Hi, it’s Marni Katz from StyleCarrot. Today’s topic—displaying artwork—is a personal favorite. While some splurge on shoes, my weakness (and my husband’s too!) is art. Living in a fairly open apartment means we’ve had to get creative. We recently filled the walls above our dining banquette, pictured above. I wanted to plan the arrangement on paper, but my husband insisted we wing it. It came out pretty well, right? We still have pieces without homes, but we’re making progress. Here are some ideas I gathered along the way.

1. Mix It Up

Photo Credit: Domino

Like my gallery wall, this one doesn’t have much rhyme or reason. There’s a mix of mediums, colors, frames, and sizes. I love the long one at the right; the nightstand is in front of it, but that’s ok.

2. Go With a Grid

Photo Credit: Designer Samantha Pynn, Photographer Virginia Macdonald

If you have a series of similar works, or even a bunch of black and white photos you shot yourself, frame and matte them identically, then hang in neat rows.

3. Hang Vertical

Photo Credit: Lonny

Don’t forget unloved corners. A stray chest or shiny bar cart are perfect anchors around which to create an artistic moment.

5. Try the Unexpected

Photo Credit: House to Home

6. Be Brave with Bookshelves

Photo Credit: Katie Lydon Interiors

In addition to propping small works on shelves, make use of bookshelf architecture. I love the textural, three-dimensional sense it adds to a room. Check out 34 other rooms with art on bookshelf fronts.

7. Lay It On Top

Photo Credit: Adore Magazine

If you’re not daring enough to layer colors and patterns, use black and white snapshots in simple silver frames to create a portrait gallery. It will look a lot more interesting atop a fun background than on a plain white wall.

8. Make a Statement

Photo Credit: Todd Eberle, Architectural Digest

Finally, if you have an expanse of space, make a statement by hanging one singular piece. Have a photo you took on a trip printed on an oversize canvas, or get crafty and attempt a Jackson Pollack-like masterpiece.

Tell me: what’s your way to style art?

- Marni

Finder's Keepers

Gorgeous frames elevate even the simplest subjects.

Hang photos in basic black frames over a swathe of Kraft paper for an artisan effect.

Go bold with a single oversized, statement piece.

Create a beautiful vignette in an unused corner by hanging art over a chest.

Add a mirror to the mix for a variety of shapes.