A shadow box is a frame with depth, and depth is the whole point of a relief piece: the raised subject throws real shadows across the panel. That also means it's a little more sensitive to where it hangs than a flat print. Here's the short version of what we've learned hanging our own 12-inch pieces, and photographing them in a lot of rooms.
What you need
One nail or picture hook, a pencil, and a tape measure. Our pieces hang from a jute rope tied to the back of the frame, so there's no wire tension to fight and nothing to level except the frame itself. At about two pounds, a standard picture hook in drywall is plenty; you don't need an anchor unless you're going into crumbly plaster.
Height: hang it lower than you think
The gallery rule is to put the center of the artwork at roughly 57–60 inches from the floor, which is average eye level. Most people hang art too high. For a 12-inch square that means the top of the frame sits around 63–66 inches. Above a piece of furniture, ignore the rule and leave 6–8 inches between the top of the console or headboard and the bottom of the frame instead, so the two read as one arrangement.
To find the nail position: measure from the top of the frame to where the rope sits when it's pulled taut upward, then subtract that from your target top-of-frame height. Mark, tap in the hook, hang, nudge level.
Light from the side, not the front
This is the part that matters more for relief than for prints. Light hitting the panel straight-on flattens it. Light coming across it, from a window to one side or a lamp on a nearby table, rakes over the raised subject and the sculpted water and you get the shadows the piece was designed around. If you have a choice of walls, pick the one at right angles to the main window. Our product photos with the deepest-looking texture are all shot this way.
Rooms that work
Entryways and hallways. A single 12-inch square over a narrow console is the easiest win in the house. Bathrooms. Fine, as long as it's not directly in the shower's steam path; the pieces are printed in PLA and framed in pine, and normal bathroom humidity doesn't bother them. Bedrooms and living rooms. Pairs and trios come into their own here; see below. Offices. A boat or a map above a desk is a good way to keep the water in view during a long afternoon.
Rooms and spots to avoid
Two things shorten the life of any 3D-printed piece: direct afternoon sun and heat. Skip the wall that gets full west sun, the space above a radiator or fireplace, and a sunroom that bakes. A screened porch in Florida is a no. The frame and the print are happy anywhere a person would be comfortable sitting for an hour.
Hanging two or three together
Same-size squares in a row are the simplest grouping and the hardest to get wrong: keep 2–3 inches between frames and line up the tops. A pair works over a bed or sofa; a horizontal trio suits a long wall. Mixing subjects reads better than repeating one, and because all of ours share the navy-and-white palette and the natural pine frame, any combination holds together. The styling guide shows the pairings we like most, and the full collection is all the same 12 × 12 format so you can mix freely.
Dusting and care
A soft, dry paintbrush gets into the relief without pressing on it. Skip sprays and damp cloths on the panel; a dry microfiber is fine on the frame. That's the entire maintenance schedule.
If you'd like to see what's actually in the frame before you hang one, here's how each piece is made.