Maybe you're looking to purchase a new piece of art for your room or maybe you already have a few pieces and are wondering where you should hang them. There are so many factors that can come into play when it comes to selecting the correct size artwork for your wall. If you hang a small piece on a large wall it will give the appearance that the artwork is lost and if the piece of art is too big it will look like it’s trying to take over the room and will look equally strange. While there is no definitive answer as to exactly how big or small your piece should be, there are guidelines to help you make the right decision when it comes to purchasing a piece for your room.

Tip: If you're ever in doubt about a certain size, it’s always safer to lean towards a slightly bigger size, rather than a smaller size.

Room Size:

How big is the room that you’re intending on hanging the piece of artwork in? Is it a living room or are you planning on decorating a hallway? How high are the ceilings, do you have grand ceilings or are you working with a standard 2.4m ceiling height? All these factors should be taken into account but as a general rule, for a wall with no furniture the artwork should take up approximately 50% - 75% of the space. This will prevent the artwork from looking lost and allow the remaining area of wall to frame the artwork nicely.

Like the prints seen above, shop the Traditional Dance print here or the Kolmanskop print here

Visual distance from the artwork:

This is a factor many people don't seem to talk about. When it comes to selecting the correct size, you also need to think about how far you are going to be able to stand from the piece of artwork in order to view it comfortably. For example, if the space you are planning a large piece for, only allows you to step back 1.5 metres and you cannot achieve an overall view of the piece without moving your head around then maybe a smaller piece would be more suitable.

Tip: Double check with the artist that the measurements that are displayed or that have been given to you are the finished size of the artwork. What do we mean by finished? This is the overall measurement from the outside edge of the frame to the other. When it comes to framed art, sometimes an artist can display the print or image size and it’s easy to forget that the frame will be added onto this and this will increase its size. When it comes to canvas or acrylic artworks, the size that's given is usually the finished size but it’s always best to play it safe and double check regardless.

Wall Shape:

This seems like a fairly obvious thing to think about but you would be surprised how many people easily overlook this basic principal. You don't want your artwork fighting the general contour of your wall. You want them to work seamlessly while complimenting each other. It is for this reason that if the wall where you would like to hang a piece of artwork is tall and skinny then it would probably be best to look for a portrait style piece, this will aid in accentuating the lines and give a better overall visual appeal to your home and the artwork. The same rule can be applied to horizontal walls which are longer in length than they are high, in this instance, it may be best to think about a landscape style piece.

Like the print seen above, shop it here

Furniture:

If you’re thinking about hanging your new artwork above a piece of furniture then there are a few other rules that should be considered. If you want to play it safe, then you should approach this style of hanging much like you would if you were building a pyramid. Here the aim is to have the outside edges of the artwork fall comfortably inside the piece of furniture below it. To help with finding an accurate measurement, the artwork should take up roughly 2/3 to 3/4 of the length of the furniture. However if you are feeling confident and would like to mix it up, sometimes rules are made to be broken and so long as you work with the measurement guide above, an artwork can often look equally nice offset.

Tip: Okay, so you have already purchased a piece of artwork prior to reading this article or you have moved house and the artwork doesn't fit above the lounge anymore. In this case, see if you have the option of rearranging the layout of the room to suit the artwork. If that isn’t possible, consider a different wall entirely, maybe you have a wall next to the kitchen that it would be perfect for and that completely slipped your mind.

Like the print seen above, shop it here

Gallery Walls:

If the artist you plan on purchasing work from only sells smaller pieces than a gallery wall can be a great idea and another way to achieve the overall size. In this case, you could either purchase three pieces the same size in varying nature and hang them together as a triptych or you could purchase a variety of different shapes and sizes and get creative with the layout. If you choose to go with the varying sizes option, it always helps to lay the pieces out on the floor first in order to figure out where you would like to place everything prior to hanging it on the wall. This also allows you the option to take measurements of how far apart you would like each piece to be from each other, this will make hanging much easier. The same measurement guidelines listed above can still be applied when hanging artwork this way.

Hanging Height:

While it may not seem relevant when it comes to selecting the size, you should never overlook the height at which you plan on hanging the desired piece of artwork. Just like when you go to the cinema, no one likes to sit down the front and stare up at the screen for two hours. Always aim to hang art with the centre of the piece being at eye level. In this case, you need to consider your furnishing, if you have your heart set on a portrait piece, does hanging the centre of the artwork mean that it’s going to clash with furniture below it?

Tip: If you are still having trouble trying to decide on the correct size for your space, prior to purchase trying giving this cost-effective method a go. Go down to your local newsagent and buy a few sheets of plain white cardboard or you could simply use A4 paper if you have some lying around. Tape them all together to a size that you believe to be suitable for your space or to the size of the artwork you plan on purchasing. Now temporarily blue tack or tape the template on the wall in the place you plan on hanging the artwork. Using this method, you can always adjust the size of the template until you manage to find a suitable size. If it looks good and proportionate, then it’s fairly safe to say the artwork will too.

Like the print seen above, shop it here

All the prints that were seen in the images above and many more are available for purchase through our online print store at Lonely Hunter. Come and check out our entire range of beautiful photographic prints.

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