We are preparing to go to Arizona for a couple of months. I find it hard to leave behind all that is familiar, but I do look forward to the change. At this time of the year, many of us yearn for some change to fight the winter blues.
It need not be a major change, just something to perk us up. Maybe you would like to change the weather by taking a holiday to some place warmer, but that may not be possible. But even without us doing anything, Mother Nature is changing the length of day, so we can look forward to more hours of sunshine.
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Changing something about the house can be minor but still leave us feeling good. Rearrange the furniture, change the colour of paint or add new pictures on the walls.
If you choose to rearrange your pictures, the following tips may help:
- Work toward variety by placing one big picture on one wall, a grouping of two or three on another and possibly a large grouping of quite a few smaller ones on still another. A single picture hanging by itself is often quite effective. However, a room in which all pictures are hung singly can look boring.
- Have a definite plan before pounding any nails. One method is to lay a large piece of paper on the floor or table. Arrange the pictures to get the total effect and adjust. When you are pleased with the arrangement, trace around each picture, attach the paper to the wall and hang the pictures before removing the paper. Planning the grouping on graph paper can also be helpful in getting it right the first time and eliminating wall damage.
- Harmonize the grouping by keeping within an imaginary rectangular or square outline. The spacing between frames is important. Too little space detracts from each picture; too much space loses the cohesion
of the grouping. No more than 7.5 centimetres is suggested.
- A common denominator or something the same in the grouping will give it unity. It could be the same medium such as all photographs or watercolours, the same frames or matting or the same subject such as all landscapes, people or animals.
- Round or oval-framed pictures are best placed near the centre of the grouping because they attract the eye first.
- An odd number of pictures is pleasing to the eye, such as three or five rather than two or four.
- Relate the size of the wall area to the size of the picture. A small wall area in a bathroom would be best with a small picture.
- Place pictures at eye level. In a sitting area they would be lower than in a hallway where people would view them from a standing position.
- Keep hooks and wires from showing. Have the pictures hung flat against the wall, not tipped out at the top. In other words, position the wires and hooks correctly.
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