Combine timeless rules and creative display ideas to make your art stand out.

A beautifully decorated home is attributable not only to the quality of the art it contains but the way in which it is displayed. Certain rules are timeless. Artworks should be related to wall size and furniture size — they shouldn't overwhelm the room. Their colours should complement those of the room and statement pieces like nudes or brightly coloured paintings should only be displayed in rooms that can handle them. Kitchens and dining rooms aren't the best places to display stand-out pieces as they can appear garish.

Beyond the basic rules, there are many fresh and creative ways to display art in your home. Try these contemporary ideas to make your artworks pop.

Hang an art shelf

An art shelf is a simple and space-efficient way to display decorative objects. Paint it the colour of your choice — white or another pale tone will really make your pieces stand out. You can also hang a frame behind the shelf to add interest.

Create a wall display

Hang a collection of pictures or artworks together on a wall to create an eye-catching display. You can use family photographs, magazine cut-outs of flowers or food, or any other pieces of the same theme. Frames of different sizes, shapes and colours will give your wall gallery an eclectic look. If you use hanging strips on this project — Command's Picture Hanging Strips are a great choice — you can move your pictures around as much as you'd like without worrying about putting holes in the wall or having to re-paint when you remove them.

Make a picture wire

Buy a thin wire or metal cable and cut it so it spans the length of your wall. Drill a hole into either end of the wall and insert a nylon anchor (for masonry walls) or a Wall-Mate (for plasterboard walls) in each hole. Hang your wire and pull it tight. Mount photographs or magazine images on card stock of any colour and hang them on the wire using bulldog clips. You can align them neatly or hang them haphazardly for a darkroom effect. Check out this picture wire project from real living (pictured) for another way to achieve the same look.

Make a corkboard out of wine corks

You'll probably have to buy foreign wine to collect enough corks for this project, but the result is well worth it. Buy a frame of the size and colour of your choice. Collect about 100 corks depending on the size of your frame — the more varied the collection of corks the better. Glue the corks side by side to the inside of the frame. They should be glued lengthwise so you see the barrels of the corks, not the ends. You can place some horizontally and some vertically to add visual texture. When you're done, use it as you would any other corkboard — only this one will have a personal story associated with every cork.

Display recipes in baking dishes

Buy a few metal baking dishes of different shapes and sizes. Punch a hole in one end of a pan and thread picture wire through the hole. Loop the end outside the pan and tie it down with a ferrule. Tie the end of the wire inside the pan to an alligator clip which will then be secured to your recipe card. Do the same thing on the opposite end of the pan, making sure the recipe card is held tautly between the two wires. Mount your baking dishes on the wall of your kitchen or hang them from the ceiling with wire.

Use old shutters to display your art

Paint an old wooden cottage shutter and hang it horizontally on the wall. Insert postcards, photos and magazine clippings into the slats. You can also glue seashells, feathers, dried flowers and other objects onto the shutters for added texture and effect.

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