Choosing the Right Art Print for Your Space
The right artwork can completely change the feeling of a room — and sometimes, the difference is simply size.
One of the questions I’m asked most often when someone is choosing a print is:
“What size should I go for?”
It sounds like a practical question, but I think there’s a little more to it than measuring the empty space above a sofa.
Because the size of a piece of art changes the way you experience it.
A smaller print can feel intimate and personal. A larger piece can become something entirely different — a window of colour, light and atmosphere that begins to shape the whole room.
And when you fall in love with an artwork, choosing the right scale can make all the difference.
It’s Not Just About Filling a Wall
We often think about artwork in terms of the space available.
There’s a blank wall. We need something to go there.
But I think art works best when we turn that thought around and ask:
How do I want this room to feel?
Do you want a quiet little moment of colour?
Something that sits naturally alongside other pieces you already own?
Or do you want the painting to be the thing your eye is immediately drawn to when you walk into the room?
The answer can help you decide far more than the measurements alone.
50 x 50cm — A Little Moment of Colour
A 50 x 50cm print is a lovely choice when you want the artwork to feel considered without completely taking over the space.
It works beautifully on a smaller wall, above a console table or sideboard, in a bedroom, reading corner or as part of a collection of artwork.
At this size, the painting feels almost like a little escape within the room.
You still experience all of the colour, movement and detail, but there’s an intimacy to it.
It invites you to come a little closer.
60 x 60cm — The Beautiful Middle Ground
For many spaces, 60 x 60cm is that wonderful middle ground.
It has enough presence to hold its own on a wall while still feeling easy to live with.
Above a piece of furniture, in a hallway, bedroom or living space, it can create a clear focal point without overwhelming everything around it.
If you’re unsure between two sizes, this can often be a really versatile choice.
It feels substantial, but still leaves breathing space around the artwork — something I always love.
80 x 80cm — Let the Artwork Become the View
And then there is the 80 x 80cm print.
This is where the artwork really begins to transform a room.
At a larger scale, you don’t simply look at the painting. You begin to feel surrounded by it.
The colour has more room to breathe. The layers become more visible. The horizon feels wider and the sense of space within the painting becomes much stronger.
For the kind of work I create — inspired by open skies, sea, light and distant horizons — I particularly love seeing the paintings at this scale.
There is something about making them larger that brings back some of the feeling I had while creating the original.
That sense of looking out towards somewhere open.
Somewhere quiet.
Somewhere you can breathe.
Bigger Can Be More Calming, Not More Overpowering
There’s sometimes a fear that large artwork will make a room feel smaller or too busy.
But often, I find the opposite can be true.
One larger piece can actually create a calmer interior than several smaller objects competing for attention.
It gives the eye somewhere to rest.
Rather than filling every part of a wall, a generous piece of art surrounded by some empty space can feel beautifully simple and intentional.
Particularly with coastal-inspired artwork, that scale can create the feeling of another view within the room — almost like adding another window.
Think About the Furniture Beneath It
One of the easiest ways to decide on size is to consider what the artwork will sit above.
If you’re hanging a print above a sofa, bed, console or sideboard, you generally want the artwork to feel connected to the furniture rather than floating alone in the middle of the wall.
A print that is too small can sometimes feel lost.
Going slightly larger often creates a much more balanced relationship between the artwork and everything around it.
And remember to include the frame when you’re imagining the finished dimensions. Framing adds visual presence, so the final piece will naturally feel a little larger on your wall.
Give Your Art Space to Breathe
As much as size matters, so does the space around the artwork.
You don’t need to fill every available centimetre.
I love seeing paintings with room around them because that negative space allows the colours and composition to breathe.
It creates that same feeling of openness I’m always searching for in my paintings.
So rather than asking, “What is the biggest piece I can fit here?”, sometimes the better question is:
“What size will feel beautifully balanced here?”
If You’re Between Two Sizes…
My advice is usually to imagine how you want the artwork to feel six months from now, once it has become part of your home.
If you want a subtle addition to the room, choose the smaller size.
If you want the painting to create a focal point, go larger.
And if there’s a particular piece you absolutely love and you have the wall space for it, I’d rarely be afraid of giving it more presence.
Art should be allowed to be seen.
Creating a Feeling, Not Just Decorating a Wall
Ultimately, I don’t think choosing art is really about interior design rules.
It’s about creating a home that feels like you.
The paintings we live with become part of the background to our everyday lives. We walk past them in the morning. We notice them when the light changes. Certain colours catch our eye on different days.
And slowly, they become part of the feeling of home.
Whether you choose a 50cm, 60cm or 80cm print, choose the size that gives you the feeling you want when you imagine seeing it on your wall.
Because the right piece of art shouldn’t simply fill a space.
It should change how that space feels.
Explore my collection of coastal art prints, available in a choice of sizes, and find the piece that feels right for your home - HERE...
