An art wall is the quickest way to give a room personality. Done well, it looks like it came together over years. Done in a rush, it looks like a pile of frames. The difference is almost always in the planning.
Here is how we approach it in the studio, in four steps.
Four steps
- Find your thread
- Measure and plan
- Choose prints and frames
- Hang it
01. Find your thread
Every good art wall has something holding it together. It can be a palette, an era, a subject or simply a feeling. Pick one anchor piece you love, then choose the rest to support it rather than compete with it.
Save images of walls you like and look for what they share. Most of the time it is restraint: two or three tones repeated across the whole wall.
02. Measure and plan
Measure the wall and decide how much of it you want to fill. Above a sofa or sideboard, aim for roughly two thirds of the furniture's width.
Cut paper templates to the size of each frame and tape them up. Live with it for a day. It is far easier to move paper than to patch holes. Or skip the tape and build the whole wall in our Art Wall Designer, where you can try every print, size and frame before you buy.
Styling tip: keep the gaps between frames consistent. Somewhere between 5 and 8 cm reads as one composition rather than separate pieces.
03. Choose prints and frames
Mix sizes to create rhythm. One larger piece in A1 or A2, supported by a few A3 and A4 prints, gives the eye somewhere to land. Our size guide shows each size to scale.
For frames, one finish across the wall feels calm and considered. Mixing natural oak with black or white feels more collected. Both work. Just make it a choice.
If you would rather not start from scratch, our sets and pairs are curated to hang together.
04. Hang it
Lay everything out on the floor first, in the arrangement you planned. Hang the anchor piece first, then work outwards.
Aim for the centre of the whole arrangement to sit at roughly eye level, around 145 to 150 cm from the floor. Use a level for the first frame and measure off it for the rest.
Styling tip: renting? Strong adhesive picture strips work well for A4 to A2 frames on smooth, painted walls.
Start with one piece you love
The best art walls are built around something personal. Find that piece first and the rest follows. Shop sets and pairs or design your wall.