How to Size Art Above a Sofa
The wall behind a sofa is the most frequent wall requested for artwork at Latitudes. Because it is so common and confuses so many, gallery design consultant, Tasha Cleaveland, devoted an entire day of Makeover May live room renderings to help break down the points to remember when sizing and selecting artwork for this common space.
Here are her guidelines for sofa wall success:
1. Match the shape of the wall left above the sofa, with the shape of the artwork.
This leaves a balanced amount of breathing room all the way around your artwork.
We use 3 ratios in the gallery, find the one that balances out your wall best:
-Standard ratio (tall and wide) 3:2
-Demi Ratio (the width is double the height) 2:1
-Pano Ratio (the width is triple the height) 3:1
2. Size it right
-Fill about 30” vertically. Too little feels awkwardly disconnected from the sofa. Too much feels crowded (leave at least a foot above and below).
-Make the artwork width at least half the width of the sofa.
-For a sectional, L shape or chaise sofa, go wide! At least 80”-90” wide artwork typically balances this sofa best.
3. Center it or line it up!
-If that doesn’t balance out the room, look at lining the edge of the art up with the arm or edge of the sofa.
-Need more wiggle room? Consider adding in a plant or side table to line the edge up with.
4. Be a Rule Breaker
Rules are made to be broken. Especially when you know how!
-If your sofa has a walkway behind it, center, size and match the shape of the entire empty wall.
-Sometimes the art you love won’t work in the ratio that works on your wall. This is when we find a happy compromise! Reach out to our art stylists so we can customize a piece just for you and your space.
Want more examples? Download our free art styling guide with all our designer's best tips and tricks for art sizing, styling and placement success.
Got a sofa wall and just don’t know what to do with it? We offer virtual consultations and email renderings so you can get it right the first time.
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