How to Choose the Right Size Wall Art for Your Living Room

You’ve found the living room wall art, but once it’s up…something feels off.

Sound familiar?

Have you considered the scale? This little-considered factor has a huge impact on how balanced and inviting your living room feels. Designers often say the right art can "anchor" a room. It can connect your furniture, walls and lighting into one story.

The most common mistake? Buying art that's too small.

When your canvas floats awkwardly above your sofa, it leaves the wall feeling empty and unfinished. Luckily, there's a simple way to figure out what size living room art will look perfect in your space.

Let's dive in!

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Finding perfectly sized living room art

Here's how to make sure you're making the best use of the wall space in your living room.

Step 1: Measure your space

It sounds like overkill.

But I promise, it's worth at least having an idea. Not many of us are that great at accurately measuring distances just by looking at them.

Grab a tape measure and note 3 key numbers:

• Wall width and height. Measure the full span of the wall where the art will hang.
• "Anchor" furniture width. Here, we're looking for the item the art will be visually "anchored" to. It could be a sofa, a dresser, a fireplace mantle or even a piano.
• Ceiling height. Maybe you already know how high your ceilings are. Higher ceilings allow for taller items or for artwork to be stacked.

Pro tip: always leave at least 6-10" (15-25cm) of room between the top of your furniture and the bottom edge of your canvas!

Step 2: the ⅔ rule, your new secret formula

If in doubt, follow this rule:

Your living room wall art should be between ⅔ and ¾ the width of the furniture below it.

For example, here's a quick reference table:

Furniture width	Ideal art width	Recommended canvas sizes
37" (typical loveseat)	24-28"	16x20" or 18x24"
72" (2-seater)	48-54"	18x24" or 24x32"
96" (3-seater)	64-72"	18x24" or 24x32"
129" (4-seater)	86-96"	24x32" and above

This helps it feel proportional rather than random, like it was always meant to be there.

Nothing available in exactly that size? Well, if you've got a huge sofa, you can either look for a similarly huge piece of artwork...or, go for a gallery art design! You can fill out the width with multiple pieces of art.

The goal is to fill the space with whatever you like, not just to find exactly one item of the perfect size.

Step 3: height and placement

There are a few rules and tips here which make for great living room decoration, too.

You don't have to abide by all of these, but the more you do, the better your result will be!

• The eye-level rule. The centre of your canvas should sit roughly 57 inches (145cm) from the floor.
• Above furniture. Leave a 6-10" (15-25cm) gap above the anchor furniture.
• High ceilings? Go taller rather than wider. Vertical pieces play into height beautifully.
• Low ceilings? Go with wide, panoramic pieces to visually expand the space.

And what if you're putting up multiple pieces of art?

Maybe you're filling out more space; maybe you were just drawn to a collection of art rather than one item. Here, you can think of the entire grouping as one large piece of artwork.

Here are some tips for that:

• Leave about 5-8cm between each panel. If it's a set of 3 pieces of art of the same size, it's called a "Triptych" (pronounced "trip-tick"), but this can apply with any number of items.
• Or, irrespective of the amount of space you're putting between each item, make sure it's consistent. Again, guesswork will not do here. Measure it carefully to ensure the best result!
• Symmetrical layouts feel calm and elegant. More "random" layouts feel modern and dynamic (the first 2 bullets in this list still apply!). Personally, I'm a huge fan of the latter, but both look lovely when laid out well.

Pro tip: London Canvas' large-scale cityscapes and skyline canvases work beautifully in modern living rooms since they add drama without clutter!

Designer’s note: While perfecting your wall art placement, don’t overlook how your room’s lighting enhances it. The right ambient setup can completely transform how art is perceived. Professionals like outdoor lighting specialists know how to achieve this balance beautifully.

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Common living room art mistakes

Here are some patterns to avoid when decorating your walls.

• Hanging artwork too high. If they're floating too far from your "anchor" furniture, the art will feel disconnected from the room.
• Choosing art smaller than half your furniture width. This one's fine if it's part of a plan to create a gallery. But one tiny piece of art above a huge sofa will go a little beyond "minimalist".
• Ignoring ceiling height and proportions. 
• Not measuring before you buy. Always plan, measure and visualise first. You'll be glad you did later!

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Closing thoughts

Choosing the right size wall art for your living room isn't just about aesthetics.

It's about creating harmony in your home. The detailed steps of planning around the size of your furniture and meticulously planning where your artwork will go might feel like overkill. 

If in doubt, use the rule of ⅔, as mentioned earlier in this piece. Still unsure? Larger art usually looks better than smaller art.

Ready to dive into the world of interior decor? Check out our collection of living room wall art!

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Frequently asked questions