Wall Art Size Guide
There were years when I just didn’t have much hanging on the walls. Why? Because choosing art just felt too hard. I’d find something I liked but then hang it up only to feel like something was off. Too big? Too small? Just not right. This was ages ago – I’ve done a lot of research and learned a lot of lessons since then. Now, I have some pretty good guidelines for choosing art sizes. From large art above a sofa or gallery prints in a hallway, I’ve got it down. Here, I’m sharing these tips plus my wall art size guide to make things easy!
Art: Vertical vs Horizontal
One easy way to get artwork sizing right is to choose the right orientation. In general, longer wider walls love horizontal art work. These might be landscape or just wider style art pieces.
On the other hand, taller narrow walls do well with more vertical art work. This includes portraits and traditional style florals.
A bonus tip to keep in mind is that many abstract style art prints can work in either direction! I’ve used many in my home that have adjusted depending on what the space needs. These are some of my go to Abstract Art Prints.
Art Proportion
While it’s not a hard and fast rule, larger walls love bigger art prints and compact spaces do well with little art pieces. Often, choosing art work that is ⅔ of the available wall space is a good guideline. This also applies to art above furniture. So, for example, for a 90” long sofa, an art print that is about 60” wide would work well.
Bonus tip: This proportion guideline works for the overall art grouping size – not just one print. So, for example, you could use two or three art prints that when side by side equal 2/3 of the wall or furniture.
Include Frames and Spacing in Measurement
Remember to include the frame and matting when measuring for art work. This means that a 12″ x 18″ art print might actually be a total of 16″ x 20″ when framed and matted. Use that measurement when determining what size to use.
Additionally, if you’re creating a gallery wall and looking for an overall size to be about 60″, you’ll want to account for the spacing distance in between each art print.
Wall Art Size Guides
Given that each space has multiple layout options, I’ve created some wall art size guides for common room dimensions. Each guide shows a typical furniture piece and proportionate art sizes using the 2/3 rule. Different couch length or bed size? No problem, just adjust the the artwork for the actual dimensions.
Art Above Couch Size Guide
This guide works for large art above sofa or a grouping of artwork over the couch.
Art Above Bed Size Guide
Dining Room Art Size Guide
Art for Big Walls
A common speed bump when choosing art is finding the right size for a big wall. Often, we think, how would I possibly fill this space? Good news, there are lots of options.
- Oversized Artwork
- Layered Art on Shelf Ledge
- Gallery Wall (with the final layout meeting the rule of ⅔)
- Non Traditional Artwork like yarn hangings or baskets grouped together
Yes, small pieces can work on large walls as long as it’s intentional. Usually, this is when the art work is noticeably and dramatically “too small.” A single small piece may look lost unless it’s intentionally styled with lots of negative space.
Above a sofa or bed, artwork works well when it’s about two-thirds the width of the furniture. For example, if a sofa is 90 inches wide, look for art around 60 inches wide. It doesn’t have to be one oversized items, it can be two to three smaller pieces side by side equally the proportionate measurement.
For a clean look leave 2–6 inches spacing between frames. Smaller art pieces look best with 2–3 inches of spacing, while larger works or gallery walls often benefit from 4–6 inches.
Yes! Matting is a great way to make a smaller print even larger. Exaggerated matting can also create a more modern, clean look for a gallery wall.
How to Decorate a Room: Free Checklist
Looking how to put this all together? Grab my free guide which includes my own personal steps to decorating any room. From artwork to rugs and furniture, this makes it easy. Simply download and get started.
Final Thoughts on Wall Art Size
I hope these wall art size charts are helpful as you choose artwork for you space. Once you’ve got the basic formulas down, it becomes a whole lot easier. Just remember proportion and orientation and you’re well on your way. For more wall art decor check out my post, 5 Empty Wall Decor Ideas and my Favorite Source for Online Prints.
