Have you strolled through awe-inspiring museum and art gallery exhibits, wondering how each picture can be so perfectly and securely displayed? Art and design professionals have long known the secrets to creating high visual impact by carefully arranging and hanging works of art.

Now, you can learn the essential steps for properly hanging artwork in your own home, without damaging paint and walls. Just one picture or framed poster can affect the total look and feeling of a room—for better or worse. Balanced placement and a professional, neat job make all the difference.

Follow the easy infographic below to create a home art gallery, using traditional hardware or adapting more modern tension hanging systems.

Traditional Hardware

When using traditional hardware, decide on the best location for your framed artwork based on the total dimensions of the wall, or on one large piece of furniture, such as a couch. Find the center point on the wall and place the center of the picture at eye level.

What if you have a set of three pictures, or want to hang a row of framed images? Even the least gifted home DIY-type can follow a few steps to mark the wall with painter’s tape and experiment with traced brown butcher paper standing in for the artwork. Review the seven easy step-by-step instructions below.

Tension Hanging System

Go for a full gallery effect with a tension hanging system, especially useful when displaying multiple pieces. The look is clean and uncluttered, and remarkably versatile, allowing you to change out pieces and adapt to different room arrangements. A tension hanging system is ideal for the clean lines of modern home interiors.

Tension hanging systems can be suspended from ceiling to floor, ceiling to one wall, or wall to wall, thanks to the pivot head on each tensioner. Choose an easy-to-install, gallery-quality hardware system, and you can create a professional looking art display that will make your home art gallery a reality.