We all have at least one picture in our homes, whether it is a family portrait, one-off piece by a local artist, a mass-produced print or even a signed original masterpiece, we enjoy looking at it for years.
When we visit a country pub, or a historic mansion, the scene is not complete without picture lights illuminating the scenes of the era, yet it is quite often forgotten in our own homes.
So, once you’ve decided that you need to add a picture light or two to bring out the details of your artwork, there are a few simple rules to help you get the picture lighting perfect.
Many people tend to hang artwork too high, ideally the middle of the image should be at around eye height. Obviously, this will change depending on your height, but if you aim for around a metre and a half, this should be about right for most of us. You can also choose to encase your art behind glass to help reduce fading – you can also buy non-reflective glass which helps to reduce glare.
Ideally, what you’re after in a picture light is to get an even spread of light over the whole surface area of the artwork. Picture lights are designed to sit on the wall on top of the artwork and many can be angled to get the perfect illumination. You can experiment with the optimum effect before committing the picture hook to the wall.
If your artwork is portrait, your picture light should ideally be around half the width of the artwork, excluding the frames. If you can’t get it exact, going slightly bigger is better than it being too small.
If your picture is landscape, this should be between a third of the width to a maximum of half the width.
With both, ensure that your picture light is perfectly central and you’ll be able to enjoy your artwork from any angle at any time of the day or night! It will also add to your ambient lighting, so that’s a double win!
In summary, it’s a bit like getting it juuuuuust right… A bit like Goldilocks and the three bears! Except without the wolf, I’m scared of w…
