How to choose the right size art print for your wall

Choosing which painting to bring home is the lovely part. Choosing the size can feel a little trickier, especially online, where everything lives at the same scale on your screen. So here is how I think about it, and a few gentle pointers to help you choose with confidence.

Start with the wall, not the print

Before you look at sizes, look at the space. Stand back and notice how much wall you actually want to fill. A good rule of thumb is that a single piece, or a group hung together, looks best when it spans roughly two thirds of the furniture or wall area beneath it. Art that is too small tends to float and feel lost, while a piece with a little presence makes the whole room feel considered.

If you can, measure the space. A tape measure tells you more than your eye does from across the room, and it takes the guesswork out of the decision.

My four print sizes

Every print comes in four sizes, all on the same Hahnemühle German Etching fine art paper. Here is where each one tends to feel right:

• 20 x 25 cm (8 x 10 in): the smallest size. Sweet on a shelf, a desk, a bedside table, or as part of a cluster of little frames. An easy, low-commitment way to start.
• 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 in): a comfortable everyday size. Lovely on its own in a smaller space like a hallway, a bathroom, or beside a doorway, and a friendly building block for a gallery wall.
• 40 x 60 cm (16 x 24 in): a confident size with real presence. Beautiful above a console, a dresser, or a reading chair, and large enough to anchor a wall on its own.
• 50 x 70 cm (20 x 28 in): the statement size. Made for above a bed or a sofa, or anywhere you want the painting to be the first thing you notice when you walk in.

A few rooms, a few ideas

Above a bed or a sofa, reach for the larger sizes, or hang a pair of the same size side by side for a calm, symmetrical look. A bedroom feels restful when the art is generous rather than timid.

For a gallery wall, mix two or three sizes and leave an even gap of a few centimetres between frames. Starting from the middle and working outward keeps the arrangement balanced.

In a nursery or a child's room, the softer animal prints feel right at a gentle scale. The Nursery Set of three, hung in a row in matching sizes, makes a sweet and cohesive little wall.

On a shelf or a desk, the smallest size leaned against the wall, framed or unframed, adds a quiet touch of colour without taking over.

A simple trick before you buy

If you are still unsure, cut a piece of paper or newspaper to the exact size you are considering and tape it to the wall. Live with it for a day. Seeing the real footprint in your own light, next to your own furniture, makes the choice obvious almost every time.

A note on frames

Every print is sold unframed and made to order, so you can choose a frame that suits your room. The sizes I offer are common ones, so off-the-shelf frames are easy to find. Printed on heavyweight German Etching paper with its soft, velvet-matte texture, each piece looks at home in everything from a simple white frame to warm natural wood.

Whenever you are ready, you can see every painting, in all four sizes, over in the shop. Shipping is free, wherever you are in the world.