Tapestries: Choosing Size and Where to Hang Your Tapestry

Tapestries: Choosing Size and Where to Hang Your Tapestry

The first question most people are faced with when considering purchasing a wall hanging tapestry, is what size should I consider' for my room. Tapestries need to be thought of as wall murals, versus paintings. The rule of thumb in choosing your wall hanging is - the larger the wall, the bigger the wall tapestry. Because wall hangings are made of fabric (woven threads), light is absorbed and reflected differently than a painting.

With paintings, our eye prefers lots of empty wall space around the painting, allowing it to breathe' in its relationship to the furniture in the room. Paintings are hard surfaced and reflect light, therefore look better with more space around them.

With tapestries, choosing your wall tapestry size is the complete opposite of paintings. Your wall tapestry should occupy as much of the space as possible. You need to think of your hanging tapestry as wall mural, rather than a painting. For example, if your wall is 12 feet wide and 8 feet high, a 5 foot tapestry will tend to look a bit like a postage stamp on the wall. The wall tapestry will neither resemble a painting, nor a wall hanging tapestry. The right size for that space would be closer to 9 to 11.5 feet in width and 6- 7.5 feet in height. So, a rule of thumb to follow if in doubt, the bigger the better! Tapestries need to create a feeling of warmth of enveloping you along with the furniture when you enter a room. Light sources in the room (natural daylight) and evening lamps will change the feel and ambience of the wall hanging, and the entire experience of the room. Tapestries will create a subtle warmth and coziness in the room during nightfall, and a sparkle and richness during daylight hours. Sunlight, unless it is direct, constant and intense will not perceptibly fade the wall tapestry in our lifetime. However, like all fabrics (furniture, drapes, carpets), over time tapestries will fade a little, but you should not concern yourself, as the tapestry will give you a lifetime of enjoyment before any fading is even detected.

The second most important question asked is "where should I hang my tapestry?" A wall tapestry should integrate the furniture with the room. So, when deciding on where to place your tapestry wall hanging, it is recommended that the wall hanging drop slightly behind and below the furniture. So, for example, if you are hanging your large tapestry above a sofa, it should drop just slightly behind the back of the sofa by 1"- 4" (depending on the size). This way, the tapestry is integrated with the furniture, and is not floating in space on its own. In clear story situations, it is not feasible to have hanging tapestries the full height of the wall, so first choose the largest wall tapestry possible and then position it to be easily viewed from the entry, landing, or adjacent rooms. Tapestries placed above a mantel, fireplace or consol table should be placed within a few inches of the surface the wall hanging is going over. If the space above the mantel, fireplace or table is very tall, then choose a large tapestry that will fill as much of the space as feasible, but not necessarily occupying the full height. Excess space above a wall hanging will not be noticed by the person taking in the visual effect of the room in its entirety.

Copyright February 2011 Heirloom European Tapestries

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