What size painting do you need?
For a painting above furniture, aim for about two-thirds of the furniture’s width. For a painting on its own, hang the centre at eye level, 145 to 152 cm (57 to 60 in) from the floor. Most people who get it wrong buy too small: a canvas that looked big on a screen often ends up as a small patch on a large wall.
Above a sofa or sideboard
Take about two-thirds of the width. A 210 cm (83 in) sofa suits a painting around 140 cm (55 in) wide, or two smaller paintings with a short gap between them. Leave 20 to 25 cm (8 to 10 in) between the top of the sofa and the bottom of the frame, so the painting reads as part of the same group and not as something floating above it.
Above a bed
The same two-thirds rule works. A 160 cm (63 in) bed takes a painting about 105 cm (41 in) wide. Hang it 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in) above the headboard.
On a wall of its own
Hang it so the centre sits at 145 to 152 cm (57 to 60 in), the height galleries use. In a hallway or above a console you see from close up, a smaller painting works. Across a big living room, go larger than feels natural; it will look right once it’s on the wall.
Test it before you order
Cut paper or newspaper to the exact size, or mark the outline with masking tape, and leave it up for a day. Walk past it, sit on the sofa, look at it from the door. It costs nothing and settles most doubts.
The painting’s own shape
Every painting has its own proportions, and your copy should keep them. The Starry Night is wider than it is tall. Girl with a Pearl Earring is taller than it is wide. When you pick a size, the other side follows the original, so nothing is squeezed or stretched. For an alcove or an exact space, email contact@oneartsource.com and we’ll adapt the composition to fit.
Famous paintings are often smaller than people expect. Girl with a Pearl Earring measures 44.5 x 39 cm (17.5 x 15.4 in). The Starry Night is 73.7 x 92.1 cm (29 x 36 in). We can paint either at the original’s size, or at the size that suits your wall.
Size and finish
Stretched and framed paintings go up to 60 x 90 cm (24 x 36 in). Larger paintings ship rolled in a tube and are stretched by a local framer. Rolled, stretched or framed
