6 Things to Consider When Choosing Art Sizes and Placement

Hello there!

This blog will help you from start to finish on your art buying journey, detailing the factors to consider when purchasing and displaying your art piece so you can be sure to enjoy it for years to come!

 Feel free to bookmark this article to refer to in-between photographing and measuring your rooms and furniture! And of course, if you have questions do get in touch, I'd love to help you display your art piece perfectly.

CONTENTS:

Size Guidance

To help you plan your display, each piece has its ideal viewing distance listed in the Product Specifications. This can make a big difference when settling on the perfect piece for your space. For example, a very large canvas, 36" x 24" requires over 1.5m space between the viewer and the art for it to be admired in all its glory, whereas a photograph half the size, such as an 18" x 12" requires just under 1m. Keep this in mind when following steps 4, 5 & 6.

Augmented reality apps that project artwork onto your walls are a really helpful start and can assist you visualising what certain sized pieces will look like in your room. I love Google Arts and Culture Art Projector on the computer and on your phone as it allows you to project any piece of art work onto your walls in real time which you also can move around. This is so helpful as you can see how to balance the art piece with the surrounding furniture, how certain colours go in the room and how specific dimensions will look.

There are a few other things to consider too, which we will go through here. To start, wander around the space you wish to populate with nature's vibrancy and beauty, you could even take photographs of the potential spaces to review later on. Have a look around the chosen room(s) and think about:

24" x 36" Framed Photographic Print "Golden Glow" 

1) The furniture in the room

Artwork can grace your walls as one strong striking piece alone on a wall, or multiple pieces occupying a wall together, like a gallery wall format. When assessing the furniture of the room, measure the spaces between large pieces of furniture, horizontally and vertically whilst noting where your eyes fall on the wall the most (usually about 57" from the ground). This will give you an area you can occupy whilst keeping with the theme and (a)symmetry of the room.

Colours, shapes and materials of furniture are also important to pay attention to, as they can detract or add to the impact of the image. Are there other art pieces in the room that may detract from this piece, or that you'd like to match and co-ordinate with?

Ask yourself: Is the layout symmetrical or asymmetrical and do I want to continue this balance? How much wall space around the furniture is available? Where in between the pieces of furniture would an art piece create balance? How much do they jut out into the room? Will this limit how close/far the viewer can get to the art? Measure these spaces and photograph your options for reference.

Remember: Avoid displaying above radiators, in bathrooms and areas that are damp and warm.

2) The direction of the light(s) in the room (sunlight or artificial)

Art pieces look their best with dedicated art lighting angled down at the piece at 30 degrees to enhance the vibrancy and impact and most importantly, remove that unwanted glare! Images should be lit to 3 times brighter than the surrounding walls, to draw the desired attention to the piece and to remove all glare from other light sources in the room. Using blinds and downlighting lampshades alongside art lighting can also make a difference.

Types of lightbulbs are important to protect the artwork from heat damage and radiation, LEDs are a great choice due to their long lifespan and lack of UV, infrared and heat radiation, unlike Halogen and Fluorescent bulbs. LEDs are great as you can also change the colour temperature for a warmer or cooler glow to suit your surrounding environment and art piece. This can be in the form of recessed spotlights, moveable mounted spotlights, track lighting or art lighting, here's a Pinterest board featuring many lighting options. The decision is yours with the type of light system you use, bearing in mind track lights are more manoeuvreable than recessed lights for example, so would better suit a changing art display. Mounted spotlights are more discreet than track lights and are usually individual so can be positioned however you prefer. Finally, picture lights are a classic option for many, and these days some come with colour-changing bulbs and remotes for the ever changing mood and themes in a room.

Our pieces are UV resistant and fade resistant to elongate the lifespan of your art, but we still recommend you protect your art and display indoors out of direct sunlight from windows and doors, as the heat can still damage your art.

Ask yourself: Where in this room is the art most protected from light? Does the light feel hot on my hand? If so, it's too hot for the art. What sort of light fixture and colour would suit the art piece and the room the most?

Remember: angle the light 30 degrees (give or take 5 degrees) at the art piece and ensure it doesn't spill onto the viewer, if too much light reaches the viewer they will see their reflection instead of your lovely art piece!

Coming Soon: Amsterdam Collection, 24" x 36" 
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3) The mood(s)/themes you want to evoke

Having a look at the existing mood, themes, other art pieces and strong colours in the room is really important when choosing an art piece. If you want congruence throughout the room, make a note of the above, this will help inform your choices of art piece, size and frame colour.

Are you wanting to create a gallery wall? Or have a single stand-out piece in the middle of the room?

Ask yourself: Do you want to have a consistent colour scheme throughout? Or a seasonal rotation of colours and art pieces? How do you want to feel in this room?

4) The distance between where you usually sit/stand/walk to the closest and furthest wall

As mentioned above, every piece of art has an 'ideal viewing distance' listed with the product the larger the piece, the more space needed. Like in a museum, a massive Baroque piece needs to be viewed from a much larger distance to take in all it's glory, whereas a Persian miniature painting needs the viewer to be really close, both options make an impact in their own way and is up to you as to what sort of display you want to curate, just ensure there is enough space for the viewer to reap the rewards of the full image in all its glory.

The entrance and exits to the room are important to assess, as these are the points in which the art is likely to be viewed first. Check the distance between these spaces and the chosen wall, measure the distance if needed as this will inform what size piece would look the best in this position. If choosing to have art at seated height, measure the distance between the viewing location and the chosen wall.

Ask yourself: Where will I make the most of this art? Opposite my desk, or in the bedroom? Where do we spend the most time in this room?

 Coming Soon: The dramatic Lake Mood 36" x 24" 
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5) The amount of wall space available, horizontally and vertically

In museums, art pieces are displayed 57" from the ground, measured from the centre of the art work to the floor. If you assess the dimensions you have available, keeping in mind the aforementioned tips, you will be able to pinpoint the perfect location for an art piece that'll look wonderful forever.

The 57" rule can be bent to your will, as if you have a sofa against the wall you want to choose, then this measurement doesn't quite work, so in this instance see where your eyes rest naturally. You can take a picture and draw on the image to remember your ideal viewing height or use Google Arts & Culture Art Projector to experiment with heights and distances. You can also create mock-ups using pieces of craft paper to create a draft display.

The same applies for above certain pieces of furniture, so at your discretion, taste and desire for symmetry, play around with projector apps and see the ideal placement for you. This is the most important point, I want the art to bring you joy in your home, so wherever will make you the happiest, go for that location!

 

6) The point on the walls your eyes naturally rest when you are in the most familiar position in that room (e.g., in the office chair, sat in the kitchen etc.)

As mentioned before, average standing eye height rests on the wall around 57" from the ground. It's ideal to have this point in the centre of the image so it can be viewed comfortably by people with different heights. This is great for rooms in which people are most likely to view the art standing up, but what if you're seated?

When you're working away at the computer and you glance up at the bare wall, or out of the window, there is a particular place on the wall where your eyes rest primarily. As you're sat down it's likely to be lower than the average 57" eye-height. To assess this, take a photo and mark the area you look at the most or use an art projector app like Google Arts & Culture Art Projector or Art Placer AR to experiment with heights and sizes to find the right fit for you whilst you're seated, ensuring you reduce eye and neck-strain in the long run.

Once you've thought about these, you should have a good placement for a new, joyous piece of art to uplift you every time you lay eyes on it! I hope this helped you figure out where in your world will become adorned with Prints of Nature and which sizes you'll choose.

Again, if you need help, please get in touch, we'd love to assist you.