Choosing the Right Size Fine Art Print for Your Space

So you have a room that needs some sprucing up with new artwork. Maybe you've even found the perfect print that you want to put there but need to find the right size. If you're still feeling unsure about the process or what shape or type of image to choose based on your decor, consider reading Considerations for Selecting Fine Art Prints for additional tips. In this post, we will discuss appropriate sizes for artwork pieces to perfectly fit into your space alongside your furniture.

If you don't want to read all of this and just cut to the chase, as a general rule to properly fill a space the artwork should take up 60% to 75% of that space whether the art will hang on a blank wall or over a piece of furniture. For example If you have a 9 foot wide blank wall, then a 6 foot (72") wide piece will fill the wall very well and not feel empty. Similarly over an oversized 120" couch, choosing a 90" wide panorama art piece will look stunning and make a statement. Keep these numbers percentages in mind too if you would like to hang multiple pieces on a wall as the same principle applies. The total width of all the artwork (with spacing between them) should fill 60% - 75% of the area.

Also remember that BIGGER IS BETTER! Nothing makes more of an impression than a big statement piece (or pieces) as a focal point for a room. Choosing an image and size that makes the viewer feel as if they are standing right there IN the scene is not only impressive, but also creates an immense feeling of calm and sense of peace. And that can help make any home a sanctuary.

A quick and easy way to determine the right size print for your space factoring in the advice above, is to get some painters tape and make a box on the wall of what size you think will look good. To help visualize something even more, tape a big X on the inside of the frame or even some stick figure trees so you can get a better feel of an actual picture hanging there (with some imagination). Or if you'd like to take things a step further, we offer design and rendering services to place the image you want on your actual wall with a Virtual Mock Up to help you envision the artwork and take the guesswork out of it all.

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What Sizes are Available? | Large Format Print Aspect Ratios

First, we'll talk about standard sizing. Prints in my online art gallery are available in many different sizes. There are typically four to seven different sizes for each image depending on the aspect ratio, or crop, of the image and the print medium selected. Additionally, some images are available in multiple aspect ratios and a custom size crop can be made for virtually any image in my portfolio. The four aspect ratios you will find on my website are 2:3, 2:1, 2.5:1, and 3:1. Below are more details on the three most common to get a better understanding of what this means.

How Aspect Ratios or Crops Determine Available Sizes

Standard Aspect Ratio

This image of of a stunning Japanese Maple Tree at the Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon is available in a standard aspect ratio where the width of the image is 1.50 times the height (a 2:3 aspect ratio).

This image comes in the following sizes: 16"x24", 20"x30", 24"x36", 30"x45", 40"x60", and 48"x72".

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Panoramic Aspect Ratio

A slightly different image of this tree is available in a panoramic image which is twice as wide as it is tall (a 2:1 aspect ratio).

This image is available in the following sizes: 20"x40", 25"x50", 30"x60", 36"x72" 40"x80".

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Ultrawide Panoramic Aspect Ratio

Yet another version of this very photogenic tree is available where the width of the image is three times as wide as it is tall (a 3:1 aspect ratio).

This image is available in the following sizes: 15"x45", 20"x60", 25"x75", 30"x90".

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Aspect Ratios and Vertical Art Prints

Note that any of the above aspect ratios, while shown horizontally, can also apply to a vertical image and that it is possible to have a vertical panoramic image if you have a tall, narrow wall space. Below is a typical 2:3 aspect ratio photograph from Zion National Park. However, using your imagination an our Virtual Mock Up service, we can create narrow vertical panoramic pieces for any wall that you have.

Custom Sizes and Aspect Ratios are Available

Below are renderings of rooms with different size images placed on the wall by the different proportions. These aspect ratios and images will give a better idea of what sizes fit more appropriately over typical furniture for all of the images you'll find through out my online collection of fine art prints.

The aspect ratio or crop is important to make sure your image has the right proportions for your space. If you find an image you love but need a different crop not available on my website, for any dimensions and ratio that you can imagine, please contact us to learn what options may be available.

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Artwork Above an Extra Large or Oversized Sofa

When you're looking to add an image above a large sofa, an ultrawide panoramic image (3:1 aspect ratio or larger) is often an excellent choice. Here's a rendering of a large room so you can visualize the different size images over a 10' sofa. If you happen to have a wall that is even larger than this, images can be printed up to 120". Standard aspect images (2:3 ratio) can also work well as a showcase piece over a couch depending on the height of the wall. Below is a good comparison of each option.

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Panoramic Image Above Standard Sofa

For a standard size couch of 90 inches wide, here are examples of a panoramic image (2:1 aspect ratio) above a standard size sofa. While a 20"x40" print would not fill the space on the below wall over a standard size sofa, a 30" x 60" or 40" x 80" Metal or TruLife Acrylic print would fill the wall nicely. Adding an Italian Roma Frame to an acrylic print would make a beautiful statement and also increase the final dimensions as well. So be sure to factor this in when choosing the ultimate piece of art for your home.

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Hanging Your Fine Art Above King or Queen Size Bed

Lastly, here are a couple of options for your bedroom with both a standard (2:3 ratio) and panoramic image (2:1 ratio) to see how they fit. Keep in mind, that a king size bed is 16 inches wider than a queen size bed. While either a 30"x45" or 40"x60" may work well above a queen size bed, an image at least 50" wide should be used over a king size bed. It's entirely your preference if you'd like the piece to fill the bed size edge to edge (or more) or leave some spacing on the edges.

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Image Size Recommendations

The best advice to be given when sizing a fine art print for a space is to fill the space. A common mistake is going too small with an image and then still feeling like the wall is too bare. Filling in a wall with other smaller pieces around a central photo that just isn't quite big enough is never as good as getting the size right in the first place. So with this little cheat sheet, we are here to help.

• Above an EXTRA LARGE SOFA - for oversized couches 120" and bigger, no smaller than a 72" and up to 120" wide depending on wall space and image height.
• Above a STANDARD SIZE SOFA - For a 90" size sofa, no smaller than 60" wide and up to 100" wide depending on the size of the wall.
• Above a KING SIZE BED - No smaller than 60" wide and up to 90" wide depending on wall space and image height.
• Above a QUEEN SIZE BED - No smaller than 45" wide and up to 72" wide depending on wall space and image height.
• Next to DINING ROOM TABLE - for a 72" long table, no smaller than 60" wide and up to 80" wide depending on wall space and image height.

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Final Thoughts

Hopefully the information above has been helpful to gain a better understanding of how proper sizing and scale of your nature photography fine art print can create the space that you are dreaming of in your home or office. Please take time to view my full collection of images and contact me directly if you have any questions or special requests. We are always here to help.

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Fine Art Photography Prints for Sale | Chris Byrne Photography