Bobby Berk Has One Clever Artwork Trick To Make Your Walls Appear Taller

If you're looking for a way to lengthen your walls or make the most of your home's high ceilings, you'll love this clever artwork trick from design guru Bobby Berk. Berk is famous for appearing in the Netflix series "Queer Eye," in which guests enjoy makeovers and advice from the "Fab Five," a team of gay design and lifestyle professionals. His passion for interior design started in childhood and has followed him throughout his career; he launched his personal brand in 2015 and now has a reputation for "epitomizing hip, urban luxury."

The designer's youthful approach provides creative solutions to common design problems, like where to place artwork and decorations on the walls of your home. It is commonly assumed that the best way to hang pictures is at eye level, but is this always true? Berk goes against the grain, urging you to try something different by layering your art to make full use of the entire wall. He explained to Better Homes and Gardens that hanging art higher tricks the eye, inviting it to look up; this clever artwork installation trick will make your walls appear taller and elevate the style of your home at the same time.

Park West Gallery, established in 1969, touts itself as "the world's largest art dealer." Its experts explain that in an exhibit, centering art at eye level allows people to view it without any extra effort, devoting their full attention to appreciating the piece. It has become common practice to hang pictures in the home at eye level because of this logic; however, in your home, the context is completely different.

We decorate our homes with pictures for a variety of reasons, like creating harmony between decor and furniture, developing a unique design vibe, or even just filling empty space and creating balance in a room. Pictures on walls are not simply there to be viewed at eye level while walking around our homes like they're museums.

Not to mention, eye level varies according to the person. You may find yourself questioning, "Am I decorating for my own eye level or my partner's eye level — or should it be our guests' eye level?" If you have rooms with extra-high ceilings, hanging pictures at eye level also means you'll need to go for bigger pieces of art, as smaller pictures may not look right. In fact, rather than how you hang them, Berk told PureWow that one of the biggest mistakes you can make when hanging art is not tailoring the proportions of each work to the pieces around it and the dimensions of the space.

In terms of actually hanging the art, though, the sky's the limit: Berk revealed to Better Homes & Gardens that he recommends "stacking" art on the wall and advises "really going all the way up" to create the illusion of height. So instead of hanging your pictures at eye level only, continue to pile them on top of each other, as high as you dare! This is known as creating a gallery wall and is Berk's go-to method for filling a big, empty space.

Follow his technique of hanging your frames 3 inches apart to create an uncluttered gallery wall. He explained, "I always make sure that the space between the frames is pretty much uniform throughout the gallery wall ... That way you can be a little crazier with what you're putting up there." Of course, you'll want to work out what looks best in your space. Berk suggests going for wider gaps (more like 5 to 7 inches, he told PureWow) if you're working with more sizable pictures and a large wall.

If you want to add even more interest to your display, Berk encourages trying three-dimensional pieces or – in a demo posted on Instagram — alternating between different sizes and orientations. This can add variety, texture, and interest, helping to break up flat, uniformly-sized pictures. You could also install a floating shelf for a more modern and versatile look — perfect for swapping out pieces of artwork periodically or seasonally to create a fresh new vibe whenever you want it.