Hawke's Bay Picture Hanging

10/06/2026

Tip 3: Is it good enough to hang a picture on just a nail?

Well, if you can help it, please do always use a nail AND a hook, such as the ones shown in the photo, not just a nail.

These hooks can carry more weight and have less risk of damaging your beautiful gibbed wall. And how much better a hook is will be the topic of the next post.

I hope this info helps you, and of course, you can always call me to take the hassle out of hanging your pictures, because hanging pictures is my specialty.

03/06/2026

Tip 2A: Being “strung” along by the picture framers

No doubt it is quick and easy to use the string and wire picture framers provide, but at the price of accuracy because the picture can move, and worse the string or wire may stretch and get a bit longer and the picture hangs lower than intended.

So, how to go about fixing this? To solve these issues to a degree you can use two hooks spaced apart on the string or wire, instead of only one hook (see photo).

However, to fully solve the accuracy and leveling issues use eye screws or D-Rings into which you can insert two hooks. Now the picture can never move and will always be level (as long as you got the positioning of the two hooks right - check out the three images for details).

I hope this info helps you, and of course, you can always call me to take the hassle out of hanging your pictures, because hanging pictures is my specialty.

28/05/2026

Tip 2: Should you use the string or wire on the picture’s back just because it is there?

Using the wire or string on the back of a picture makes it quick and easy to hang your picture - hang on is that true?

It will not be true if you like your pictures to stay straight because they won’t stay straight when the wind blows or someone bangs the door, nor will it be easy to hang absolutely accurately, such as for a group of three pictures the same size and in line or for a picture montage.

Two hooks on either side of the frame are the solution, and those two hooks can carry more weight if the picture is heavy. I will share in my next post in more detail how this is done, so stay tuned.

I hope this info helps you, and of course, you can always call me to take the hassle out of hanging your pictures, because hanging pictures is my specialty.

21/05/2026

Tip 1: How high should you hang a picture?

The potentially single-most effective (and easy) tip I can give you is this: to allow your pictures and art the optimal impact hang them at eye level whenever possible. Eye level means that the middle of your picture is at around 1.60 meters even if you are tall.
I hope this info helps you, and of course, you can always call me to take the hassle out of hanging your pictures, because hanging pictures is my specialty.

18/05/2026

All your walls are full, but you still have a few artworks left and only one narrow wall available?

Well, one way to deal with this conundrum is to go big and fill the wall space, as shown in the two attached images.

Naturally, the individual pieces might not hang at their ideal height, and they might feel a little crowded by the other pieces, but a bit of creativity can go a long way to make the picture wall look attractive nonetheless.

13/05/2026

Younger for longer

Wouldn’t we all like to stay younger for longer. Well, ever since I started hanging artworks and engaging with aesthetics seven years ago I have felt enthused and more invigorated.

Low and behold this might not be just my imagination but actually backed by research from the University College London. They recently found that arts and cultural engagement slow down our biological ageing clock. Now that is good news as it means it reduces future morbidity and mortality.

And even better, in some measures it was shown that it was as effective as physical activity, and of particular benefit to older people (over 40 years had the strongest outcomes).

You can read a news article about it here: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/12/arts-cultural-engagement-linked-slower-pace-biological-ageing-ucl-research

Or go to the source and read the research abstract or even the whole study here in this scientific journal: 'https://academic.oup.com/innovateage/advance-article/doi/10.1093/geroni/igag038/8669801?searchresult=1

Research from UCL suggests visiting art galleries or museums, singing and painting can help improve health outcomes

04/05/2026

Today I dropped off a bit of scrap metal at Sims Metal in Onekawa. One of the plastic buckets I use to collect my scrap metal was filled with all the old picture hanging hardware I have to remove from picture frames.

As you can see in the photo, all 20kg of screws and nails and bits I had collected over the year disappear in a big heap of scrap metal on the company’s large yard. My stuff is the proverbial drop in the bucket, but you know every little bit helps.

For any of you who are interested in such things, the scrap metal gets shipped to Bangladesh for processing before it comes back to us as shiny new products.

The good news is that when I bring next years scrap metal to Sims Metal (‘https://www.simsmetal.co.nz/contact/napier/), it will actually be processed in New Zealand and not anymore go to Bangladesh :-)

29/04/2026

Feeling the urge to tackle some DIY?

I am always happy to take the hassle out of it and hang your pictures for you; I will be doing it professionally and with care.

However, if you would like to learn a few tricks of the trade, I will be sharing some helpful tips over the next few weeks.

So keep an eye out for the upcoming posts :-)

24/04/2026

Pctures above a sofa always raise the question of how high or low to hang them, especially when the ceiling is low and the pictures are tall. Well, and sometimes even a picture hanger needs to adjust the height after the installation, as was the case here. When the customer looked at the original height she felt a little lower would suit her more, and so I changed it on the spot.

Quick and easy - and luckily, no new holes in the wall were needed either, thanks to the installation technique I use.

Whenever I can, I design the hanging system behind the pictures in a way that allows an easy change in height. It is just part of the service, since some flexibility is always beneficial, and be it only because you may buy new furniture of different height or your perceptions change over time :-)

16/04/2026

Architecturally designed homes can throw you curve-balls when it comes to picture hanging. Some years ago I hung pictures in a house that had not a single wall that was straight and ready to hang pictures.

Unfortunately, back then I did not take photos, so I can’t show you what it looked like. However, here is a recent example where rather than hide them the big beams became part of the design.

We tried a few options before we settled on this layout with three similar sized frames.