Interior design is an art. Like all art, it takes many forms. While we choose a particular style for our own homes, an understanding of design allows us to appreciate (and discuss) many styles. Realistic art is one style of art, but there are many others. To say that only realism is art is to discount centuries of art and the art of most non-Western cultures.

There are some great inspirations here, I love it! I don't have very many big walls (lots of windows and doors) but I love the look of these arrangements.

Here is my first attempt at a photo arrangement. Not very big, but I still consider it a success :)

I love this thread!

And I'm now off to shop my house for some art to shuffle around :D

Here is a grouping I have in the living room. They're all oil paintings except for the small picture in the lower row with the ornate frame which is petit point needlepoint that's been in my family for many years. The duck picture on the bottom in the middle was painted by my husband. The antlers belonged to a great uncle and the Chinese birds were bought in an antique store as were some of the paintings.

I'm bumping this thread up because I made my husband take these pictures especially for this post and it would be nice if someone could see them.

Thanks for this thread! I love this style and so many of the lovely pics posted. I've done this with my collection of original oil landscapes in our stairway and have had many compliments on it.

IMO one does not have to naturally "have the eye" for it, but I think it helps to look at a lot of examples before hanging one's collection. There are many ways to arrange them and perhaps seeing what others have done might provide some ideas.

This is a grouping I've always liked which are somewhat randomly placed. I think these pics may be copyrighted so here's the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: original art grouping

Oops - sorry about the earlier link

I hope I got this one right

Here is a link that might be useful: How to hang art in groups

I love this thread, too!! Growing up, my grandmother had a cathedral ceiling in her living room with a huge space behind her couch. We had a painter in the family and she had many of his oils hung on the wall, all the way up. It looked great (I wish I had a picture of her wall!).I now have a similar setup and have struggled with how to hang things on the wall. This thread has helped my revisit this. Once I get my two oils reframed, I'll be back for a critique. Thanks!

I take no credit for the idea, it came from one of you, but here are the photos I have started mounting on the ceiling in my attic bedroom. What a great idea to show all those pictures of my kids I just had to have done when they were little, not to mention the school portraits!

Brilliant inspiration in this thread! This is exactly the look I love and crave for my own home! I thought my walls were already full ... but maybe I could squeeze some more in there somewhere! ;-)

Oh, and when my guests get down on their hands and knees or up on a ladder to view my art, I'll just have them clean something while they're at it. >;-)~

I'm so loving this thread. I LOVE the pics on the sloped ceilings!

Oh, and by the way, if your guests are staring at pictures long enough to get a stiff neck or they find they can't simply glance down at a low-level picture, I have to wonder about the mental status of said guest! I'd frankly be worried if one of my guests stood in one position long enough to actually get a stiff neck, and I may be inclined to call an amublance for them, as I would assume they were having some sort of silly-art-viewing seizure.

auntjen, I love your sense of humor! Would like to see your pictures too. The more the merrier, it's not only eye candy but very inspiring.

I love the family pictures amylville has put on her ceiling. Not only beautiful but incredibly innovative. I wish I could think of things like that. It must have been quite a project though, having everything aligned so perfectly.

OK, full credit for the picture on the ceiling goes to annathome. Thank you for the inspiration. The ceiling is beadboard so lining the up is a breeze (for me, my husband is the one who is doing the labor) although they are far from perfectly aligned I am forbidden to critique or I will be hanging them myself!

I too am happy to see this issue raised. I love the look of many items hung as an aggregate.

This post "gives me permission" to do this on three other walls in my house!!!! Thanks.

Thanks to all who posted actual and inspirational pics, they are all great. I aspire to the "art" of hanging, but am still on a major learning curve. Here's a pic of my latest (but surely not last) attempt in our LR.

sandyponder

amyville the pics in the link dont show up now. Can you repost them? I keep telling my DH that yes we can use that ceiling in the attic for photos or paintings but he is reluctant. Seeing is believing.
I would love to do this in my house but the only artwork I have room for are my DDs paintings. And she uses very large non standard size canvases. So did my Gmom! If I had a huge huge wall and 10-12 foot ceilings maybe I could make it work.
( after I pay for or make custom frames)
Maryland peeps and vistors remember Haussners? that was the first time I had ever seen walls covered in paintings. It was so fun!

Allison0704, I just love the arrangement of your pictures going up the steps and after my busy season, I may use your stairway as an inspiration picture to help me get started on my stairway decorating project.

This has been a helpful thread. I have some small, but nice, prints that I keep piled on top of my linen closet because I don't know how to hang them.

