You’ve finally moved into your new home and have bought some art prints to decorate your walls. Well, finding places to hang art is easy. However there are certain places you should try to avoid hanging art for reasons of prolonging the life of the art print and also for the safety of your family members and visitors. This article will give you some pointers on places you should try to avoid hanging your art pieces if possible.

1. Narrow and dark corridors

Some homes, especially small apartments, have narrow and dark corridors leading from the living area to the bedrooms. As someone walking along the corridor will be of very close proximity to the walls, an art piece hanging there could be unnoticeable. If you still want to hang art in this area, stick to small art pieces, and group several of them together to add a nice balance. If the corridor is dark, use some lighting to bring focus to them. This will make the art pieces more noticeable to your visitors. Try not to use a large art piece in this area, as large pieces are better appreciated from a distance. Another thing to be concerned about when hanging art in small and narrow spaces is safety; avoid hanging it in an area where someone could accidentally knock it off the wall while walking by, causing damage to the frame and also hurting himself. To avoid someone brushing against the art piece and knocking it off, you could put a small side table against the wall to create some space between the art piece and human traffic.

2. Next to your child’s bed

If you want to hang art pieces in your child’s bedroom, avoid hanging it next to his bed or cot (If the bed is against the wall). If it is not hung high enough, your child could easily reach out and accidentally dislodge it from the wall, thereby hurting himself. Hang the art pieces in areas where your child can’t easily reach them. Also, try to use small and light art pieces just in case your child dislodges it and it falls on him. To be on the safe side, you can avoid framing the art prints that you want to hang in the baby’s room. Although this may look “poster” like, it will definitely give you peace of mind that your child is safe.

3. Kitchen

You might see it often in interior design magazines. Hanging art in the kitchen could make it look a lot more beautiful. But for practical reasons, I would advise against doing that. This is especially so if you cook regularly. The oil and grease coming from the cooking could be damaging for your art in the long run. Try hanging it elsewhere; the dining area, if it is outside the kitchen, will be a good choice. If you still want to hang your art in the kitchen, you can do that but you should frame it with a good quality frame, and you also need to maintain it regularly by cleaning off the grease and grime that might accumulate over time.

4. Avoid hanging an art piece next to a mirror

Avoid hanging an art piece right next to a mirror. People almost always prefer to look at their own reflection rather than at art, no matter how beautiful it is. The mirror will pull attention away from the art piece. But that said; putting an art piece next to a mirror is still somewhat subjective. Some people do it and it still looks quite pleasant.

5. Anywhere that’s in the path of direct sunlight

Avoid putting your art anywhere that’s in the direct path of sunlight. The long term effects of sunrays could cause discoloring and fading of your art piece. Put it in an area that’s shaded from direct sunlight, and use creative lighting to bring attention to it. Choose a good quality frame with ultraviolet filtering glass for extra protection against UV light.

There you have it! I hope the above pointers will help you in every little way to prolong the lifespan of your art pieces so that you, your family and friends can enjoy them for the years to come. Enjoy your art!

Copyright 2007 Edwin Mah