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Art height calculator
One nail hole, placed right, the first time. Enter your art measurements and get the exact height for the nail, whether the piece hangs on an open wall or above furniture.
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The two rules behind every answer
On an open wall, the center of the artwork sits at 58 inches from the floor, the middle of the gallery-standard 57 to 60 inch range and average human eye level. Above furniture, a different rule wins: the bottom edge of the frame floats 6 to 10 inches above the surface, close enough that the art and the furniture read as one composition. The calculator applies whichever rule your situation calls for, then subtracts your wire drop so the number it gives you is where the nail actually goes.
Art hanging FAQs
How high should I hang art on a wall?
So the center of the piece sits 57 to 60 inches from the floor, which is average eye level and the standard galleries use. Most art in homes hangs 6 to 12 inches too high because people center it on the wall instead of on the person looking at it.
How high should art hang above a sofa or console?
Six to ten inches above the furniture, measured to the bottom edge of the frame. Over furniture, that rule beats the eye-level rule: the art and the furniture should read as one composition, not two strangers sharing a wall.
How wide should art be above a sofa?
Two thirds to three quarters of the sofa width. Over an 84 inch sofa that means roughly 56 to 63 inches of art, either one piece or a tight grid of frames with 2 to 3 inch gaps that behaves like one piece.
Where does the nail go?
Top edge of the frame minus the wire drop. Hold the wire taut toward the top of the frame and measure from the frame top down to the wire: that distance, subtracted from where the frame top should sit, is your nail height. This calculator does that arithmetic for you.
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