What size painting does your wall need?

On a phone screen, a 60×40 cm canvas looks huge. On a four-metre wall, it disappears. Our eye misjudges size when it has no reference points, and an online shop has none. Add to that a cautious reflex: "better too much wall than too little painting". In interior design the opposite is true. A small painting on a large wall breaks it up and makes the whole room feel unfinished; a generous painting brings it into order and, paradoxically, makes the space feel larger.

The good news is that size isn't guessed: it's calculated. And the calculation starts with the furniture, not the wall.

This is the rule interior designers and gallerists use when placing art above a piece of furniture: the painting should measure between two-thirds and three-quarters of the width of the furniture below it. In other words, between 66% and 75% of the width of the sofa, headboard, sideboard or table.

Multiply the width of the furniture by 0.66 and by 0.75 and you have your range. For a 220 cm (87 in) sofa, the ideal painting is 145–165 cm wide. For a 160 cm headboard, 105–120 cm. If your measurement falls between two sizes, choose the larger one: a slightly large painting always looks more intentional than a slightly small one.

Why it works: the furniture and the painting read as a single composition, with the furniture as the base and the painting as the finishing touch. If the painting is narrower than half the furniture, it floats; if it matches or exceeds the width, it crushes the seat and the wall looks lower.

Guide sizes by piece of furniture

• Two-seater sofa (150–180 cm): 100×70 or 120×80 cm.
• Three-seater sofa (200–240 cm): 150×100 cm.
• Corner sofa or chaise longue (250–320 cm): 180×120 cm, or a triptych whose panels plus gaps add up to two-thirds.
• 135–150 cm bed: 90×60 or 120×80 cm above the headboard.
• 160–180 cm bed: 120×80 or 150×100 cm.
• Sideboard or console (120–180 cm): 90×60 to 120×80 cm; here the painting can stay close to 60%.
• Dining table (180–240 cm): 120×80 to 150×100 cm, or a triptych; in the dining room the painting can approach 80% of the table's width.

The second mistake, almost as common as size, is hanging too high. We do it by instinct, as if the painting needed to "look over" the furniture. Museums settled this decades ago: they place the centre of the work 145–152 cm (57–60 in) from the floor, the average eye level of an adult. That is the reference for a bare wall with no furniture beneath it.

When there is furniture, the furniture decides. Leave 15–25 cm (6–10 in) between the back of the sofa (or the top of the sideboard) and the bottom edge of the painting. With a tall sofa, backrest over 90 cm, go closer to 15; with a low, modern sofa, closer to 25. Above a headboard, 15–20 cm. Above a dining table, where people are seated and look slightly lower, 18–25 cm above the tabletop… or a little more if there is a sideboard.

Two clarifications that save a lot of holes in the wall:

• The centre line of the painting aligns with the centre line of the furniture, not with the centre of the wall. If the sofa is off-centre, the painting goes with the sofa.
• With ceilings above 2.80 m, don't raise the painting: raise the size. A taller canvas fills the space without losing its connection to the furniture.

A painting doesn't only have a size: it has a direction. The practical rule is that the painting's format should echo the format of the furniture or the space that holds it.

Landscape above sofas, beds, sideboards and tables: it follows the line of the furniture and gives a sense of calm. It is the format of the living room and the bedroom. 3:2 proportions (90×60, 120×80, 150×100, 180×120 cm) are the easiest to place because they are neither too elongated nor too square.

Portrait on narrow, tall walls: the end of a hallway, the entryway, the wall between two doors, beside a window or behind a reading chair. An 80×120 or 100×150 cm portrait canvas turns a wall "we never knew what to do with" into the focal point of the home. Summer Dahlias and Clay Furrow were designed for exactly that.

Square for square spaces, fireplaces and pairs: two identical 80×80 cm squares on either side of a window, or a single 100×100 cm above a fireplace, bring order to a space with a very calm symmetry. Verbena and Mustard Sun are good examples of a square with character.

In a modern living room or bedroom, a single large work is almost always the best decision: it can be seen from anywhere, it brings calm and it makes the room feel larger. Arrangements of many small paintings demand planning, consistent spacing and a long wall; they work in hallways, staircases and studies, but on the sofa wall they tend to create noise.

