Start with the whole arrangement
Lay the frames on the floor with roughly the spacing you have in mind. Choose one main piece or a shared organising line: a top edge, a central axis or a grid. Avoid trying to impose all three. A collection of different formats usually benefits from a simple logic that helps the eye read the group.
Consider the furniture below. Over a sideboard, the arrangement can relate to its width without matching it exactly. If the group sits to one side, check that this looks deliberate rather than mismeasured. Leave room for tall objects you already use on the furniture.
Move the trial onto the wall
Cut paper to the outside dimensions of each frame and mark its orientation. Attach it using a method compatible with the paint, tested discreetly first. Paper corners are more dependable than imagining rectangles in the air. View the arrangement from the entrance and your usual seat.
Move one piece at a time. If the problem is unclear, remove the smallest frame and see whether the group becomes easier to read. You do not have to fill every gap. Photograph two alternatives from the same position if that helps, avoiding a phone’s wide-angle distortion.
Let the weight determine the fixing
Find each frame’s actual hanging point; a ring or wire does not necessarily sit at its top edge. Transfer that measurement to the paper template. Choose fixings for the weight, wall material and mounting system instructions, and check for concealed services before drilling. In rented accommodation, establish which alterations are permitted.
Adhesive fixings have limits for weight, surface finish and removal. Do not combine them arbitrarily to multiply a stated capacity. Once the frames are hung, keep the templates and a photograph of the arrangement. You can then change an individual picture without designing the entire wall again.