Ingrid - your paintings are beautiful - what a lovely grouping!

here's what Martha has to say about it -- the be-all and end-all of decorating advice, of course.

Seriously, I do very much like her last suggestion, which uses a "strong center line" and frames in the same color to make pics of different sizes look graphically interesting and organized. Cool approach.

Love the ideas in this thread! Allison, beautiful pics!

Here is a link that might be useful: Martha on arranging pictures

This is a great thread. We are currently looking for art for over our sofa - I keep looking for that one nice piece, but may have to readjust my thinking. I have other smaller groupings throughout the house. This thread does tell me one thing, though - I don't have enough art! Shopping I must go....

Thank you, Lynn and Walkin. I told DH I've gotten several and placed there that I would like to see more often. I will need to keep looking and buy more that I love (European architectural, big on bridges too). But I'm afraid DH will have to paint that wall - I've been moving around while adding and so far have been able to hide the holes!

I love all the inspiration(more like eye candy) of all the ways to display treasures shown on this thread. I only wish I had more pictures to display to capture what you have all done.
I think I did what Martha was describing when I hung the family pics on the hallway wall.I hung pics either above or below an imaginary line at eye level while standing on the stair landing.
{{!gwi}}

Misty you are so right - eyecandy! I am so psyched to get going on my DR project this weekend. I won't have the fabric for my drapes but I do have the rods and I think I can work around that. Or at least narrow it down to which kind of paintings I think will work in the DR vs somewhere else in the house.

Thank you all for posting and sharing your pics. I think luckygal said it helps to keep looking at examples so you can start working on your own project. She was so right. The more I see the more I feel like I can make it work. Fingers Crossed, otherwise there will be lots of holes in the wallpaper I already don't like! :)

One of my very favorite art galleries display the art in the salon style. I love it. If you are even remotely interested in fine art and find yourself in Philadelphia, you must visit.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: The Barnes Foundation Philadelphia

Well this thread has helped me decide......what I will do with my "big wall".

For over a year we have been trying to decide how to handle our "stair wall". It's big and really blank. It goes up 2 complete stories. We thought about a quilt, we thought about Fathead ( the complete Pittsburgh Steelers) LOL but I knew if I waited it would "come" to me. Over the last few days reading this thread and looking at my farm house decorating books I love, I have decided to do the stacked pics wall.

I must say I adore some of these pics....esp the dog prints. I collect horse prints (occupational hazard). I prefer certain artists, and much prefer portraits of named horses. Since many are antiques and already framed, they will never be similarly framed. I think I will like this electic look.

Here's a pic of part of the wall. Hopefully this weekend we can start "hanging". I am anxious to see all my loved prints again! (Not to mention it means I have room to shop for more! Yeah wall space!)

I post some progress pics as get some pics up!

Wow!!! This thread is bringing back some wonderful memories!

CB, as you may remember, I grew up in Baltimore and remember Haussner's very well. Though I only ate there once or twice, it was legendary. Haven't thought about that place in years. Thanks, Hon!

I took DH to the Barnes back when they only let in 50 people per day and then only on weekends. You had to call well in advance to book. I took him there on a surprise outing for the first birthday we spent together, followed by a dozen-or-so course meal for Chinese New Year at the Chinese Cultural Center. I think he was probably already in love with me, but the Barnes sealed the deal! :-)

Sandyponder, I just want to say how nice it is to see your pics. I remember when you started posting more a while back and you claimed your style was too eclectic to post. That made me a bit crazy! Glad to see you are bringing your unique style to the table.

Another of my inspiration pics - from my hero, Magnaverde, in O at Home magazine last fall -

I have a collection of stuff that I'm going to hang this way, as soon as I get some other stuff done...Forum, look out - I have questions coming!

Fun thread! Here's my attempt:

{{!gwi}}

This thread is going to turn us all into picture hoarders.

(I know because I'm already there...)

No kidding, Flyleft. I've spent entirely too much time perusing eBay for more artwork these past couple of days ...

simpletaste, I couldn't help but laugh at that picture: could you see someone making the statue walk along the tabletop, saying "Watch out where you're going while you're carrying that baby! Big boulders in the way!"

Or maybe I've spent too much time playing with DD's china animals recently...

(auntjen, now I'm thinking we'll all be bidding against each other LOL)

LMBO at auntjen and flyleft. Picture hoarders! You guys, I already own no less than 17 vintage oil portraits of ladies. After I read this thread and saw these beautiful pics (all who posted, THANK YOU for the candy!), I now feel like I have hardly any and desperately need more.

So now I have to get out of my coffee-stained yoga pants and baggy-Tshirt, in which I was QUITE comfortable, put on some decent clothes, and go peruse an antique/thrift store or two before they close. D*mn this thread!