The two exceptions that work very well:

• The portrait pair: two identical canvases (80×120 cm, for example) 8–10 cm apart above a long sofa. Symmetry, rhythm and the same presence as a large format.
• The triptych: one composition spread across three canvases, with gaps of 5–10 cm. The three widths plus the gaps should follow the two-thirds rule. A 3×40×80 cm triptych with two 8 cm gaps spans 136 cm: perfect for a 200 cm sofa or a 180 cm dining table.

Living room

The sofa wall takes centre stage. Two-thirds of the sofa's width, 15–25 cm above the backrest, landscape format. If you have an open-plan living and dining room, treat the table as a second focal point and give it its own painting, slightly smaller than the one above the sofa, so they don't compete. You'll find more ideas in our guide to paintings for a modern living room and in the modern living room paintings collection.

Bedroom

Above the headboard, landscape, two-thirds of the bed's width and 15–20 cm above it. It is the wall you see when you wake up and the last one you see at night: choose a serene painting, in tones that don't demand attention. If the headboard is very tall, a pair of portrait canvases on either side of the bed, at eye level from the bed (lower, about 135–140 cm to the centre), works better. Discover our modern bedroom paintings.

Dining room

People are seated, so the centre of the painting can come down to 140 cm. The painting can reach 80% of the table's width because the table, standing away from the wall, doesn't "hold up" the painting the way a sofa does. Triptychs and very wide formats are ideal. See our modern dining room paintings.

Hallway and entryway

Portrait format, centre at 150 cm, and a single piece at the end of the hallway that can be seen from the entrance. In an entryway with a console, the painting follows the furniture rule: 60–70% of the console's width. See paintings for hallways and entryways.

Staircase

Paintings climb with the stairs: the imaginary line joining their centres should run parallel to the handrail and stay about 150 cm above each step. It is the only place in the home where a series of medium paintings (60×90 cm) beats a large format.

Home office

If you work facing a wall, hang the painting where you'll see it when you look up, slightly above the screen. If you're often on video calls, the painting behind you looks small on camera: choose one 20% larger than you would for another room. You'll find examples among our modern home office paintings.

Cut kraft paper, cardboard or newspaper taped together to the exact size you're considering and stick it to the wall with painter's tape, at the calculated height. Leave it for two or three days. Look at it from the doorway, from the sofa, in the morning and at night. If it feels "a bit big" on the first day and "just right" by the third, it's the right size: the eye gets used to the correct scale very quickly, but it never gets used to a painting that's too small.

If you prefer, measure your wall and furniture and write to us: we'll tell you which size in our catalogue fits, or we'll paint the artwork to the exact size you need. All our modern paintings are hand-painted in oil in four standard sizes and in any custom size.

Our paintings travel rolled in a rigid tube, without stretcher bars, so they arrive safely in any country. Mounting them is simple: any local framer can stretch the canvas over a wooden stretcher in a few days. You can leave it with painted edges, gallery style, or add a slim floating frame in natural wood, black or white, which adds about 3–4 cm on each side. Keep that in mind when you calculate the two-thirds: the frame counts.

To hang it, use two separate anchor points (not a single nail) for paintings wider than 100 cm: it will stop the painting tilting over time. And measure the height with the painting already mounted: it's the centre, not the top edge, that should sit at 150 cm.

What size painting do I need above the sofa?

Between two-thirds and three-quarters of the sofa's width. For a 220 cm three-seater, a 150×100 cm painting; for a 170 cm two-seater, 120×80 cm.

How high should a painting be hung?

On a bare wall, with its centre 145–152 cm (57–60 in) from the floor. Above furniture, with the bottom edge 15–25 cm (6–10 in) above the backrest or surface.

Can I put a large painting in a small room?

Yes, and it's often the best option. A single large painting with light tones or plenty of open space adds depth; several small paintings break up the wall and make the room feel smaller.

How do I work out the size of a triptych?

Add the width of the three panels and the two gaps (5–10 cm each) and check that the total is between 66% and 75% of the furniture's width.

What if my wall doesn't match any standard size?

We paint any size. Write to us with the width and height you need, in centimetres or inches, and we'll send you the price and a secure payment link.

Know what size you need? Find your artwork in Modern paintings for your home, or continue with our guides on how to choose the colour of a painting and why texture changes everything.

Questions about our hand-painted oil paintings? Visit our frequently asked questions.