Wall Art Size and Placement Guide

Everything you need to know before you start decking your walls with art.

Showcase your style with perfectly curated colors and wall art. From placement ideas and guidelines, and style tips you can create your dream space with even dreamier art.

By: Wall Art Size and Placement Guide | Wayfair

Wall Art Sizes

Mini
Typically ranging between 10 to 17 inches in height and width, mini wall art pieces can stand alone or they can be used as part of a collection.

Small
Small wall art ranges between 18 to 24 inches in height and width. This size is most impactful in a grouping or paired with another print for a symmetrical look. They can also be hung in rooms that have little wall space like a bathroom.

Medium
Medium wall art refers to art that is between 25 to 32 inches (or about 2 to 3 feet) in height and width. This size is great for personalizing a home office or foyer without adding to the clutter.

Large
Large wall art ranges between 33 and 40 inches (about 2½ to 4 feet) in height and width. A wall with just one piece of large art creates a polished, classic look.

Oversized
Oversized art refers to all wall art that is 41 inches or larger in height or width. Pieces of this size can stand alone as focal points of a wall or room. We recommend measuring your space before installing a piece of oversized wall art as it can overwhelm a small space.

How to Choose the Right Size

Grab your tape measure and find the dimensions of the wall you will be using.

Width

Get it right the first time, use the following as a guideline:

[wall width] x 0.57 = [ideal width of artwork]

If you are working with a grouping or collection, use the same formula to find the ideal width that the pieces should fill with 2-3 inches in between each frame.

Height

The width formula can also be used to find the ideal height for a vertically oriented piece. The overall area (height x width) of the artwork should cover ⅔ to ¾ of the area of the open wall space.

Tip!

Bigger is better. Choosing a piece of wall art that is on the slightly larger side of what you think will be appropriate for a wall is better than it being too small which makes the room feel barren.

Wall Art Placement Tips

When placing artwork, follow our tips below.

The middle of the artwork should hang about 57 inches from the floor (or at eye level for most people). If it is hanging above a sofa, make sure there is at least 6-12 inches between the top of the sofa and the piece of art.

If you have low ceilings (below 8 feet), break your wall into 4 sections (from the bottom up) and hang it in the third section.

If you are hanging multiple pieces of different heights, make sure the middles line up.

When hanging artwork above your stairs, hang a piece every third step to get a diagonal look.

Think about your room, if it is already cluttered or busy, opt for larger pieces to not overwhelm the room.

Wall Art Ideas

Gallery Wall

Gallery walls are a unique and inexpensive way to fill your home with your favorite pieces of all sizes. Make sure there is enough blank space around the artwork to avoid a cluttered or cramped finished product. Typically the left side of a grouping can handle more visual weight (bigger pieces, thicker frames, or dark colors) as we naturally read from left to right.

Tip!

Trace the pieces for your gallery wall on kraft paper, cut it out, and use painter’s tape to find the perfect arrangement without making numerous holes.

How do auctioneers differentiate fakes from masterpieces?

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Authenticating works of art is integral to the reputation of an auction house, but how do experts spot a masterpiece among the fakes?

When in 1952, Patti Page sang How much is that doggie in the window? the chances are that she was not expecting the answer to be more than half a million pounds. But that is exactly what happened this March at a Cambridge auction house when a previously unknown portrait of an Italian mastiff sold for a headline-grabbing £570,000.

The story of this remarkable painting – a beautifully evocative work by 17th-century Italian baroque master Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known as Il Guercino – provides a unique insight into one of the most fascinating aspects of the art world: the discovery of the unknown masterpiece. It also demonstrates the vital role played by art experts in the process of authentication.

The trusted word of a recognized expert – and the reputation of the auction house – gives buyers the confidence to spend large sums of money on works

The auction house, Cheffins – specialist in property as well as fine art since 1825 – discovered the painting at a Suffolk country house in 2016. But it took two years of research to confirm that the auctioneer’s original excitement was not misplaced. In that time three separate art experts in three different countries all agreed that the work was an original Il Guercino, not a later copy.

“With paintings in particular, you have to approach with a healthy skepticism,” warns Martin Millard, director of fine art at Cheffins. “There are a lot of fakes and forgeries out there.” That is why the trained eyes of art historians are so important. Even with today’s scientific technologies – such as x-rays and chemical paint analysis – it often comes down to dedicated scholars poring over individual brushstrokes.

Sometimes there is only one foundation able to authenticate a work. This was the case with a previously unrecorded drawing by Alberto Giacometti that Cheffins sold last year for £130,000. But with older works, it is more likely to involve individual scholars and academics. The Il Guercino painting was confirmed as the real deal by Dr Nicholas Turner, the leading authority on Il Guercino, as well as John Somerville, senior curator of the Lobkowicz Collection, Prague, and Italian art historian Dr Francesco Petrucci, who hopes to include the painting in an exhibition in Turin.

“From an auctioneer’s perspective, authentication is critical to everything we do,” says Millard. “We put our reputation on the line with every object that goes under the hammer.” Authenticity is vital for buyers too. While an undiscovered work by a big-name artist can set hearts aflutter, it is the trusted word of a recognized expert – and the reputation of the auction house – that gives buyers the confidence to spend large sums of money on works they may never even have seen in the flesh.

