How to measure for art

One rule does most of the work. Art above furniture should span 60–75% of the furniture’s width. That’s why a small print above a long sofa looks lost, and an oversized one looks crowded. 67% — the middle of the range — is the safe target.

On a standard 220 cm sofa, that means an artwork roughly 130–165 cm wide. Above a king-size bed (150 cm), the range is 90–115 cm. Above a 120 cm fireplace mantel, it’s 72–90 cm. Use the calculator below if you’d rather not do the maths.

1. Step 1

   Measure the wall or furniture below the art

   Use a tape measure across the widest part of the wall, or the width of the sofa, bed, sideboard, or fireplace the art will sit above. For art above furniture, the furniture width is what matters — not the full wall behind it. Note the measurement in centimetres; the rest of the rules work on percentages of that number.

2. Step 2

   Apply the 60–75% rule

   The artwork (or grouping) should span 60–75% of the furniture or wall section width. Below 60% it reads as undersized and pinched; above 75% it competes with the furniture for attention. 67% is the safe middle — for a standard 220 cm sofa that's a 148 cm artwork, or a paired set of two 75 cm prints with a small gap between them.

3. Step 3

   Check the proportions for height

   Most prints are portrait or landscape, not square. The 60–75% rule is for the long axis. A landscape print above a sofa lines up width-wise; a portrait above a console works on the same rule but the visual emphasis goes upward. For statement walls without specific furniture below, base the rule on the wall width itself and centre the work at eye level.

4. Step 4

   Mock it up with paper before you buy

   Cut a sheet of newspaper or wrapping paper to the exact dimensions of the print you're considering. Tape it to the wall. Live with it for an hour, a day, a weekend. The right size becomes obvious; the wrong size feels off within an hour. This is the single best protection against buying a print that turns out to be the wrong scale.

5. Step 5

   Add frame thickness to your wall budget

   If you're buying framed, the finished outer dimensions are roughly the print size plus 4–8 cm for a hand-framed moulding with a mount. A 70 × 70 cm print becomes a 78–82 cm square framed. Factor this into your wall measurement — and remember to leave at least 15 cm of clear wall on each side so the piece doesn't feel crammed against a doorway or corner.