In my last post I discussed scale and proportion. Today is a continuation of that idea–discussing what to do when there is no large art work available.

One solution is to hang a group of paintings so that they read as one large statement. Just group them quite close, an inch or 2 between each art piece will work nicely. Another solution that I really like is to hang a large mirror…a decorator’s delight in that it adds light and enlarges the space. What could be better?

So, which direction should this large mirror or group of art works be displayed? Vertically or horizontally? It should be vertical. There are two reasons:

1. Most likely it will be displayed over a horizontal such as a sofa, sideboard, or chest. Two horizontals are boring! Variety adds pizazz.

2. Displaying a vertical over a horizontal adds height, a desirable detail that makes the ceilings appear higher.

If a vertical is displayed over a long horizontal and something seems lacking, add something on each side, such as sconces, small objects, small pictures, etc. This will add interest to your vertical without losing the height.

By the way, you can stay within your budget and still have a great looking room. The mirror is from the thrift store as well as the coffee table, the masks from the flea market; and I recovered the sofa myself.

Just remember scale and proportion, horizontal and vertical, and decorating becomes easy!