Free tool
What size art goes above a sofa, bed or fireplace?
Enter the width of what the piece will hang above. You get the width of art that suits it, the standard sizes that fit, and that size hung at its real size above a sofa, bed or fireplace just as wide as yours.
Measure the sofa from end to end.
Art width
133–150 cm
52–59 in, two-thirds to three-quarters of the sofa
Standard landscape sizes that fit
- 100 × 150 cm
- 40 × 60 in
Or hang a pair: two pieces 63–71 cm wide each, 8 cm apart.
How high to hang it
Centre 153 cm from the floor, with the bottom of the frame at 100 cm. Above a sofa 85 cm high, that leaves 15 cm of wall between them. A piece this tall sits above the usual 149 cm centre so it clears the sofa.
If yours is taller or lower, keep 15–25 cm between its top and the frame.
Sample painting at 142 × 106 cm. Contemporary living room with a white sofa and coffee table. Open this room
The two-thirds rule
A single piece above furniture looks right when it spans two-thirds to three-quarters of the furniture’s width. Narrower, and it floats like a postage stamp. Wider, and it crowds the ends and fights the furniture for attention.
The rule holds for a sofa, a bed, a sideboard and a mantelpiece alike. It is about width only: a portrait piece that wide is very tall, which is when a pair or a group of smaller works hung as one often suits the wall better.
Most people buy art too small, because a piece that looks large on a screen or leaning in a shop shrinks once it is on a wall above a sofa. Seeing the size in a room before you buy or print it is the quickest cure.
For groups, open walls, size bands and the common mistakes, read the wall art size guide.
Questions
- What size art should go above a sofa?
- Two-thirds to three-quarters of the sofa’s width. Above a 200 cm (79 in) sofa that is 133 to 150 cm (52 to 59 in) of art: a 100 × 150 cm canvas hung landscape, or two pieces 63 to 71 cm wide hung 8 cm apart.
- What size art should go above a bed?
- The same two-thirds to three-quarters, measured across the bed or the headboard, whichever is wider. A 160 cm headboard takes 107 to 120 cm of art: an A0 print or an 80 × 120 cm canvas hung landscape, or a 120 × 120 cm square.
- How high should art hang above a sofa?
- Leave 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 in) of wall between the top of the sofa and the bottom of the frame. Any higher and the piece stops looking as if it belongs with the sofa.
- What if the art I love is too small?
- Hang it as part of a pair or a group whose overall width lands in the range, with about 8 cm between pieces. A wide mount and a deeper frame also add a surprising amount of width.
- What size art goes above a fireplace?
- Two-thirds to three-quarters of the mantelpiece’s width, with 15 to 25 cm between the mantel shelf and the frame. On a 130 cm mantelpiece that is 87 to 98 cm of art, such as a 60 × 90 cm or 24 × 36 in print hung landscape.
- Can I see my own art at this size?
- Yes. Upload a photo of the work and it replaces the sample painting in every room, at the size the calculator gives. From there, see it hung in 60 more rooms free, or 600 with a free account.
See your work at its real size in every room
Upload a photo, add its size, and it hangs at true scale in 600 rooms straight away. Free, no watermark, no account needed to start.
Try it freeRooms by what the art hangs above: Rooms with a sofa, Bedrooms, Rooms with a sideboard, Rooms with a fireplace.