SHOW SIDEBAR
How to center your artwork: with the furniture or wall?

How to correctly center artwork on the wall is one of the most popular questions we get asked:

Q: I have a piece of furniture that is not located in the center of the wall. If I want to hang a piece of art above it, should the artwork be centered with the furniture or the wall?

Two images of a picture hanging above a couch; one image the picture is centered over the couch and has a green check mark indicating done well; the other image has the artwork centered with the wall with a red x that indicates this is not the best way to hang the artwork

 

When hanging your pictures, always hang them in relation to the furniture sitting below. With your couch off-centered on the wall, focus on hanging your painting centered above the couch to create a great focal point for your living room. As you can see, if you were to hang your piece centered with the wall, the entire furniture arrangement looks out of balance.

Two images of artwork hung above a table: one centered with the table and one centered with the wall. There is a check mark on the one centered with the table to indicate this is the correct way to hang the art.

Hanging artwork with furniture is a good decorating guideline that works with all kinds of pieces. In the table image above you can see how hanging the artwork so it is centered over the table creates balance and harmony in the space.

For more tips on hanging artwork above a sofa, check out this related blog post, Easy tips for hanging pictures above a couch. You can also learn more about our Hang & Level™ picture hanging tool, and shop online at UTR Decorating.

Have any other decorating questions? Email us at questions@utrdecorating.com and we’ll do our best to help you Create the home you love™

At Under The Roof Decorating our mission is to design innovative products that help you Create the home you love™.

We believe everyone should have a home they love that reflects who they are. Our passion is to design products to help you quickly and easily decorate your home—all on your own. Discover the joy of creating spaces you love, and the satisfaction of doing it yourself.

Our products are available online and at many retailers in the USA and Canada, including Target, Lowe's and The Home Depot.
UTR products are available at the following retailers:

SHARE:

Reviews (9 comments)

  • Kristy On

    What if the couch is approx. two feet from the wal!?

  • Faye Stewart On

    I have a queen panel headboard, what can I put over the headboard?

  • Jacqueline On

    I’m online looking for a similar answer as Pam. My bed is placed against the wall off center due to the opposite wall being the entryway and having closet, dresser and ensuite off on the same side. I have two pictures 32″ × 42 “. I do not want them centered above my bedframe. My walls are dark grey with a navy tinge, my walls are 9ft, bedframe is white and 42” high. Placing something centered over bedframe would look odd no matter how I can envision it; and create too much empty space around it. The pictures are white with black sketchings of nudes my mother made. I have decided I want them placed on either side of the bed and measuring to be centered at 5.7ft from the floor. This will place the bottom of the picture frames below the top of the bedframe by about 6". I am all good with this plan but the pictures have two kehole hardware and will be a first try at drilling holes and hanging 20lb artwork so I don’t want to mess up measurements. My concern is after hanging everything the right hand picture will end about 6" from the edge of the wall while the left side will end about 23 " from the other wall and doorway to ensuite. Worried when walking into the room it will all appear wonky.

  • Pam On

    I have two matching pics to hang in my bedroom. The space on each side of the bed is not the same and the headboard is located in front of a window. Should I center the picture on each side or in accordance to the window? Thanks!

Leave A Comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published