The hallway is the wall people forget, and the one they see most: every time they leave the house, come home, or walk to the bathroom at night. It's also the one with the trickiest viewing distance. In a living room you see art from across the room; in a hallway, from about an arm's length.
How high should art hang in a hallway?
The same as anywhere on a bare wall: 57″ (145 cm) from the floor to the centre of the piece. In a hallway that rule matters even more, because you're so close to the art that anything hung high is above your eyes and you'll look up at it every time. The hanging guide has the nail arithmetic.
What size suits a hallway?
Smaller than you'd hang in a living room, because you can't step back from it. In a hall about 36 to 48″ (91 to 122 cm) wide, I'd keep pieces under about 30″ (76 cm) wide each. You can't take in more than that from an arm's length away; a big piece becomes a blur of colour as you pass.
A long hallway wants a row, not one piece:
- Same size, same frame, or at least the same frame family.
- Equal gaps. I use 3″ (8 cm) for a tight group; in a long hall, larger equal gaps between single pieces, spread down the wall, also work. Pick one gap and keep it.
- One centre line at 57″ for the whole row, so the tops and bottoms line up.
- Start from the middle of the stretch of wall and work outward, so the row is centred on the wall rather than stopping short at one end.
What about the entryway?
If there's a console or bench, the art belongs to it, as with a sofa: two-thirds to three-quarters of its width, with the bottom 8″ (20 cm) above the top. A 48″ (122 cm) console takes 32 to 36″ (82 to 91 cm) of art. A mirror is the other classic choice above a console; if you have one there already, hang the art on the facing wall.
With no furniture, an entryway piece is the first thing anyone sees when the door opens, so it's a good spot for something with presence: the strongest colour or the most graphic image in the house, centred at 57″.
Doors, switches and the narrow walls between them
- Leave 6″ (15 cm) between art and door trim or a light switch, so the piece doesn't look squeezed.
- Check door swings. A door that opens against the wall will hit a frame; a door stop helps, but it's easier to hang elsewhere.
- Narrow walls between doors suit a single vertical piece or two small pieces stacked one above the other, with a 3″ gap, centred together at 57″.
- Coat hooks and art don't mix: coats brush frames. Keep art on the opposite wall, or above the hooks with at least a foot of clear wall between.
Glass or canvas in a hallway?
A glass framed print suits a hallway well: you see it close, and the crispness of glass and a mat rewards that close look. Glare matters less in a hallway, which rarely has a window opposite. In a narrow hall where coats and shoulders brush past, two hooks on each piece stop it from going crooked. Small, light pieces can hang from one.
Next step
Small spaces collects pieces under three feet wide, and Pairs and series has sets made to hang in a row.
Questions we get asked
Hang each piece 57″ (145 cm) above the front edge of the step below its centre, so the line of centres follows the handrail. The hanging guide has a diagram.
Yes, on a hallway at least 48″ (122 cm) wide, so you can step back a little. In a narrower one, a single row reads better. Gallery wall templates has measured layouts.