Home Staging Tips: How to hang artwork with two D-rings.

Hanging artwork with D-rings is probably one of the most frustrating experiences when decorating a home. Properly hanging curtains seems like child’s play in comparison. D-rings are great for heavy or large pieces of art as they balance the weight of the piece and keep stress off of the frame. It is not recommended that wire be strung between them as this could damage the art.

How to hang artwork

The first thing you should know about hanging artwork is where to hang it. Many people believe that this is common knowledge but after years as a professional home stager what I’ve found is that the majority of home owners hang it too high. Artwork should be hung at eye level. This will provide the most pleasing viewpoint. Because heights vary, the common standard for this is 60-65″ to center when standing alone. (“To-center” means the middle point of the artwork.) When art is hung over another object, like a table or sofa, the standard is 6-12″ above the other object.

The math of hanging artwork by Staging & Redesign

Proper artwork hanging will require a little math. The following diagram has been published from Staging & Redesign’s online home staging training program with permission. 

While this diagram is actually using a wire to hang the artwork, hanging artwork from D-rings is pretty similar. The big difference is that you will need to measure both sides of the art (hooks can be at different heights) and the width (distance between the hooks).

A video tutorial on hanging artwork with D-rings

 

Of course, there are always ways to cheat the system. If all of this gets too confusing, you might try Karen Otto’s painter’s tape tutorial for hanging art on D-rings.