Before you choose a size
What actually fits: a wall-size guide with the arithmetic
Two rules decide almost every hanging — two-thirds of the furniture width, centre at 145 cm. Everything else is detail, and the detail is below.
Most people buy a painting one size too small, then hang it too high. Those two mistakes account for nearly every room where a good painting looks wrong, and both are fixable with a tape measure before you order rather than a ladder afterwards.
The two-thirds rule
A painting hung over furniture should span about two-thirds of that furniture's width. Over a 1.6 m sofa that is roughly 105 cm of canvas — which is a 30 × 40 in. Under half the width, the wall wins and the painting looks like a stamp on an envelope.
The rule is a starting point, not a law. A portrait of one person can be narrower than two-thirds if it is tall and the wall is tall; a landscape can run wider. What it protects you from is the common error, which is buying by the size of the image on a phone screen.
The 145 cm line
Centre the canvas at 145 cm (57 inches) from the floor. That is average eye level, and it is the single number that makes a room feel professional. Over a sofa or a bed, keep 15–25 cm between the bottom edge and the furniture. Very high ceilings do not change the number — they change how much empty wall sits above the picture.
By furniture, by wall
| Above a two-seat sofa (1.5–1.7 m) | 30 × 40 in 76 × 102 cm | Roughly two-thirds of the sofa's width. Smaller than half the width and the wall eats it. |
|---|---|---|
| Above a three-seat sofa (2.1–2.4 m) | 36 × 48 in 91 × 122 cm | Two-thirds again — or two 20 × 24 in canvases with 8–10 cm between them. |
| Above a bed (queen or king) | 30 × 40 in 76 × 102 cm | Hang 15–20 cm above the headboard, not at the ceiling line. |
| Hallway or narrow wall (under 1 m) | 12 × 16 in 30 × 41 cm | Portrait orientation, centre at eye level. A wide canvas on a narrow wall looks like a shelf. |
| Dining room, seen from the table | 24 × 36 in 61 × 91 cm | People sit 60–90 cm away, so faces need to be large: this is the smallest size that still reads. |
| Desk or side table | 8 × 10 in 20 × 25 cm | Small is not easier. At this size every brush decision is visible — which is why it works. |
| Stair wall | 30 × 40 in or a set of three 76 × 102 cm | Follow the rake: the bottom edge steps up with the stairs, never level with the floor. |
| Open-plan wall over 3 m | 36 × 48 in, or a pair 91 × 122 cm | One large canvas beats a row of small ones that reads as decoration rather than a picture. |
What each size costs
Prices below are for a hand-painted oil canvas, one subject, shipping included. Extra subjects add a fixed amount per person or animal; framing is optional and quoted separately.
| Canvas | Metric | 1 subject | 2 subjects | 3 subjects | 4+ subjects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 × 10 in | 20 × 25 cm | $189 | $259 | — | — |
| 12 × 16 in | 30 × 41 cm | $289 | $379 | $459 | — |
| 16 × 20 in | 41 × 51 cm | $389 | $499 | $619 | $749 |
| 20 × 24 in | 51 × 61 cm | $549 | $699 | $849 | $1,029 |
| 24 × 36 in | 61 × 91 cm | $789 | $1,059 | $1,290 | $1,560 |
| 30 × 40 in | 76 × 102 cm | $1,090 | $1,449 | $1,749 | $2,090 |
| 36 × 48 in | 91 × 122 cm | $1,390 | $1,849 | $2,249 | $2,690 |
Five mistakes worth avoiding
- Buying one size too small — The most common mistake, and the one nobody admits. A canvas that looks generous on a screen looks like a postage stamp on a 2.4 m wall. Measure the wall, take two-thirds of the furniture width, and then go up a step.
- Hanging at the height of the ceiling, not the eye — Centre at about 145 cm from the floor — 57 inches — regardless of ceiling height. Over furniture, keep 15–25 cm between the frame and the sofa back. In a room with very high ceilings the rule still holds if you treat the furniture as the reference.
- Choosing the frame before the wall colour — A frame is a border, not a statement. Match it to the darkest value in the room — the floor, a table, the window frame — and let the painting do the talking.
- Hanging over a radiator or in direct sun — Heat dries the canvas and sunlight fades the pigment; both are irreversible. Oil is more durable than paper, not immortal. Keep it off a radiator and out of the band of direct sun.
- Ignoring what is already on the wall — A painting hung among six small frames competes with all of them. Give it empty wall, or move the others. This costs nothing and changes everything.
Measure once, properly
Three numbers, written down: the wall width, the furniture width, and the floor-to-centre distance you are aiming for. Cut a piece of newspaper to the canvas size and tape it to the wall for a day. It sounds foolish and it settles the question faster than any rendering, because the shadows and the room's own light are the part a screen cannot show you.
Then send us the photograph and those numbers. We will tell you the smallest canvas that carries the likeness at that viewing distance — sometimes smaller than you expected, often larger.
Take the one-page version to the wall
The printable sheet has the size table, the 145 cm rule and the five-point checklist on one page — the thing you actually want in your hand while holding a tape measure. Put your email in and the link appears immediately; we also send it, plus occasional notes from the studio about photographing a commission properly. No list selling, and one click to leave.
Questions
Sizing questions we actually get
About two-thirds of the sofa's width: 30 × 40 in (76 × 102 cm) over a two-seater, 36 × 48 in (91 × 122 cm) over a three-seater. Anything under half the width looks undersized, whatever the painting is.
Centre at 145 cm (57 inches) from the floor, which is average eye level. Over furniture, leave 15–25 cm between the frame and the sofa or headboard. High ceilings do not change the rule — they change the wall above the picture, not the picture.
One large canvas, in almost every case. A group of small frames reads as decoration; a single canvas reads as a picture. If you want more than one, a pair of the same size with 8–10 cm between them beats a scatter of different sizes.
From $189 for 8 × 10 in, $289 for 12 × 16 in, $389 for the 16 × 20 in most people choose, $549 for 20 × 24 in, $789 for 24 × 36 in, $1,090 for 30 × 40 in and $1,390 for 36 × 48 in — single subject, shipping included.
Yes. There is a one-page printable version of this guide — the size table, the height rule and the checklist — formatted for A4 and letter. Print it, or save it as a PDF from the print dialog, and take it with you when you measure the wall.
Tell us the wall, we will tell you the size
Send the photograph and the three measurements. You get a fixed price and an honest opinion on whether the size you want will work.