How to hang a macramé wall hanging securely

Most macramé guides show you how to tie the knots. Very few explain how to hang a macramé wall hanging once it is in your hands, which is the part that worries people, especially with a large piece on a wooden branch. This is the method we recommend at Nyra Atelier. We wrote it with Suspenso Terra in mind, a 170 cm hanging knotted by hand by Sónia Bizarro, but the same steps work for most textile pieces on a rod or branch.

Before you start

Weigh the piece and get to know your wall

Weight decides everything else, and it varies more than you might expect: wool, cotton and jute cords weigh differently, and a solid branch adds its own share. To weigh a large hanging at home, stand on the bathroom scales holding it, note the reading and subtract your own weight. Write the number down; you will need it when you buy fixings.

Then find out what the wall is made of. Knock along it: a hollow, drum-like sound usually means plasterboard; a dull, solid sound means brick, block or concrete. Many flats in Portugal and Spain have interior walls of hollow brick under plaster. They sound solid, but a short plug can spin in the hollow chambers, so we recommend plugs made for hollow masonry, long enough to grip past the first wall of the brick. Before drilling, run a detector over the area for pipes and cables, and keep clear of the strip directly above and below sockets and switches.

Work out the height

Above furniture, work from the bottom up. For a hanging with a loose fringe, we suggest the fringe ends about 20 to 30 cm above the back of the sofa or the top of the headboard. On a bare wall, place the centre of the piece at about 145 to 155 cm from the floor, roughly eye level for most adults. How wide the piece should be is covered in our macramé size guide.

A worked example with Suspenso Terra, whose longest cords hang about 100 cm: above a sofa with a back 85 cm high, a 25 cm gap puts the end of the fringe at 110 cm, so the branch sits at about 210 cm. The hooks go a little higher again, by the length of the rope loop at each end of the branch. Measure that loop with the piece in your hands before you mark the wall, because hand-tied ropes are never identical. With a ceiling of 250 to 260 cm, that still leaves a calm band of wall above the branch.

Tools and fixings

• A spirit level at least 60 cm long, or a laser level
• Tape measure, pencil and masking tape
• A pipe and cable detector
• A drill with the right bit for your wall: a masonry bit for brick, block and concrete
• Two wall plugs or plasterboard fixings rated well above the weight you measured
• Two hooks with an upturned tip or a closed eye, so a rope loop cannot slide off if the piece is brushed
• A step ladder and a second pair of hands

Suspenso Terra hangs from the knotted rope at each end of its branch, on two wall hooks that are not included, so have them ready before it arrives.

Four ways to hang a macramé piece

One hook, for small and light pieces

A small hanging on a dowel, with one cord tied to both ends, can hang from a single hook at its centre. The cord forms a triangle and the piece finds its own level. This does not suit a wide branch: one point lets the ends see-saw and puts the whole load on one fixing.

Two fixings, for a wide branch or rod

This is how we hang every large piece. Two points share the load, keep the branch level and stop the piece turning on the wall. Either a rope loop at each end goes over a hook, which is how Suspenso Terra hangs, or, for pieces without cords, the branch rests on two pegs or small brackets just inside its ends.

Space the hooks to match the rope loops exactly, measured with the piece laid flat, so that both ropes drop vertically. If the hooks are wider or narrower than the loops, the ropes pull at an angle and the branch can tilt.

No-drill options, for light pieces only

Removable adhesive hooks can hold a small hanging on a smooth painted wall, within the load printed on the packet. We do not recommend them for a large piece on a solid branch: the weight, the leverage of a long branch and every brush past the fringe add up, and failures tend to come weeks later. A picture rail with hooks and cords, common in older buildings, or a tension rod across an alcove are better ways to avoid drilling.

Ceiling hooks and rail systems

Two ceiling hooks let a hanging float off the wall or act as a light divider in an open room. They carry the full weight straight down, so use fixings made for ceilings and, in plasterboard, screw into a joist.

How to hang a macramé wall hanging on a branch, step by step

These are the four steps we follow for a large piece such as Suspenso Terra. Allow about an hour, most of it measuring.

