MarthaStewartLivingOctober2015

64
Decorating
GOOD LIVING
For Good
Measure
Most people think of interior
design in terms of color, shape,
pattern, and texture. But
just as critical are proportion
and placement. The long and
short of it? Put a too-small
rug in a room and, no matter
how perfectly it coordinates
color-wise, it’ll look awkward.
So what is the right-size
rug for your room? How high
should you mount your
favorite painting? And how
low should your chandelier
hang? We show you how to
implement a plan that really
measures up, room by room.
Artwork
A common mistake when it
comes to art installation is hanging
pieces neck-craningly high.
Do what museums do—keep
artwork at eye level.
RULE OF THUMB
Hang art so that its
midpoint is between 57
and 60 inches from the
floor. Go for the lower
end of the range if
most members of your
household are on the
short side; in rooms with
ceilings higher than
Art over a sofa or bed
should span roughly
two-thirds the width of
the furniture piece.
eight feet, artwork can
be hung a little higher
than 60 inches. Once
you pick the midpoint,
stick with it for consistency.
For a grouping
of works, simply envision
the collection as one
piece of art.
The bottom of
a lampshade
should be at
about eye
level when
you’re seated.
“A rug sized to allow your furniture to sit fully or
largely on top of it gives the illusion of a bigger room,”
says MSL decorating director Kevin Sharkey.
EXCEPTIONS
Hang art over a sofa
or headboard so that the
bottom of the frame
is 8 to 10 inches above
the furniture piece;
the art should be visually
connected to it, not
floating high above it.
If you’re hanging a
smaller work over a
large unit, try adding
sconces or other art to
fill out the composition.
For art that’s taller
than 120 inches, forget
the midpoint rule; just
make sure the bottom
edge is about a foot
from the floor.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ERIC PIASECKI/OTTO (ROOM), BRYAN GARDNER (TOOL TIME); ILLUSTRATIONS BY BROWN BIRD DESIGN