Pictures can add to a room's decor, and special pieces may act as the focal point of the entire room. To best display your pictures, you can take advantage of a variety of picture lights designed for just this purpose. Picture lights typically extend several inches from the wall on a wire and turn the light back toward the wall and slightly downward to illuminate the piece below. Proper positioning will ensure that your pictures are attractively highlighted.
Instructions
1. Identify the center of your picture arrangement. Measure the width of the picture with a measuring tape and halve this number to find the center. If you have a single piece of art to illuminate, this will be the center of that piece. However, if you have several pictures on a wall, you should treat the entire arrangement as a single piece and find the center point of that area.
2. Position a picture light about 2 inches above the top edge of the picture frame. If you are illuminating an arrangement of pictures, position this above the highest picture on the wall. Center the light so its center point is aligned with the center point of the picture. Drill holes in the wall as needed to hang the light or lights and secure with screws. Picture lights typically come with their own hanging fixtures which can be used to secure them to the wall.
3. Place the appropriate bulb in the picture light fixture. For minimal damage to your pictures, opt for a halogen or LED bulb. Avoid fluorescent lights which give off UV rays that can damage the pictures. Incandescent lighting may be used if you want to bring out the warm tones in a piece. However, this type of lighting will wash out pieces with cool tones.
