Wall decor ideas - how to hang wall art at home

Create a beautiful home with the addition of some art to your walls! Wall art is the perfect way to fill that glaring space in your house you've often walked by but have not known how to utilise. Any home area can be improved with some clever wall décor ideas, from the end of your hallway to that impressively large wall in your lounge room. This guide will help you figure out just what kind of wall art will look best in your home, plus the best ways to safely (and stylishly!) hang them up and some wall art ideas you can try.

Quick Links

• Why should I hang wall art?
• What kinds of wall art should I hang around my home?
• How do I hang wall art?
• How do I style single wall art pieces?
• How can I arrange wall art into a gallery wall?
• How can I protect my wall art?

Why should I hang wall art?

There are several benefits to having wall art in your home, first and foremost being that it's a very effective way of decorating your living space. Wall art comes in all sorts of sizes and is a great choice for filling in that blank wall you're just not quite sure what to do with. The right art piece can serve to welcome guests into your house, attract attention to certain parts of the home or serve as parts of a larger décor installation. There are heaps of fun wall art ideas you can try that are sure to boost your creative juices!

Gazing at art also has some wonderful benefits for your mental and emotional health. Looking at beautiful art can increase blood flow to the brain by 10%, stimulating our brain's desire to create and find patterns and creating a sense of embodied cognition. Engaging your brain in these ways helps keep it active and can stave off age-related cognitive degeneration - so there's nothing not to love about creating wall décor ideas and having art in your home!

What kinds of wall art should I hang around my home?

The kinds of wall art you hang in your home can vary depending on the room, and you should choose pieces that suit the space they are in. Dreamy landscapes can look great in a kitchen or office, while through-provoking abstracts may fare better in a living or dining room.

Wall art ideas for living room

Your living room is your space to show off some dramatic or thought-provoking art, as it's a place people will be relaxing and talking. Show off an impressive piece of art you're proud of and it's sure to become a talking point whenever you have guests over! Wall art ideas for living rooms ideas include large, impressive abstracts, gallery walls made up of smaller framed images or even a bold expressionist painting.

Kitchen wall art ideas

If you wish to display wall art in your kitchen, ensure you are hanging them away from cooking appliances and sinks - water, heat and art don't mix! Popular kitchen wall art ideas include stylised pictures of food and drink, cute cooking phrases in rustic fonts and country-style landscapes and homesteads.

Bedroom wall art ideas

You may like to display artwork with more personal meanings to yourself and your family in bedrooms, as they can be appreciated by those they have meaning to. Think holiday-inspired artwork or souvenirs from special trips, or even nostalgic photos from vacations or milestone events. If you will be displaying art in your bedroom, make sure not to hang any of it above your bed - there's nothing more frightening than a piece of art falling down on your head while you're asleep!

Unique wall art ideas

If you're looking for truly unique wall art ideas, try hanging unusual art deco like patterned mirrors, natural pieces of wood or wire shapes on your walls. You can also hang your prints in intriguing swirl, wave or zig-zag patterns to take the eye on an adventure as it moves across your art. Let your unique wall décor ideas be inspired by your favourite movies, holiday locations and even your backyard!

How do I hang wall art?

There's more to hanging art than banging in a nail and hanging your artwork from a string! The type of wall on which you are hanging your art, the size of your art and its weight will all help determine which way is the best one to hang your artwork.

• Stud hanging - this hanging method is one of the sturdiest and can be done without specialist help. Instead of using a screw or nail, try special picture hanging hooks that are specifically designed to hold wall art securely. You will need to find a stud in your wall to insert the hook into - you can do this either by using a stud finder or by knocking on the wall with your first and listening for the higher-pitch noises with no echo, as this is where your stud beams are. You can drive the hook straight into the wall without a stud, but this is only suitable for lighter pictures. Use two hooks if possible to create an even and steady hanging for your wall art.
• Adhesive hooks - while they shouldn't be used for hanging heavy pictures, adhesive hooks are a handy way to hang art without damaging the wall. Also known as command hanging hooks, they can be stuck straight onto the wall and can be removed easily by sliding the hook up off the adhesive pad, and then peeling the adhesive pad off the wall.
• Gallery track - if you've ever seen art in a museum or gallery, it's likely they were hanging on what's called a gallery track. It consists of a metal rack in the wall, from which two wires are suspended with hooks on the ends. These hooks are what hold the picture in place and hold it by the frame, and it's a good choice if you like to rotate the art in your home. While these can be tricky to install, they're easy to use and very strong!

How do I style single wall art pieces?

