Salon Style Art Walls..How's it Hangin'?

A really hot trend right now is hanging artwork "Salon Style". This basically means putting a bunch of framed art on the same wall in a hodge-podge yet careful sort of way. While this technique makes a great statement when done correctly, it can be a daunting task to a newcomer. All you'll need is some imagination, some guts and an empty wall. In today's blog, I'd like to take a little mystery out of Salon Style art walls.

Hanging Art Work "Salon Style" is a great way to use all your little pieces that might not have another home to make a unique and bold statement.

The first thing you need to do is decide what you want to hang together and pick a theme. Do you want to do a mix of family photos, your child's artwork, vintage posters and prints, or maybe some small oil paintings that just don't seem to fit anywhere else? I would suggest having at least 5 pieces to hang, and always keep the number uneven. Something that would be fun if starting from scratch is searching attics, thrift stores and flea markets to find interesting vintage prints to hang in a collection.

In this photo the designer used a convex mirror as the center piece surrounded by great vintage finds. Using black frames in different styles keeps this wall looking eclectic yet refined.

Next, you want to make sure that all the pieces you are hanging have a similar theme. This could be in the style of the frame, or the color of the mat or just the colors in the artwork. It needs to be one thing that makes your eye connect all the pieces together. You might find that you'll need to do some re-framing of several prints to get a cohesive look. Make sure when you go to your frame shop you explain your over all plan and bring in the framed pieces you want to match.

All the framed pieces in the image above have a simple wood-tone frame. This keeps the look cohesive yet interesting.

In this image all the artwork is framed differently, but the white mats and black & white artwork keep it all connected.

Now you are finally ready to start punching holes in the wall! I recommend taking these next steps very slowly. The best way to insure you will like the finished product, without ruining your walls, is to cut out pieces of craft paper the size of each of your pieces framed art. Then start by taping the one that you want as the "centerpiece" on the wall. Work around this one, which is usually the largest piece until all the cut outs are on the wall and you are happy with the layout. Now, all you have to do is actually hang your framed art up.

With a little imagination and a lot of patience, you too can have a beautiful Salon Style Art Wall!