Written by Julia Kiryanova, Artist
Julia Kiryanova is an artist working in tapestry, painting, and works on paper from her atelier in the centre of Amsterdam. A two-time Royal Award nominee.
More artworks are returned or regretted over size than over colour, subject, or price. A piece that felt bold on a screen can look timid above a sofa, and a work that seemed modest can swallow a hallway. The good news is that sizing follows a few simple rules. Here is how I think about it in my own studio, and how I advise collectors who visit.
The two rules that solve most walls
Start with these and you will rarely go wrong.
The two-thirds rule
Art hung above furniture should span roughly two thirds to three quarters of the width of that furniture. Above a 210 cm sofa, that means a work, or a grouping, between 140 and 160 cm wide. Smaller than that and the piece floats, disconnected from the room. Wider and it starts to loom.
The eye-level rule
On an open wall, hang work so its centre sits around 145 to 155 cm from the floor. This is the standard most galleries and museums use, and it is why art in those spaces feels effortless to look at. Most people hang art too high. If you take one thing from this article, lower your pictures.
Room by room
A few situations come up again and again.
Above the sofa
Apply the two-thirds rule, then leave 15 to 25 cm between the top of the sofa and the bottom of the work. Close enough to read as one composition, far enough that nobody leans into the frame. Sofa walls are where large tapestries earn their keep. The scale fills the wall, and the wool softens both the look and the sound of the room.
The bedroom
Above a bed, go wide and calm. A single horizontal work, or a pair, spanning most of the headboard width sits well. This is a place where texture matters more than drama. You see this wall at the start and end of every day.
Hallways and stairs
Narrow spaces are viewed from close up, so smaller works reward attention here. A row of works on paper, hung at eye level with even spacing, turns a corridor into something worth slowing down for.
The large empty wall
A big wall does not always need a big piece, but it does need presence. One generous painting of 100 cm or more will usually do more for a large wall than several small works scattered across it. Empty space around a strong piece is not a flaw. It is breathing room.
Test before you buy
This is the trick I give every visitor to my atelier. Cut a piece of kraft paper, or tape together newspaper sheets, to the exact dimensions of the work you are considering. Tape it to the wall and live with it for two days.
You will know within hours whether the size is right. Your eye is far better at judging proportion in the actual room than any rule on a page. Every artwork on our site lists exact dimensions, so you can test any piece this way before deciding.
When in doubt, go larger
After years of helping people place work in their homes, one pattern holds. Almost nobody regrets buying the larger piece. Plenty of people regret the smaller one.
Small art in a big room reads as hesitation. A confident scale, even in a quiet palette, gives a room its anchor. If you are torn between two sizes and the wall can take it, choose the bigger work.
Size is only half the conversation, of course. If you are weighing palette as well, my guide to art and interior colour picks up where this one ends.
Ready to measure your wall? Explore all artworks, each listed with exact dimensions and a Certificate of Authenticity.
