Pictures and art add beauty to any room – even the bathroom! See how I chose the PERFECT artwork to go with our bathroom paint color undertones! Plus the simple trick I use to hang pictures perfectly straight, even and at the correct height every time- no more guesswork! Take the mystery out of what size and color of art to hang in a bathroom and the correct height to hang it with a few simple decor guidelines! I’m also sharing 5 useful interior decor tips to get that designer look – you won’t want to miss this!
Hello friends! I recently added some art to our basement bathroom and I thought I’d share with you my simple trick for hanging pictures and the correct height measurements to use. Hopefully this will help you the next time you’re hanging pictures!
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This is our basement bathroom when we moved in. I love the white vanity, the cupboards provide lots of storage and the shower stall is in great condition. The wall color is a mid tone gray with blue undertones and the tile is a grayish white color – great neutral bones to work with!
wall mounted flip hook towel rack
However this bathroom lacks pizzazz so it’s time to add some style, pattern and color! Like this!
shower curtain | shower curtain rod (similar) | rustproof shower curtain rings |coral art top | coral art bottom | lantern (similar) | white branches (similar) | glass vase | tissue holder (similar)
Fill in that blank empty space above the toilet with some beautiful pictures!
Before:
After – much better!:
I haven’t had the chance to update the lighting in this room – so the ceiling ‘boob’ light fixture and the Hollywood style bulb lights above the mirror are staying for now.
I did add a pretty blue, gray and white shower curtain (that I already had) right after we moved in….. and the bathroom pretty much stayed that way until this past weekend when I hung this gorgeous indigo blue coral art!
Does it look familiar? Yes – it’s the same art I hung in our guest bedroom makeover!
I loved it so much in that space…. and the colors and style fit this basement bathroom perfectly – so I decided to use it again!
Decor tip: Repeat the undertones of the wall color in a room to give it a pulled-together designer look! Our bathroom’s gray paint undertones are blue – so I repeated the blue in the art, towels and shower curtain.
I could have hung the 2 coral pictures over the towel rack (which is also a great place to hang art!) but I decided to hang them over the toilet.
Why? Because that’s the first place the eye goes to (this is known as the sightline in interior design) when you’re entering the bathroom. The sightline is a great place to add decor focal points in a room, add a pop of color and pattern.
Hanging art in this spot will create a nice focal point art gallery and will make the toilet stand out less like a sore thumb!
Decor tip: Choose pictures that are the same width as the toilet to create balance between the two.
Supplies to Hang Pictures
Pictures
Roll of craft paper
Pen or pencil
Scissors
Nails
Hammer
Painter’s tape for delicate surfaces (so you don’t peel the paint off the wall accidentally!)
Here’s my simple picture hanging trick!
- Make a paper template of your pictures to use as a guide for hanging. Lay the picture onto the craft paper (on a flat surface) and trace the outline of the outer edge of the picture using a pen or pencil. Cut out the outline and mark where the top of the picture is (write ‘top’ at the top of the template so you know which end is which). Fold the paper template in half to find the center point of the picture.and add 4 pieces of painter’s tape to each edge: two at the top and two at the bottom.
2. Place the paper template on the back side of the picture and mark where the nail will go: my pictures have a metal sawtooth hook on the back so I needed to figure out where the nail should be located so that the picture will hang in the right spot.
3. With my hand I pressed the paper onto the back of the sawtooth hook to ‘mark’ it’s shape onto the paper. Then I took a nail and poked it at the bottom middle of the hook, so that a hole went through the paper template.
Sorry for the blurry photo!
4. Remove the paper template from the picture.
5. Using the measuring tape, measure 8 inches from the top of the toilet tank. You can mark this spot on the wall using some painters tape.
6. Place the paper template onto the wall so that the bottom is right on the 8 inch mark. Press the painter’s tape so tat the paper template sticks to the wall.
7. Take the second paper template and add it to the wall so that it’s 2 inches above the top of the other picture.
Decor tip: Hang multiple pictures 2 inches apart to create balance between them.
8. Hammer in a nail where the hole is marked on the paper template, putting the nail right through the paper template. This is the exact spot the nail needs to be located on the wall in order to hang the picture at the right height!
9. Gently remove the paper template from wall and the nail.
10. Hang the pictures on the nails. Lay a level on the top of each picture and tilt until the pictures are level and even.
That’s it! No more second guessing where to hammer the nail in the wall, no more making tons of holes in the wall until you ‘get it right’!
Making paper templates is my go-to method of hanging pictures perfectly! I used this same method for my Gallery Wall of Botanical Prints too!
I even save the paper templates to use again if I decide to move the art to another wall or room….or if we move again with the military! 🙂
I write on the bottom of each template a description of the picture so I know what piece of art it belongs to. I store and organize my paper templates rolled up in a basket in my craft room.
I love how my coral art looks in this spot! What do your think?
The indigo blue goes beautifully with the shades of blue in the shower curtain. It also coordinates with the bluish – gray wall color and the silver frames coordinate with the other finishes in the bath: pewter colored shower curtain rod, pewter colored towel bar, silver faucet.
For another little decor touch I added a tall glass vase of white twigs and a blue lantern that I already had.
Decor Tip: Shop your home and use the decor you already own! Saves time and money! Your decor will look fresh and new when placed in another room as well – I’m constantly moving my decor accessories around!
Now our basement bathroom has some personality and pizzazz!
I love the beachy, coastal look of the indigo and watery blues and the simple touch of style the artwork brought to this space! Do you?
How to hang pictures right the first time! Correct height, level and even!
How do you hang pictures? Do you have any secret tips? I’d love to hear them!
You may also like:
Top Painting Tips – How to Prepare a Room for Painting with FREE checklist!
How to Design and Decorate a Living Room like a Pro – 7 Easy Tips!
More decor tips:
Heather,
Great post. I’ve used this method for hanging pictures in the past and love it too. However, instead of saving the template in some spot where I might forget, I just fold it up and tape it to the back of the picture. That way it will be easy to re-use as the need arises!
Love your blog and your eye for design! Thanks.
Maria!! I LOVE your tip on taping the template to the back of the picture!! So clever – thank you for sharing it with me and others here! I’ll be doing that from now on 🙂 xo Heather
Hi, Can you give me the measurements for the two pictures of coral that you placed over the toilet.
Final size and size of print and matting.
The framed art is linked in the post and the dimensions are given in the links! Hope that helps!
Can you share the paint color you used for your bathroom? Also, where did you get your beautiful shower curtain?
Hi – I don’t know the bathroom paint color, it was painted by the previous owners. The shower curtain I purchased at HomeGoods. I hope that helps! 🙂
Hi, where did you purchase the artwork you hung in the bathroom and bedroom?
I want to hang pics above my toilet but do I center above the toilet or center on the wall?