Most gallery walls fail for one reason: the pieces are hung to the wall rather than to the eye. Museums centre a composition at roughly 57 inches from the floor - average standing eye level - and let the wall take care of itself. In a double-height room that rule still holds; the extra wall above is negative space, not a problem to fill.
The 57-inch centreline
Find the visual centre of the whole group, not of any single frame, and set that at 57 inches. Taller ceilings tempt people to hang higher. Resist it - the work should relate to the people in the room, not to the cornice.
Interstitial gaps
Keep the gap between frames consistent and proportional to their size: 2 inches for small pieces, 3-4 inches for larger ones. A single uniform gap reads as one intentional composition; varied gaps read as clutter.
- Lay the arrangement out on the floor first, on kraft paper cut to each frame's size.
- Measure from the centreline outward, never from the ceiling down.
- Use two hooks per frame over 24 inches wide so nothing drifts.
If you're planning a multi-piece commission, send us the wall dimensions with your order and we'll return a spacing diagram alongside the frames.
