Salon wall decoration

How To create a salon wall and other essential lessons for the stylish home.

If you have different art pieces to hang in your home, just placing one piece up might not pass.

The concept of the salon wall originated in Paris in the 19th century, when aspiring artists presented their work at the Paris Salon. At its peak, the Salon drew upwards of 23,000 viewers a day.

Today, the salon wall concept—many pictures hung at various heights and formations—allows you to display many pieces on the same wall. It also gives observers a visual treat, helping them to draw connections between artworks of different styles and sizes.

Read on for six tips to plan your very own salon wall.

Salon-style walls can run floor to the roof or in a band across a broad wall.

1. Consider your stream.

Salon wall configurations can be checkerboard and logical or more random. It’s all about the examples of art you own and the look you are trying to accomplish. If you choose a proportional organisation, you’ll need to be very precise in your hanging process; your eyes will be drawn to any break in the balance.

2. Consider the space.

The overall state of your salon wall could depend on what encompasses it. For instance, a cascading composition can look great above a staircase, and 3-D pieces might also play well with the right group of images. If you are developing your wall around a piece of furniture, a sculpture, or an architectural fixture, first make sure you have enough art to follow through with the plan.

3. Think about a theme.

Maybe you group artworks that share a complementary colour scheme. Maybe one part breaks the trend and stands out as the “black sheep” in the selection. Group your art by subject, medium, and even frame style.

4. Planning to map out your salon wall decoration.

Use butcher paper on the floor and experiment with different formations of how you might hang the pieces, tracing the chosen design onto the paper and then converting it onto your wall.

5. Some rules still (might) apply.

If stacking pieces on your wall, remember, 6-12 centimetres is a great general rule for how much space should be in between art pieces.

6. Have fun with your wall.

A salon wall should be like a mini-museum inside your house. Incorporating mixed-media objects onto the wall—or even personal artefacts—can inspire and invite closer examination. Consider visiting a gallery for influence and ideas for creating vibrant displays of artwork.

Happy hanging!