You finally snatched the perfect piece of wall art for your home, but have no idea how high to hang it, should you wing it and measure with your eye? Not when there are some simple measurement principals that can ensure you’re hanging your piece at the most visually pleasing height! In this blog post we’ll go over how high to hang art, mirrors, curtains, shelves, hooks, tv’s and more!
Art & Mirrors on Empty Wall
Hang art on a wall at the height where the midpoint of the art is between 57 and 60 inches from the floor. It can be helpful to hang a piece of cardboard of the same dimensions with painters tape to visualize the art height on the wall.
Curtains
Hang the curtain rod 2/3 of the distance between the top of the window and the ceiling
Select a rod that can extend 8-12 inches past the window on both sides
Select a length of curtain that kisses the floor (never ending above the floor or pooling on the floor).
Hanging Light Fixture Above Dining Table
There should be 30-36 inches between the bottom of the chandelier and the surface of the dining table. This allows for a decent size flower arrangement or centerpiece and the right amount of conversation space without the light fixture obstructing the view.
Hanging Art or Mirror Above Furniture
Hang the art or mirror so that the space between the bottom of the piece hangs 6 to 8 inches from the surface of the dresser, console table or buffet table (if your furniture is around 35 inches tall). If the furniture is shorter than 35 inches, 8 to 12 inches is a better measurement. Again, it can be helpful to hang a piece of cardboard of the same dimensions as the art or mirror with painters tape to visualize which measurement looks best.
When hanging wall art above a bed, the measurement guidelines are a bit different. If the bed has a headboard, hang it high enough to where the bottom of the wall decor measures 5” to 9” above the top of the headboard. If the bed does not have a headboard, prop and fluff up your pillows against the wall and shoot for the bottom of the decor piece to measure 14” to 16” above the top of the pillows.
Hanging a TV
Generally you want to hang a tv 42 inches from the floor to the middle of the tv. However, this can vary defendant on height of couch and size of tv. Test out different heights before hanging your tv by hanging a piece of cardboard of the same dimensions with painters tape to visualize the height.
Wall Hooks
Coat hooks in your mud room or entry way should be hung five feet (60 inches) above the floor. If your ceilings are very tall, you can increase this height, but you don’t want to surpass 66 inches in height.
For bathroom hooks for towels and robes, 70 inches above the floor is ideal. You can space the hooks equally apart but you don’t want to hang them more than 9 inches apart.
Bathroom towel bars however, only need to be about 48inches from the floor, as towels are folded before draped over the bar.
Hand-towel hooks and rings like this one from Lulu & Georgia should be hung so that the bottom of the ring or hook measures 18-22 inches above the surface of the bathroom countertop.
Floating Shelves
Floating shelves are best to hang about four to five feet (48 to 60 inches) from the floor. If you’re hanging the floating shelf above a kitchen countertop, then shoot for 16 to 24 inches of space from the counter to the floating shelf. The photo below from Urban Outfitters, shows this measurement guideline in action with their Thalia Shelf, as they staggered the heights but still kept them both within the distance guidelines of 16 to 24 inches from the surface of the furniture below.
Indoor Hanging Plants
First make sure the hanging plant is around 6 inches away from the wall. Then, for vertical spacing, you want to shoot for the bottom of the planter to be between 5.5 to 7 feet from the floor.
Takeaway
Never feel like you have to guess how high to hang something in your home. You’ll find these tried and true guidelines very helpful as you bring new items into the home. Also, this blog post may inspire you to measure your already hanging items in the home. It’s never too late to take something down and rehang it to the proper height, even if you have to fill, sand & paint the old holes. It’s worth it to make the height of everything in your space more intentional!