Joanna

You are all enablers! I can't stop looking for more on ebay either. DH will kill me if I buy more before I get what I have up on the walls. I think since I was going for the one piece per area look in my last house that many of my paintings are too big to work with the "salon look"

I think that means I need more smaller art pieces! :)

Just wanted to say thanks again. I finally got the time and emptied the mess out of the DR and we hung pictures. It still needs drapes, and eventually a wall color, but DH and I are very happy with the way the picture hanging went.

I tried to find paintings that "went" together for one reason or another in my mind. I am sure it could be better, but overall we have lots of pretty paintings hung in the room in a way we can enjoy so we are pleased.

The back wall pic didnt come out for some reason. I never would have thought to experiment this way without all your help. :)

I will probably add a few here or there as I find them.

IÂm loving looking at everyoneÂs picture groupings also! I have so many things in storage I need to get hung up, this is really motivating me.
Boop  your dining room is going to be really lush looking once you get some long draperies hung in there. I really like all the pictures you have hung.

IÂm adding a few more pictures from my décor photo archives belowÂthe first two are from Elle Décor, the third, ED or House Beautiful, and the fourth is Bunny Williams.

What wonderful pics!

And **gulp** -- scored two more paintings on eBay today!
;-D

Bumping this thread because I had so much fun looking at it. Great inspiration for me.

One last update because it makes me happy everymorning.

I HATE our Master Bathroom. 80's/early 90's grey black and white with grey sink and matching toilet etc. No money in the near future and probably for at least 5 years to re do it either. :( For whatever reason this thread gave me the idea to gather all the pictures I had collected over the years that had no place else to be in this house and I hung them all in the bathroom. I also got a cheap towel set and matching rugs in deep plum from Penneys and now I LOVE the bathroom. It is probably even more 80's looking then ever, but it makes me smile.

The frames on all the botanicals prints is dark purple:

I have also already moved/added things in My DR. :)

Add me to the list of those who love this thread. Five or so years ago I found myself at a New Years Eve party at the home of a sculptor and painter. Within a few minutes of arriving, I understood the joy of living with a lot of art.

A number of my friends are professional artists, and I'm fortunate that they've been generous. Plus my mother was an artist, and I'm an avid photographer. So I have lots of meaningful pieces on my walls. But this house doesn't have all that many walls (some were removed, plus we have big windows), and now my cousin, a painter, has started sending me wonderful portraits of the two of us as children, as well as paintings of my gardens. And I've been working on my dad's eminently frameable b&w photographs from the 1940s. Oy! Where will I put everything??

With your help, I'm sure I'll think of something....

Susan

This grouping is in the current dining room:

This grouping was in previous residence dining room:

The mirror in 2nd photo is now above sofa in new residence.

I'm so glad this thread got bumped because right now all my pictures are in storage except one. With the new room and remodeled other rooms (in the process), I have NO idea where to put the old pictures. Putting the first nail in a new wall is kind of scary!

I can't tell you how happy I am to see this thread. Even though I love a clean, uncluttered look, this has always been my favorite way of decorating....with lots and lots of things on the walls.
I could just sit in a room filled with art, a big comfy chair, a reading lamp, a cup of coffee (and of course, my furbaby) and nothing else and be perfectly happy.
Great pictures everyone.

I was so inspired by this thread. I had so many pics I had picked up at thrift stores and garage sales that I just loved but thought I just had no place to hang them permanently. I usually stored most of them, and rotated them to change the look of the room. I, right now at this moment have them all laid out on my floor ready for hanging Salon Style. I am nailing them to the walls today. I was so surpired to see this thread bumped up here today.

I want to thank everyone who shared their photos of their Salon Style wall art and the links to show how to do it correctly.

There are a couple of current threads on hanging pictures that reminded me of this thread. I am going to attempt to hang all the black and white etchings and pictures I have soon in my hallway and up the stairs. I thought I would look back for some more inspiration.

Anyone else have pics to share?

Goah, how could I have missed this thread? I love groupings of art/photos on walls. Some times it seems the more the better. Other times a few works, but gosh I love loads of art groupings. Right now the below picture is the only place I have a grouping in our home. We're still not to that stage in most rooms. This is our main entry. I started collecting the crosses while we were building. Thought I'd put them up as they were, but when it came time to hang them it wasn't going to work out that way so I painted them alike.....
{{!gwi}}

I love the crosses! Are they old? Your display is very attractive.

justgotabeme, I love your display! Just gorgeous! I really love symmetry, even though as an aspiring artist, I probably shouldn't, lol.