September 14, 2022

What Size Wall Art Do I Need for My Living Room?

How to Know What Size Wall Art You Want for Your Living Room

When you’re ready to decorate your living room walls, it’s exciting to think
about all the potential artwork you can choose from. And then you realize
you’ll have to find just the right size — which can be overwhelming.

It’s true that figuring out the ideal dimensions of extra-large wall art for
living rooms can be tricky, but we have a simple way for you to find the
perfectly-sized piece.

Large Wall Art Is All About Proportion

We’ve all seen a too-small picture hung on a wall or a far-too-big painting
covering every inch of the wall–it looks unbalanced and affects the room's
overall atmosphere. So proportion is key when sizing for large wall art.
Thankfully home designers have given us some tips to avoid this awkward
conundrum.

In general, artwork should take up 65–70% of available wall space, though
that’s not something most people want to leave to chance. That’s where a
simple calculation comes in handy.

First, measure the width of the empty wall space and multiply that number
by .65. For example, if your wall is 75” across, the equation is 75 x .65 =
48.75”, which is about 4 feet. So, your ideal piece of artwork will be
approximately 4 feet wide.

Similarly, do the same calculation with the height of your blank wall area.
For example, if the height is 35”, 35 x .65 = 22.75”, then your piece of art
should be 22.75” or about 2 feet high.

Now, take these width and height dimensions, in our example, 4’ x 2’, and
you’ve got the approximate artwork size you need!

When Between Sizes, Go Bigger

Home decor experts offer one final note: when in doubt, go bigger than
smaller. So if you’re looking at artwork that’s a bit bigger than your calculated size, don’t worry — choosing the larger size will look better than opting for the smaller piece.

Choose a Single Piece of Art...or a Few

When choosing large wall art for your living room, finding a singular piece
that’s just right will most definitely create a classic statement piece. But you
can consider artwork sets, too, especially if you’d like to break up the space
on a larger wall.

If you do decide on a set of two or three art pieces, it’s important to take
into consideration the spacing between them as you position this artwork on
your wall. Home designers recommend leaving 2”–5” from the edge of each
piece of art.

When choosing a set of extra-large wall art for living rooms, the
proportional calculation above still applies, but remember to include 2”–5”
of space in your overall measurements.

Try Out a Dry Run to Visualize Your Dimensions

Often, many homeowners want a visual feel of what their extra-large wall
art will look like in their living rooms. A great way to do this is to cut out the
artwork’s size in newsprint, kraft paper, or even wrapping paper and tape it
to the wall space where the art will hang.
Choosing extra-large wall art for living rooms can be daunting, but these
suggestions will be helpful and guide you in finding the ideal-sized artwork
for your space.