How to Choose the Right Size Art for Your Wall

Most art on most walls is too small. A print that looked big in the store ends up floating over a sofa like a postage stamp. The fix is a few simple measurements. Here is how I size art for a room, using my own prints as examples.

10/19/20263 min read

assorted-color wooden frames
assorted-color wooden frames

The two-thirds rule

Art over furniture should be about two-thirds to three-quarters the width of the furniture.

That is the single most useful number in this article.

  1. Measure the width of the sofa, bed, or console.

  2. Multiply by 0.66 for the low end and 0.75 for the high end.

  3. Pick a print, or a print plus frame, that lands in that range.

A 90 inch sofa wants art between 60 and 68 inches wide. That is bigger than most people expect. If one print that size is not in the budget, use a pair or a group. The rule applies to the total width of the group, not each piece.

On an empty wall with no furniture, aim for the art to fill about 60 to 75 percent of the open wall space you see.

Quick size chart

Find your furniture width and read across. Sizes are width x height in inches, frame included.

Loveseat (about 60 in wide): art 40 to 45 in wide. One 40x30 print, or two 20x30 prints.

Standard sofa (about 84 in wide): art 56 to 63 in wide. One 60x40 print, or two 30x40 prints.

Queen bed (about 60 in wide): art 40 to 45 in wide. One 40x30 print, or two 20x30 prints.

King bed (about 76 in wide): art 50 to 57 in wide. One 54x36 print, or two 24x36 prints.

Console or dresser (about 48 in wide): art 32 to 36 in wide. One 36x24 print, or two 16x20 prints.

Nightstand (about 24 in wide): art 16 to 18 in wide. One 16x20 print.

For a pair, leave 2 to 3 inches between frames and count that gap in the total width.

Need a size that is not listed in my shop? I print custom sizes. Message me on Etsy with the size you need and I will price it out.

How high to hang it

Hang the center of the art at 57 to 60 inches from the floor.

That is roughly eye level, and galleries use the same number.

Over furniture, the furniture wins. Leave 8 to 10 inches between the top of the sofa back or headboard and the bottom of the frame. Too high and the art floats away from the room. Too low and it crowds the furniture.

The most common mistake is hanging too high.

If you are unsure, go lower.

One big piece, a pair, or a gallery wall

Each works. They do different jobs.

  • One large print. The calmest option. It gives the eye one place to land. Best for a bedroom or a minimal living room.

  • A pair. Good for wide furniture when one large print is not practical. Use two images from the same series so they read as a set.

  • A gallery wall. More personality, more work. Keep the outer edge of the whole group inside the two-thirds rule. Use the same frame color and the same 2 to 3 inch gap throughout. That is what makes it look planned instead of random.

One large print is the hardest to get wrong. If you are not sure, start there.

Test it before you buy

This takes ten minutes and saves a return.

  1. Cut paper or cardboard to the size you are considering. Painter’s tape the outline right on the wall works too.

  2. Tape it up at the height from the section above.

  3. Leave it for a day. Look at it from the doorway, from the sofa, and from across the room.

  4. If it looks too small, it is. Go up a size.

Almost everyone who does this ends up buying bigger than they planned.

Prints that work at large sizes

Not every image holds up big. Simple compositions with one strong subject scale best. These are the ones I would hang over a sofa or bed.

  • Framed by the Aegean. Whitewashed walls and cobalt-blue balconies form a natural frame around a glimpse of the Aegean Sea. Shop this print

  • The Edge of Color. Shot from directly above, this aerial view captures a stretch of southern California coastline where crimson scrub and pale bluffs meet a rhythm of breaking waves. Shop this print

  • Ember Pass. A winding road cuts through the mountains above Delphi, Greece, surrounded by a landscape transformed into ember red and burning orange beneath a gathering storm. Shop this print

  • Verdant Omen. A forest stretches toward the horizon beneath a gathering storm, saturated in deep greens while a break in the clouds allows light to emerge from above. Shop this print

All prints come framed or unframed, with free shipping. See the full collection at StusLife on Etsy.

Not sure what size to get? Send me a photo of your wall with the width of your furniture and I will tell you what I would hang there.