How to Hang Wall Art – Part 1

Hanging art and pictures in your apartment is the fastest way to make a new place feel like home. Depending on your apartment, though, there may be a few constraints, like where you can easily hang artwork at and what types of hanging methods your landlord approves of. After all, no landlord wants to deal with patching the walls after a tenant moves out.

Some complexes may allow you to hang art, but will request that you hang it in a very specific manner. Jennifer Bowers found that her apartment complex in Des Moines, Iowa asked her to use #10 sewing needles to hang anything on the walls, so she tapped them into the wall at an upward angle with a small hammer and hung her artwork from them. “I quickly found that if I used two sets of two, I could hang things up to ten pounds on my walls safely and securely.” When the sewing needles are removed, you can cover the hole with just a dab of paint. You may need a pair of pliers to pull out the needles. However, this method only works with drywall.

Lisa Cooper owns an art gallery in New York City and has found one solution to hanging artwork that works well in a variety of locations: Command Hooks by 3M. She says, “They come in small, medium and large sizes and you can use multiple hooks for heavier pieces. The adhesive on the back comes off without pulling off the paint or wallpaper. They also have different types of hooks depending on the wiring of the piece.”

Placing artwork can present a few difficulties, as well. Not only do you need to decide what matches the room, but you also have to take the shape of your apartment into consideration and examine the available wall space and lighting. Try out spots before you make a final decision about hanging to find the best effect. Lisa says, “Ideally, you’d like to hang your piece at eye-level and would want the piece to work proportionately to the other elements around it. You would not want to hang a single 12-inch by 12-inch painting in the middle of a six-foot sofa. It would look small and lose its importance. However, a series of four 12-inch by 12-inch pieces spaced a few inches apart would pull you into the living room area.”