So, how do you choose what size art you should get for your home? It’s all about scale and proportion, which refers to how well your art fits in your space. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, but there are a few guidelines and tips we can pass on to help you make the decision, as well as some ideas to get you thinking outside of the box!
An easy rule of thumb to think about is that your art should fill about 50%-70% of the space the art is hung on. You want some blank space on all sides of the wall around the art! If you are hanging a diptych, triptych, or gallery wall, treat the grouping size as if it is one piece of art. Also try to take the proportion of the furniture in the room into account. For example, if you are hanging art above a piece of furniture, you want the art to be slightly less wide than the piece of furniture. Similarly, if you are hanging art above the fireplace, you want the width of the art to be close to the size of the fireplace opening. Art should also be hung at or slightly above eye level.
All of that being said, breaking ‘rules’ can add a lot of interest to your space if you want to play with scale in your home! At Rebecca Ward Design, we often like to make a big statement with the art we source and go large with the art scale. We like a piece to fill a wall to call attention to it. You can see examples of this all over our portfolio! We don’t think this is right for every piece of art in a home, but it’s fun to do a couple of pieces like this to make a big impact here and there.
You can also go small with your art choices, which is impactful in a different way. By leaving a lot of blank space around a piece of art, it draws attention to it because your eye can’t help but to be drawn to it! This breaks the scale guidelines in a different way. It can be a great way to use any small pieces of art you’ve gathered in your travels if you don’t want to use it in a grouping with other smaller pieces.
No matter what size you choose, consider taping the size of the art on your wall in painter’s tape so you can visualize how it will look on your wall. Also, consider hiring a professional art consultant or art hanger for help with your art and reach out to us for help with the rest!
XOXO,