Hanging a single piece of art is ideal for when you have a print or painting you love and are keen to show off. If you want to hang a single piece of wall art, there are a few things you need to take into consideration:

• Is your wall art going to be hung above furniture? If you plan on displaying your wall art above a piece of furniture like a table, couch or cabinet, a good general rule to follow is that the width of the wall art should be around two-thirds to three-quarters of the width of the furniture. You should also keep between 15 and 30cm from the top of your furniture to the bottom of your wall art if possible.
• What kind of frame does your wall art have? A frame can add a professional finish to your wall art, but not all wall art needs a frame! If you are hanging a wrapped canvas that has colour all around the edges, framing this will block off some of the print - prints like these should be hung without a frame. If you are hanging a paper print or any art without detail on the edging, a frame can help protect and highlight it on your wall.
• What shape is your wall art? Particular shapes will suit specific home décor themes better, so keep that in mind when you are choosing wall art. Circular wall art often features dreamy resin art, ethereal landscapes or soft abstracts, and will suit a boho, coastal or Hamptons-themed home design. Square and rectangular wall art looks a little more formal and is well-suited for more modern home designs like the industrial, mid-century modern and urban themes.
• How large is your wall art? If you are hanging a wall art print on its own, it needs to be big enough to command the space instead of being swallowed up by it. Large wall art ideas include impressive landscapes that invite you into them, entrancing abstracts that take your eye on a journey around the print or even one large image split into three segments.

How can I arrange wall art into a gallery wall?

If you want to hang more than one piece of wall art in a single space or have lots of small prints you think would look good together, you should consider creating a gallery wall! Creating a gallery wall can be tricky, as you can't just throw any old framed prints together and call it a day - try to look for overarching themes between your pieces like colour, subject or style.

Here are some handy gallery wall ideas for how to arrange wall art:

• Map it out - before you start hammering holes in your wall, make some space on your floor to create potential layouts using your wall art. This will allow you to try different combinations and orientations with your art to ensure what goes onto the wall will look great. Once you have your layout, take a photo with your phone and then transfer them onto your wall.
• Gallery wall layout - have your largest piece a little off-centre, your second largest piece placed diagonally to that and then fill in the rest with smaller wall art prints and photos. Having your art placed loosely this way, instead of in a distinct grid, allows the eye to wander freely instead of being laser focused on each print. Try to keep a gap of around 8cm between your prints so they aren't cluttered.
• To frame or not to frame - frames will help keep each wall art picture contained, and if you're chosen art pieces aren't very similar then matching frames can help tie the whole gallery wall together. Gallery-wrapped prints can fare well without a frame, but if your entire gallery wall has no frames it may look a little empty - no matter how many prints you use!
• Mix up wall art orientation - one of the best ideas for gallery walls is to mix up the orientations of your wall art so they are hung in a mixture of portrait and landscape across the wall. This will make the overall wall more interesting to look at and organic, rather than making it all feel too rigid.

Photo wall ideas

Rather than keeping your photos tucked away in an album or online, why not showcase them with a photo wall? Set out like a gallery wall, a photo wall is a wonderful opportunity to showcase some of your favourite photos of yourself, your family and your friends. Displaying photos on the walls of your home looks great in living and dining areas, especially when carefully arranged - try grouping events together, like a wedding or holiday, for a cohesive photo wall that tells a story. Popular photo wall ideas include black and white couples photos, vacation snaps (with a few souvenirs on the wall as well!) and professional family photos. If you are a keen photographer, great photos on the wall ideas include showing off your favourite images gallery style - you'll feel like a professional in no time!

How can I protect my wall art?

There are certain measures you can take to ensure your wall art prints stay in good condition while they are displayed in your home. While paintings are more susceptible to damage than prints, these tips for hanging paintings on walls will help protect prints as well.

• Avoid displaying them in direct sunlight - the heat and UV rays from sunlight can cause the paper of your art to yellow, fade and even crack, depending on what kind of paper the print is on. Make sure to never display your art on a wall that will be hit by direct sunlight, or for prolonged periods of time in bright, indirect sunlight.
• Frame them behind UV-resistant glass - many of us love having natural light diffused through the home so if you are worried about your wall art consider protecting it with a layer of UV-resistant glass. You can find non-reflective varieties if you are worried about glare ruining the viewing of your wall art, as well as high-quality museum-level glass coverings for complete UV protection.
• Hang them securely - we've talked about hanging your wall art properly, and we're mentioning it again because it's just so important! If any of your prints fall, not only can your wall art be damaged, but if you have a frame and glass coating then the shattered pieces can also damage other pieces of furniture and your floor. Hang them correctly the first time, and be very careful when moving or repositioning your wall art.
• Keep them away from fireplaces and heaters - warmth can cause your wall art or its frame to warp, which not only looks visually poor but can cause the print or paint to crack and flake away. Smoke can also damage artwork, so overall, keep them away from any sources of heat in your home.

Find gorgeous wall art for your home at Spotlight!

If you're ready to decorate your home with some quality wall art, check out our full range of wall art and prints online. Choose from a variety of payment options and either click and collect or home delivery for your order. If you'd rather choose your wall art in person, head to your nearest Spotlight store and our friendly team will help you find the perfect print for your home.

For everything home décor, browse our impressive homewares section online. And for great home improvement ideas, have a read of our handy decorate blog!