1. Mark and level

Lay the piece flat and measure the distance between the tops of the two rope loops. Mark the centre line of the sofa, bed or sideboard on the wall with masking tape. Measure half the loop distance out to each side, mark both hook positions at your chosen height and check them with the level. A square of masking tape over each mark stops the plaster chipping as you drill.

2. Drill and plug

Drill to the length of the plug plus a few millimetres, clear the dust and tap the plug in flush. Screw the hook in until it is firm, without forcing it so far that the plug turns. In plasterboard, follow the fixing's own instructions, or use a timber stud if one falls close to your mark. Then pull down firmly on each hook by hand.

3. Lift with two people

A 170 cm branch is awkward alone: it swings, and the cords tangle around your arms. Take one end each, lift by the branch rather than the cords, place each rope loop over its hook and lower the weight onto the hooks slowly.

4. Check the hang and settle the fringe

Step back to the doorway and look at the piece from where you will usually see it. Check the branch with the level, then trust your eye: a natural branch is never perfectly straight, and what matters is that the piece looks level against the furniture below. Run your fingers gently down the cords to separate the fringe, and give it a day or two to settle.

Why we never put adhesive on the textile

Glue, double-sided tape or adhesive pads on the cords or the back of a hanging can look like a quick fix, but textile specialists advise against them. Adhesive can stain and stiffen fibres, pull them out when removed and lose its grip over time. Let the hooks, the rope and the branch carry the weight, and leave the fibres free. Do not pin the fringe flat either: macramé is meant to sway a little.

Hanging above a bed or a sofa

A piece that hangs where people lean back or sleep deserves an extra margin. Three things we insist on:

• Fixings rated well above the measured weight. A hook that is just strong enough today has no margin for the day someone tugs the fringe.
• Hooks the rope cannot slip off. An upturned tip or a closed eye, never a plain straight nail.
• A fringe that clears heads. Above a sofa, keep the 20 to 30 cm gap. Above a bed, sit up against your pillows and have someone mark the top of your head on the wall; the fringe should end above that mark.

Choosing the piece and its width is a separate question, covered in our guides to what to hang above a bed and what to hang above a sofa.

If the cords arrived creased

Because of the length of its branch, Suspenso Terra is carefully protected for shipping, but any textile that has travelled can show a few bends. Hang it as soon as you can and let its own weight work for a day or two, then ease any remaining kinks with your fingers. Please do not iron, steam or wash it: our care advice is to keep it away from direct sunlight and humidity, and to shake it gently or dust it with a soft, dry brush.

Renters and delicate walls

Two small plug holes are usually easy to fill and touch up when you move out, while adhesive hooks can lift paint if they are removed badly. Check your rental contract first; many allow small fixings for pictures. On old lime plaster, drill slowly and without hammer action until you are through the plaster, so it does not crack around the hole.

If your piece is a flat canvas, such as Cadence, which arrives ready to hang, the method is simpler, and we explain it in How to hang and care for textile wall art. Suspenso Terra is one of a kind; at the time of writing it is still available in our macramé collection.

Frequently asked questions

How do you hang a macramé wall hanging without nails?

For a small, light piece, use removable adhesive hooks on the wall within the load stated on the packet, a picture rail or a tension rod. Never stick adhesive to the textile itself. For a large piece on a branch, we recommend two drilled fixings.

How do you hang a heavy macramé piece?

Weigh it, then use two plugs or plasterboard fixings rated well above that weight, with hooks that have an upturned tip or a closed eye. Two points share the load and keep the branch level.

How do you hang a macramé on a branch or dowel?

If the branch has a rope loop at each end, as Suspenso Terra does, hang each loop on its own hook, spaced to match the loops. Without cords, rest the branch on two pegs just inside its ends.

How high should I hang a macramé wall hanging?

Above furniture, let the fringe end about 20 to 30 cm above the sofa back or headboard. On a bare wall, place the centre at about 145 to 155 cm from the floor.

How do I keep a macramé hanging straight?

Mark both fixings with a level and space them to match the rope loops, so both ropes drop vertically. Then judge the result by eye against the furniture below.

Will hanging a macramé damage a rented wall?

Two small plug holes are usually simple to fill when you leave. Check your contract first, and avoid adhesive hooks for heavy pieces, as they can lift paint when removed.