'PEOPLE CONSTANTLY hang their art too high or too low,' says Karin Weber, of Karin Weber Gallery. 'When I go into someone's home I suggest they change the height.' Although Weber is quick to spot when art is hung wrong, there's no science to getting it right. 'There's no standard ratio of wall size to frame size, or any rule of thumb,' says Elaine Holt, of Gallerie du Monde. 'You're going for balance.' Both Weber and Holt have suggestions for how to ensure the artful display of paintings, photographs and other works that will save time and frustration. 'Before I hang a show, I put all the work on the floor against the wall all around the gallery and look at it,' Weber says. 'I can see when it gels and if it doesn't I just chop and change and move it around till it does and only then do I start hanging. Doing this at home can prevent major mistakes.' She has a hanging-rail system in her gallery that allows maximum flexibility for spacing the work and ensuring nothing is too high or low. 'These are excellent, but can be costly,' says Weber, who spent about $8,000 on her rails. She says they look great in homes and suit people who rotate works in and out of their collections. Holt also arranges art on the floor before drilling holes in walls. 'Arrange them how you like and then start measuring from the centre work,' she says. Once the measurements have been recorded, the hanging co-ordinates can be transferred to the wall and it's safe to begin installing. Holt suggests hiring a professional handyman for the job. 'It's best to drill a hole and then insert screws and plastic plugs,' she says. 'Sometimes there are electrical wires running behind walls that a professional would be aware of but a homeowner might not.' Those who prefer DIY should check with their management company about the location of wires before drilling. To prevent environmental damage, works should not be hung against damp walls or in direct sunlight. Joey Lau, design director of A-01 Designers, says you can keep it simple by leaning large framed works against walls. 'This has an artistic feeling and can make a room very special as long as the style and proportions are right for the space,' she says. 'Works should be in a place that matches their story and message, and where there's an appropriate light source.' For those who want art off the floor, Lau suggests Expandit anchor hooks for larger pieces, or thin shelf-like railings from Axis Collections that can be attached easily and hold multiple small works. Large works can be hung by themselves to create a striking focal point, Weber says, and multi-media works can be grouped together to similar effect. 'It can look fabulous to hang paintings with textiles or photographs, or cluster smaller works,' she says. The important thing is that the frames be complimentary - no chrome with gold - and that they're hung at the same height at the top or the bottom. 'Otherwise it can look pretty tacky.' 'A frame can make or break a work,' says Weber, who often hangs stretched canvasses unframed. 'A client bought a beautiful collage,' she says 'and then was given terrible advice about how to frame it, which resulted in a lot of money wasted before we were able to find the right look'. According to Holt, framing decisions are personal. 'You need something that's suitable for the piece and for the home,' she says. 'For this reason, we generally recommend simple wood frames that go with any interior and don't take away from the work. 'Different sizes and styles of frames can look good together when hung within the borders of a square to suggest one huge picture,' says Lau. 'To make the most of it, have the back wall in a bold colour to tighten the visual effect.' Besides keeping the exterior borders symmetrical, the art should be spaced in a way that's pleasing to the eye. The experts say works on paper should be framed behind glass, especially in Hong Kong, where humidity and pollution can ruin collectables. 'When framing original art works it's important to go to a framer that uses museum-quality materials,' says Holt. Museum-quality mats prevent acid burn affecting the art or photograph, and museum-quality glass with ultra-violet protection filters out sunlight. 'A work should never go directly against glass,' says Weber. 'A client brought me an Andy Warhol silk screen to sell and when we tried to take it out of the frame we found it was stuck to the glass.' The piece was too damaged to sell. If the idea of deciding how to display home collections is still overwhelming, experts are available to help make decisions. About one in 10 customers at Gallerie du Monde requests assistance with hanging their art. 'Gallery owners can help,' says Holt, as can designers and decorators. But the main concern is practical rather than aesthetic. 'The most important thing about hanging art is that it doesn't fall off the wall,' Weber says.