3 Ways to Lean and Layer Your Art

If you’ve ever found yourself teetering on top of a stepladder, hammer in hand, and having second thoughts about that oh-so-ambitious gallery wall, why not test out this less anxiety-inducing alternative. Casually leaning and layering your artwork—whether it’s fine art prints or a child’s drawings—on a dresser, bookshelf, or atop a piano (as actress and November 2013 Lonny cover star Rachel Bilson did below), lends an offhand cool to your room and your collection that a formal arrangement can lack. It’s also a perfect solution for commitment phobes and even the most DIY-averse among us. Check out three takes on the look, from entry level to master class.

In the cozy Los Angeles home shared by actors Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen, photos and prints with a similar time-worn Western vibe are grouped atop a piano. For this low-risk take on a layered look, choose images that are all black-and-white or that are framed in similar styles. 
Moody hues still unite all the pieces seen here in J. Crew's Madison Avenue shop, kitted out under the expert eye of menswear head Frank Muytjens, but the scale, frames, and mediums all vary dramatically. 

And in the living room of a Swedish summer cottage, a bookshelf heaped with treasures is topped by two fanciful mirrors. Unlikely candidates for such a casual display, they add an especially eye-catching dose of unstudied glamour.