home decor
Large Wall Art Above the Sofa
Mar
After writing about what size art to hang above the bed I thought it would be nice to share with you some large wall art sizes for above the sofa. Every home is different and what looks great in one won’t necessarily work in another, so I definitely recommend starting out by hanging up sheets of paper cut to size to see what you like best.
Either way the wall behind the couch is a wide space that people usually underestimate the size of, so lets have a look at some visuals to give you some ideas.
The couch shown here is about 84 inches long, which is pretty standard for a three seater. I’ve put together a couple different looks depending on the type of art you’d like to use. The images on the left show art without a mat, like one of the wrapped canvases we sell in our shop, and on the right you’ll see photographs in standard frame sizes with mats. Framing is a good way to add a smidgeon of noncommittal architectural detail and it’s an easy way to cheat a small image into seeming a bit bigger.
So what size do you like for above this sofa? Do you prefer the timeless look of a matted and framed piece or the clean simplicity of an unframed canvas? Which other places in your home are you struggling with art sizes?
Jennifer I’m still confused. I have a large couch which measures 9’5 wide. What size painting would look appropriate for this size. can you use a 48 wide by 32 in high? Thank you, Kathy
Hi its Kathy the post I just sent I failed to mention I would be using a Canvas for the 9 ft 5 in couch.
Kathy, you should check out my post about art size for above the bed, it’s got a few calculations that might help.
https://www.jennifersquires.ca/blog/best-art-size-above-queen-bed/
As a starting point, your art should be 60-80% as wide as the piece of furniture it’s hanging above. So for your 9’5″ sofa (which sounds perfect for afternoon naps by the way), your art or gallery wall should be 68-90 inches wide. So your 48″ wide piece is likely too small. You can always hang two (or more) pieces side by side to balance things out. Most of my photographs can be printed on canvas, if that’s the way you’d like to go. Just send me an email with the title of the image you’re interested in.
I find low-tack painter’s tape to be handy for figuring out which size art to hang. Just make a rectangle with it on your wall that’s the same size as your art. It’ll give you more of a real-world sense of if you’ve got the size right. And let me know how it goes!
Thank you for the great information Jennifer!
You’re very welcome!
This is very helpful but it doesn’t take into account the height of the ceiling. I have 11′ ceiling and an 84″ wide couch. I don’t know how tall of a painting I need.
Great question Gloria! The height of a piece of art above the couch is far less important than the width. Obviously you don’t want anything that looks tiny, but you also don’t want anything that crowds the ceiling. I’d start with something around 60%, but know that it’s more of a starting point than a rule. You still want your art to be comfortably viewable and you want it to look good. Use low tack painter’s tape and see where that leaves you.
My prints can be custom cropped to fit in your space so you’re not tied to the aspect ratio. Start by figuring out your width, then we can go from there.
thank you for the great information. I have a 56″ white love seat against a wall that is 176″ I have found a canvas that I like for many reasons by UTop-Art but I only seem to be able to order in 2 sizes, one seems too small even if I add a nice frame and the other seems maybe too large, the two sizes are 24 x 18 and 45 x 30; I have been looking for a canvas 36 x 24.
Lyn, if I were you I’d use low tack painter’s tape to make a 45×30 rectangle above your love seat to see how that size works. Other wise you can hang two smaller pieces.
I can definitely print my work on canvas in custom sizes, take a peek in my shop to see if there’s something that speaks to you.