Style guides
Measured guides to art on your walls: sizes, heights, spacing and colour.
What size art for your sofa? 23 popular sofas, measured
Art sizes for 23 popular sofas, from IKEA KIVIK, SÖDERHAMN and EKTORP to Muuto, HAY, Loaf and Article: the width of each, two thirds of it, and the prints that fit.
read the guideHow much of the painting does a poster cut off?
We measured 987 public-domain artworks against standard poster sizes. Filled edge to edge, a 50×70 cm print cuts off a median 7.5% of the picture.
read the guideThe colours of seven masterpieces, measured
Measured palettes of seven works by Hilma af Klint, Hiroshige and Kandinsky: hex codes, each colour’s share of the picture, and the wall colours that suit them.
read the guideThe rules of hanging art, and where they come from
Eight rules with a number you can measure – 145 cm, two thirds, 15–25 cm, one picture at a time – and where each one comes from: a book from 1897, a museum habit, a Japanese tea-room. With the first film in the series.
read the guideWhat size art goes above a sofa?
Art above a sofa should span about two thirds of its width, 66 to 75 percent. Worked examples in cm and inches, print sizes that fit, and the gap to leave above the sofa.
read the guideHow high to hang art
Hang art so its centre sits 145 cm (57 in) from the floor, the eye-level standard used by galleries. How to measure it, how it changes above a sofa or bed, and for groups.
read the guideGallery wall spacing: the numbers that make it look planned
Keep 5–8 cm (2–3 in) between frames, line up the outer edges, centre the group at 145 cm and span two thirds of the furniture below. A step-by-step gallery wall layout.
read the guideOne large print or three?
How to choose between one large print, a pair or a group of three for the same wall: what each does to the room, the sizes that fill two thirds of a sofa, and when to choose which.
read the guideDare to be colorful: choosing colorful wall art
How to choose colorful art that works in a real room: repeat one colour already in the room, choose one dominant colour, and where the 2026 colours from Pinterest fit in.
read the guideWho was Hilma af Klint? A guide to The Ten Largest
Hilma af Klint painted The Ten Largest in 1907, years before abstraction had a name. What the ten paintings show, why they stayed hidden, and how to live with them at home.
read the guideHow to decorate with Japanese art without it looking themed
Japanese woodblock prints make calm, beautiful wall art. Five rules for using ukiyo-e at home so it feels considered rather than themed: how many, which frame, which colours.
read the guideJapandi wall art: choosing prints for a calm, warm room
Japandi mixes Scandinavian simplicity and Japanese calm. What wall art suits it, how much to hang, where to place it, and which colours work.
read the guideUkiyo-e explained: Hiroshige vs Hokusai
What ukiyo-e is, how woodblock prints were made, and how the two great landscape masters Hiroshige and Hokusai differ, with tips for choosing a print for your home.
read the guideHow to choose art for your home: a 5-step method
A practical five-step method for choosing wall art: start from the wall, measure, pick a palette, choose the mood, then decide on framing. With sizes in cm.
read the guideWhat art goes above a bed?
The right size of art above a bed, how high to hang it above the headboard, and which layouts work, with sizes for single, double and king beds in cm.
read the guideArt for small spaces: go big or go small?
In a small room, one larger print usually works better than several small ones. How to size art for small spaces, hallways and studios, with examples.
read the guideHow to match art to your room colours
How to choose wall art that suits your colour scheme, with examples for sage green, terracotta and blue rooms, and the one-colour rule that makes it easy.
read the guideLiving with abstract art: Kandinsky's Improvisation 30
Kandinsky's Improvisation No. 30 (Cannons) from 1913, what it shows, and how to hang abstract art at home so it works with the room.
read the guidePoster sizes explained, and framed or unframed
The standard poster and art print sizes in cm and inches, which size suits which wall, and when to choose a framed print or buy the print unframed.
read the guideWhich wall colour makes art pop?
Colours opposite each other on the colour wheel make each other look brighter. How to choose a wall colour that makes a print glow, with softer options when bold is too much.
read the guideHow to size and hang art without a tape measure
No tape measure? A piece of string, a sheet of A4 and your own sofa are enough to choose the size of art and hang it at the right height. Step by step, in cm and inches.
read the guideThe tokonoma: one picture at a time
The tokonoma is the alcove in a traditional Japanese room where one chosen picture hangs, changed with the seasons. How to borrow the idea at home with a single print.
read the guideRooms inspired by Van Gogh, Klimt and Monet
How to borrow the colours of Van Gogh’s bedroom, Klimt’s gold and Monet’s garden at Giverny for a real room, and which real prints belong on those walls.
read the guidePoster vs art print vs canvas vs framed: which should you buy?
Posters, art prints, canvas prints and framed prints are different products at different prices. What each one is, how long it lasts, what it costs to hang, and which to choose for your wall.
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