Who Installs the Art in Your Home? April 11 2026, 0 Comments

By Kimberly Nicoletti

When you walk into Raitman Art Galleries, the welcoming atmosphere is obvious, from warm greetings to accessible and uplifting artwork. What is not always apparent is how deep the Raitman’s commitment and involvement extends - to the point of personally installing purchased pieces in their clients’ homes.

Brian and Ross Raitman are just as comfortable climbing up and down ladders and collaborating with clients to achieve the perfect way to showcase a large painting as they are strolling through their Breckenridge and Vail galleries, telling visitors stories about the paintings, mixed-media and sculptures on display and ready for good homes.

Because they display art in their galleries in the best light possible, they’re experts in finding the optimal place in clients’ homes to highlight art. After all, they’ve been in the industry for 19 years.

Kristoff Kosmowski hanging in Boulder, CO

They’ve always placed a high value on building relationships with both the artists they represent and art lovers, which is why they revel in doing installations.

Sometimes, clients know exactly where they want a piece, but other times, they have a few different places in mind, which is where Brian and Ross’ experience becomes so valuable. Walking through a home allows them to offer insights into why a piece works in one area and not as well in another.

The size of the piece matters the most, followed by color palette. You don’t want a huge painting to overtake a wall or a small piece to look dwarfed by the blank canvas of space. Meanwhile, color contributes to the mood you wish to establish in the room. 

Brian recently installed a commissioned Roger Hayden Johnson painting over a stairwell with an interior window. 

Roger Hayden Johnson hanging in Evergreen, CO

“It’s an architectural gap in the wall, and it really highlights the art beautifully. We planned the commission to be the same size as that window, and it gives the whole open floor plan — the kitchen, dining room, foyer and living room — a calm, chill vibe. I find it very reflective in that space, and it’s cool because the window wall gives you a window to see the painting,” Brian said.

Sometimes, a piece can seem too large, but its negative space mitigates that. A great example is a 2Wild work of art he recently hung high on a dining room wall. The “canvas” is cut in the shape of a wolf’s head, allowing for enough negative space to balance out its size. Overall, it ushers in a sense of a noble creature watching over its inhabitants. Three other 2Wild pieces grace the open floorplan, visible in the dining and living rooms and hallway leading into the primary bedroom.

“It gives the whole area this exciting, unique, fun and classy vibe that really elevates the space,” he said. 

2Wild hanging in Colorado Springs, CO

Furnishings situated below paintings also inform how to hang the art, whether it’s a bed or a credenza.

“What else is in the space makes a big difference. Every time, we’re finding the height that the client likes, because while there are standards within our industry for what usually works best, it really is personal preference. Some people like things hung higher, and some like them hung lower. For us, just over 60 inches of the center of the painting is usually really nice,” he said.

Having an expert validate their clients’ instincts builds confidence; often, a client has a first choice when it comes to a few possible spaces to hang the piece, and Ross and Brian almost always agree. It’s just one way they empower people to trust what they think and feel about art.

The Raitman’s typically spend a third of their work week installing art within clients’ Colorado homes — at no additional cost. About every other week, they travel to the Front Range for installs, and they’ve even gone to Chicago, St. Louis, New York and other states for installations. They can often hang a piece within a day or two of purchase within the mountain region.

Pat McNabb Martin, Barak Rosenvain and Lyudmila Agrich hanging in Vail, CO

While it provides clients peace of mind that their investments are being hung correctly and safely, Brian admits it also takes confidence, experience and expertise on their part to place holes in walls in multimillion-dollar homes. That’s why he works closely with homeowners, holding the piece up and moving it anywhere from millimeters to multiple inches to achieve the exact position they want.

Like construction professionals, they carefully do the math, along with the old adage of measuring twice and, in this case, hammering once. They determine the center point, appropriate distance of each hook, the amount of slack of the wire and the space above, below and around the painting.

“We could hire an installation company, but we’ve been doing this for so long that I’m sure we’re better at it. I joke with clients all the time that with our tool bag, we could hang an Army base’s worth of art,” he says. “I really like taking responsibility of that on my own shoulders, and I know Ross does too. We’re both pretty OCD with installs — it has to be perfect.”

Installing the art allows the Raitman’s to spend more time with their clients, building meaningful relationships with them. Visiting so many homes and learning about clients’ needs and desires also helps inform what kind of art they curate in the galleries.

“We get to know each other and build a friendship,” he said. “People always thank me for doing the install, but we’re always guests in their home, so I’m always like, ‘Thank you for having me in your home,’” he said. “This is personal, and that’s why we like to do it ourselves, so we get to give it the care and the attention that we know it deserves.”

It also allows them to see the joy on their clients’ faces, as well as let the artists — whom they share deep bonds with — know where the creations that they poured their souls into now live. 

Robert Moore and Rolinda Stotts hanging in Castle Rock, Colorado