It took two years of research to confirm that the auctioneer’s original excitement was not misplaced

This is nothing new in the art world. “A good Rothko will always be a good Rothko, even in a turbulent market,” says Michelle Swann, head of UK sales at online auction aggregator Barnebys. “Someone lucky enough to be able to afford such a thing will have their trusted dealer check it our first before purchasing.” But the internet has opened up the market, making it much easier for buyers to find out what’s for sale across the world. In addition, as Swann explains: “The beauty of the digital age means there is nowhere to hide. If someone is behaving unethically they will soon be caught out.”

Even with a cast-iron authentication, valuation can still be complicated, especially for very rare works. This was precisely the case with the Il Guercino dog portrait. Several other works by the Italian master do include dogs, but there is only one other canine portrait by Il Guercino currently known to scholars: that is Portrait of the Aldrovandi Dog, which was sold at auction in the 1970s.

And that uncertainty is part of what make the whole process so exciting – not only for prospective buyers but for auctioneers and academics too. “As an art professional, this is what you live for,” says Millard. “You spend your life trying to uncover these things. It can be frustrating and heart-breaking, but also incredibly exciting – and that’s true whether it’s something worth a few hundred pounds or a few hundred thousand.”

How to Care for Your Art Collection

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Experts from Christie’s and 20x200 reveal their framing, hanging, and cleaning tips

Written by Lindsey Mather

Finding and bringing home that perfect print or painting is often the most exciting part of collecting. The challenge: keeping each piece looking good as new, even decades later. In fact, caring for your artwork begins before it even goes up on the wall. Here, two art-world insiders share their advice.

Frame it right.

“If you’re going to spend money on a piece of art, spend money on framing it,” says Lindsay Griffith, a specialist of prints and multiples at Christie’s. While the style of the frame is an aesthetic preference, it should always be well-made, with corners that are properly joined (that means no gaps). Never cut down your art to fit the frame. If you’re unsure how to move forward, A. I. Friedman in New York is a great resource for getting something properly matted and mounted, says Griffith.

Location, location, location.

Although you might adore your sunroom, it’s not a good place for photographs or works of art on paper. The two major culprits for faded or warped artwork are extreme temperatures and direct sunlight, says 20x200 head curator and founder Jen Bekman. Other spots to stay away from: steamy baths or right above a radiator. Heading out? Ask a friend to stop by and crack a window or adjusting the thermostat as needed. For longer trips, arrange for professional storage for investment pieces.

Consider plexiglass.

While you might immediately think of investing in nonreflective museum glass, Bekman and Griffith both prefer UV plexiglass, which not only protects your artwork from harsh sunlight but is much lighter and less prone to breaking. No matter which type you choose, take extra care when cleaning the surface, says Bekman. Use a product that won’t streak or damage the finish, such as Novus Plastic Polish, once a month, applying it with a soft microfiber cloth (a paper towel can scratch). Avoid spraying any cleaner directly onto the glass—it could drip and seep onto the art. Once a week, lightly dust the frame, which can get grimy on the top edge, and relevel it if necessary.

Handle it with care.

Moving a piece to a new home—whether it’s just to a different room or to an entirely new residence—requires a gentle touch. Always pack prints flat and try not to jostle them. “If something bad happens to your art, don’t ignore it,” says Griffith. Contact a local auction house, frame shop or gallery to find a conservationist who can help.

4 Tips for Choosing Art for Your Home Decor

Written by  Lauren Flanagan

Choosing the right piece of art to complement your space can be one of the most challenging things in decorating. With an unending variety of choices, settling down to just a few pieces can be tough. So if you're struggling to pick the perfect piece, consider these 5 tips.

Color Matters

Color is the number one thing people get caught up in when trying to choose art, often because they're trying to find something that matches with the other colors in the room. But while matching some of the colors is a perfectly acceptable method for choosing art, it's not the only method. Sometimes the colors in the art you choose can be the direct opposite of what you already have in your room, or in some cases; you might want something that's only black and white. What matters is that you find something that compliments the space—sometimes it's through color, but not always. Look for a piece that attracts you to it, and don't worry too much about perfectly matching colors.

Size and Scale

When it comes to choosing art bigger is usually better. Choosing art that's too small is a very common mistake. Take for instance the wall space over a sofa. As a general rule, the art above it should be approximately 2/3 the width of the sofa or larger. The same goes for space above a bed. However, even this rule can be broken. In a gallery wall, several small pieces can work together in one display. In this case, think of the overall display as one unit and try to follow the same guidelines. If you have a particular painting or print that you adore but the size is too small, consider having it framed with an extra-large matte to increase its visual impact.

Mix Old and New

Contrast is what keeps a room exciting, and art can play a big part in creating that excitement. So consider art from different eras to create a robust and compelling collection. In a traditional room, a piece of modern art can create a striking focal point, just like classic pieces can lend some tradition to more contemporary spaces. And when used together in the same room old and new pieces can complement each other in wonderful and unexpected ways. It can also be a lot of fun to mix colors and themes, so when choosing art don't get stuck in a rut—mix it up.

Shop Around

While love at first sight, should never be discounted, it's usually a good idea to shop around before settling on a piece of art for a particular spot. There are so many options that you want to make sure you know some of them before settling (it's impossible to know all the options, but do yourself a favor and shop around so you can get to know what you like). The good news is there are plenty of sources, both online and in brick and mortar shops.