More Home Accessorizing Tips

You've probably heard many people talk about "eye level" and, of course, that is different for everyone depending on how tall they are. So who has the correct eye level anyway? Good question. Before determining the eye level, however, it is important to consider the main function of a room. If the room is primarily used by people who will be seated, it's a good idea to lower the pictures or art on the wall so that it is more comfortable for them to enjoy when seated. In most cases if you center whatever you are hanging, whether it be a single image or a grouping, and place the center at approximately 54" above the floor you will achieve a very pleasing look. However, if you are place the artwork over furniture of any kind, you want to place the base of the art or grouping approximately a hand span above the furniture.

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Watch out for hanging artwork all around a room, spreading it out to fill like soldiers standing at attention. It will be obvious that you're just trying to s-t-r-e-t-c-h what you have to fit. Better to leave some walls alone so the eye has a place to rest.

• When you want to design a wall grouping, lay them on the floor in front of the wall you have chosen. Work out the arrangement on the floor first and check it for balance. Try to hang each element equi-distant from the other elements so it looks unified.
• Spread the colors as evenly throughout the grouping as possible. Color can easily throw the whole grouping out of balance.
• The outer shape of the grouping should, in most cases, form a geometric shape to be pleasing to the eye.
• For a final placement check, trace the outline of each element in the grouping and tape to the wall in the place you have chosen. Squint your eyes to see if the overall shape comes close to forming a rectangle, an oval, a circle, a square or a triangle.
• Never hang anything over furniture where the width of the furniture is shorter than the width of what is on the wall. If you do it will feel top heavy. If you really need to hang something wider over a piece of furniture, place something else next to the furniture so that what is below will visually support what is above it.
• Plants make great filler. Group them together using varying heights. They are great for expanding the width of furniture placed below larger artwork mentioned in the bulleted tip above.
• Mirrors in grouping should almost always be placed at or near the center of the grouping because they always attract so much more attention. They are great for visually anchoring a grouping.
• Watch out for what a mirror will be reflecting. Make sure the reflection is worthy of being repeated in the space.
• Look for ways to vary the heights of the furniture and the plants and the wall decor in a room to capture interest. Watch out for extreme height variations.

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