Wall Art Size Guide: Choose the Best Canvas Size

Perfectly placed furniture, rug, lamp, and a coffee table are, unfortunately, do not give you the living room of your dreams. Placing artwork that feels special, for example, a canvas print is important to making a room yours. The right kind of artwork in the right size will complete your masterpiece. But wall art sizes are often not paid enough attention to.

Whether you are redecorating your living room or putting up an art gallery in your house, having access to the perfect wall art size guide is essential. It can be a lifesaver and this is exactly what we are going to do today. Let’s dive right in.

Tips on Choosing the Best Wall Art Size

1.     Calculating To Choose the Correct Wall Art Size

The height of the ceilings in your house plays a major role in selecting the right wall art size. You have to make sure that it fits well between the length and width of your wall. As a rule of thumb, your wall art should cover 4/7^th and 3/4^th of your wall. Here is how you can measure.

• Measure the wall space you have available. It should be a blank area with no furniture placed in front of it, molding, etc.
• Multiply the width by .57 and .75.
• Multiply the length by .57 and .75

Here is an example. If your wall space is 24 inches wide, choose an artwork of no more than 24 inches wide.

• Or simply buy a canvas that covers 2/3^rd to 3/4^th of the wall space available if you hate numbers.

Some additional tips:

• If you have one or two large pieces like the ones mentioned in a large canvas, it is best to place it over the fireplace or your bed since it draws attention to a focal point and gives a more formal tone.
• Regarding the width, choose a piece that is 2/3^rd to 3/4^th to the furniture’s width. For example, your wall art should not exceed 2/7 of the length of your couch.

2.     How and Where to Hang the Wall Art Properly

Photo by Pat Freling of Paint Strategies

The next tip in our wall art size guide is the placement of your artwork.  This depends on whether you are handing the canvas on a blank wall or above a piece of furniture.

• On a blank wall
  • Cover 2/3 to 3/4 of the blank space with artwork.
  • A rule of thumb is that in open spaces the art should always be at eye level or about 60-65 inches from the floor.
  • In a living or dining room, on the other hand, hand the canvas a little lower, 6 to 12 inches above the seating.

• Above furniture
  • If you’re hanging the canvas above furniture, keep it at least 6 inches above the top of the furniture.

• If you have a fireplace
  • Space above the fireplace makes for a great spot for wall art. Hang your wall art 3 to 6 inches above the mantle.
  • For a better wall art size, buy a canvas which is smaller than the mantle but wider than the opening of the fireplace.

3.     Tips for Displaying or Arranging the Wall Arts

Sometimes homeowners buy small pieces of artwork to fill up wall space. Here arranging them well plays a major role.

• A great tip, in this case, is to buy artwork by the same artist. All artists have a distinguished style of art which reflects in their work. Having a group of small pieces of canvases or framed photographs will complement each other well.
• You may buy wall art of different sizes, something as small as 11×17, all the way up to 29×36.
• If you have a narrow space, one piece would not do the job. Buy three pieces of the same size and lay them out vertically.

Before you hang:

• Mark the corners of the space where you want to hang your artwork with post-it notes or mark the edges of the space (in a box shape) with paper tape. A butcher paper cut the same size as the artwork can also be pasted in that area for a better idea. This will help you visualize the canvas before you actually buy one or drilling a hole into the wall.
• Leave it up for a couple of days for your eyes to get used to the change. Change the sizing if it seems too large or small.

We hope you find our wall art size guide useful. Now that you are well-equipped with all the tips, head out, and buy some fun and interesting pieces of artwork. You may do a small DIY project and let your creativity flourish. If you already purchase a canvas print and are looking for how to stretch it, here’s the instruction.

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After all, there is no good and bad art. Use our guide to determine the wall art size and paint away.