strength, it can hold more weight than drywall or other softer surfaces.