Written by the founder of Diaspora Colours- an abstract architectural and geometric artist specialising in curated art for modern interiors.

Placing artwork in interiors

Placing your art is a vital step in styling your interiors. Here are some tips on placing artworks in interiors for maximum styling impact

  • Balance and visual access

    You want a sense of balance on where the artwork is placed and ability to properly see the artwork. A sense of balance is determined by the wall it is hung on and the immediate surrounding in the plane of view. The angle of view is also important as illustrated below.

  • Perception of interior

    The placement of artwork also modifies the perception of the interior. Walls can be perceived to be wider, narrower, higher or shorter and the space itself can be perceived to be smaller or larger than it is. What perception would you like created?

  • Colour

    There are two basic approaches (matching or contrasting colour) but they should not restrict your preferences of colour composition. Choose your art to match/contrast interior colours, or choose the colours of walls and other objects to match/contrast your existing art (e.g. for a refurbishment) or anywhere in between the matching and contrasting colours range.

  • What to avoid

    Avoid placing the artwork where it is exposed to direct sunlight often. Regular direct sunlight exposure over a long period can compromise the colour of artworks

Balance and perception of the interiors- wall height (hover on the image)

  • Modern living room with red armchair, and plants curated with a colorful ragged urban abstract artwork hung low on the wall

    Perceived shorter wall

    This artwork is framed nicely by the window wall and plant in this nook, and placed on the lower half of the wall, it creates a perception of a lower wall

  • Modern living room with red armchair, and plants curated with a colorful ragged urban abstract artwork hung mid-height on the wall

    Perceived slightly higher wall

    The same artwork is placed mid-height on the wall but still framed (partially) by the window wall and plant. The wall is now perceived to be slightly higher

  • Modern living room with red armchair, and plants curated with a colorful ragged urban abstract artwork hung high on the wall

    Perceived higher wall

    The artwork here is framed by the three walls and placed on the upper half of the wall accentuating the height of the wall. This arrangement reduces the ability to see details for smaller artworks

Visual access

  • Diagram showing some principles of placing art on walls for optimum views of the artwork.

    Positioning for optimal view of artwork

    As a rule of thumb avoid placing art pieces with the bottom edge higher than or lower than eye-level (partlcularly for large pieces) unless there is a creative reason for it. The artworks in red would be too high or too low

  • Diagram showing some principles of placing art on walls for optimum views of the artwork depending on the viewer's posture

    Considering different viewing scenarios

    Sometimes you may need to choose who you want the art to impact the most at its location. For example, the person who is seated or the one standing? In a living room, the person seating is more likely to be in that position for longer, so you could favour them. You can take also take a middle position so that both view it without losing detail

Want to see some pieces that could be viewed from varying eye-level positions when used to create feature walls? Explore our Urban Statements for large pieces perfect for curated feature walls

Explore our Urban Statements

Colour coherence (matching and contrasting)- hover over image

  • Geometric abstract geometric art piece on a wall in a room with decorative vases and a green door.

    Matching

    The brown hues on the artwork matches very well the brown hues of the pots, hammock and rug on the ground

  • Living room with a white sofa, colorful pillows, and a modern curated matching abstract urban art on the wall.

    Matching

    The hues of yellow on the artwork matches the stand out mustard cushion covers on the sofa

  • Grey sofa with grey pillows and a blanket, with a curated matching grey monotoned abstract urban artwork on the wall.

    Matching

    The monotoned grey artwork is a good match for the monotoned grey tones of the sofa cushions and blanket

  • Abstract black and white geometric artwork hung on a wall and contrasting with a dining table with wooden chairs.

    Contrasting

    This monochrome artwork creates a sharp contrast with the between the black edge and the very light wall.

  • A colourful abstract geometric art piece contrasting with the light wood tan wooden console table below it.

    Contrasting

    The very vibrant coloured artwork (a maximalist style) contrasts very well with a minimalist wall and shelving

  • Collage of two abstract geometric art pieces contrasting with the wall and sofa below it

    Contrasting

    Another contrast between vibrantly coloured artworks and a minimalist space

Curator's Guidance

If you are applying these ideas to a real interior, our artworks are created as themed groups to help you achieve balance, scale and cohesion with confidence. Choose any of these groups designed to style office spaces

View These Geometric Statetments

What do you think about placing artwork? Please provide us with feedback below (your email addressed is not published)

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