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How to Get a Proper Size Art for a Wall

When shopping for an Islamic Wall Art, size is nearly as important as the composition of the piece. An improperly sized wall art can either overwhelm a room or allow the room to overwhelm the art, neither of which is aesthetically pleasing. For many, art is both a passion and an investment, and when it comes to the latter, you should take the time to buy something that’s perfect for your home.

Measure the length and width of the wall where you want to hang the Islamic Calligraphy Art. If it is going over a bed, couch or other piece of furniture, only measure the open wall space, from the top of the furniture to the ceiling rather than from floor to ceiling.

Account for what is on the wall already when deciding on a size for the Art. Wall Art hung over furniture should be less than 75 percent of the width of the furniture; for example, a art over an 84-inch-long sofa should be 63 inches wide or less. Artwork hung over a fireplace tends to look best when the wall art is as wide as the opening of the fireplace (no matter the size of the mantel).

Follow the three-eighths rule. When working with an otherwise empty wall, the general rule is to choose a piece that will leave empty space in the amount of three-eighths of the width of the painting on each side. This means that you can determine the perfect size painting by multiplying the width of the wall by 0.37; for example, a blank wall that is 120 inches wide requires a painting that is around 44 inches wide. When working with nonstandard-shaped wall art (like a circle), use the widest point of the piece. With this same example wall, a circular canvas would need to be 44 inches in diameter to work on a 120-inch-wide wall.

Calculate the space between painting if you’ll be hanging more than one. This includes hanging paintings over furniture, a fireplace or on a blank wall. When choosing a painting to hang next to an existing piece, the space between the two should be included when using the ratios described. For example, if you need to cover 68 inches of the wall with artwork to meet the three-eighths rule, subtract the width of the existing piece plus the space you plan to leave between the current painting and the new one from the 68 inches. If you have a 24-inch-wide piece hanging and plan to leave 4 inches of space, the new painting should be 40 inches wide (68 - 24 - 4 = 40).

Factor frame size into your choice. This isn’t necessary when working with unframed canvases; however, even a moderate 2-inch frame will add 4 inches of width to your new painting, altering the ratio between the artwork and the size of the wall.

As an artist creating bespoke wall arts for clients, I want to help with that frequent question that so many have when planning for their art purchase: "What size wall art should I choose for my wall?".  Here’s a guide on how to decide what size of wall art will be just right for your room, to help make the selection process a little bit easier, and more importantly fun!

1.  The Room -  When picking art for any room BIGGER IS BETTER!  My clientele of designers and homeowners are amazing!  Any interior designer can aid you in sizing your artwork.  However,  there is one decorating mistake that I see made every so often when I receive a nice photo from a homeowner showing me my art hanging in their space.  It is that people tend to choose wall art that is much too small for the room!  If you are investing in art, you certainly don't want to buy it, and hang it,  only to discover your room still feels barren.  Take into account the amount of furniture that you have in a room, if it is sparse, then a large piece of artwork will fill up the visual field as furniture might.  Think about your ceilings are they high, voluminous, vaulted ceilings allowing for a grand painting, or low -where a shorter canvas height with landscape orientation might work best?  Just remember - to be on the safe side, GO BIG!  This is especially true if buying modern, contemporary art, bigger is definitely better to maximize the statement.

2. The Wall - Well, of course, you will consider the wall, and you will probably measure it once or twice, but then what?  You need to think about two things here - of course there is the overall dimensions of the wall,  but then you also need to think about the orientation.  Tall, narrow walls will work best with art of a similar shape, created in a portrait, or vertical orientation, while horizontal wall spaces (often found over sofas, in a hallway) work best with landscape-oriented artwork.  In looking at the overall wall space dimensions your artwork should take up two-thirds to three-fourths of the wall.  Like I stated above... go big!

3. Over Furniture or Mantels - Many of my clients who ask for my help in recommendations for art for their home send me photos of the wall where they intend to hang the piece.  This is great!  Along with the measurements they provide me, I can quickly tell them just the right size canvas for hanging.  However, I sometimes receive photos sent from clients of my work hung in their rooms, and I wish they would have consulted me on size selection prior to purchasing,- because the beautiful 30"  painting they just invested in looks lost over their 8 foot couch.  Here is the rule of thumb when hanging over furniture like a sofa, table, fireplace mantle, etc.:  The art should be three-fourths the width of the furniture and hung 6"-12" above the top.  It is that easy!  Of course it doesn't need to be exact, sometimes an off-center piece brings wonderful visual interest to a wall, but when in doubt, fall back on that rule!
 
4. Just how tall do you think you are? - A close second in sizing mistakes to art being too small for the wall, is art being hung much too high!  You need to think about this when determining the size of art to choose, any piece of art should be hung with the center point at eye-level.  Not with the bottom edge 6 feet off of the floor on an otherwise blank wall.  (If you are very short, or very tall, use the average 5'6" person as a guideline.)  Again, don't be afraid to fill up that space!
Art, especially original art, is an investment that can last a lifetime, it can make or break a room and is essential to a finished look.  Now comes the fun part... explore artwork, and have a blast selecting a gorgeous piece of art that is the best fit for your home!