Living Room Wall Art

There are 244 artworks in the Living Room Wall Art collection on Archive Lane, every one free to preview and available as a print.

Landscape-format pictures at the scale a main wall actually needs: wide scenes of land and sea, plus abstract work, all composed in the horizontal shape that sits properly over a sofa or a fireplace. Each piece is a public domain artwork you can preview free, then order as a canvas or a framed print.

What size art goes above a sofa? Aim for a width between two thirds and three quarters of the sofa. For an 84 inch (213 cm) sofa that means a picture roughly 56 to 63 inches wide, which is beyond a single print here, so the usual answer is a large canvas such as 20x40 inches (51x102 cm) or 32x40 inches (81x102 cm) hung horizontally, or two matching pieces side by side. Hang the lower edge 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 cm) above the cushions.

How high should it hang? Think of the middle of the picture, not the top. Keep it near 57 to 60 inches (145 to 152 cm) from the floor, the height most galleries use, and lower it a little if the ceiling is low or the furniture is slung close to the ground. Over a fireplace, leave a hand or two of clear wall above the mantel so the picture does not crowd it.

Which subjects work in a big, open room? A calm seascape or a long horizon gives the eye somewhere to rest, and it holds up from across the room. Abstract pieces suit rooms that already have a lot of pattern in the rugs and cushions, because they add colour without adding another story. Pull one or two tones from the picture into the room, a blue or an ochre, and the wall will look decided rather than filled.

Canvas or framed? A stretched Canvas is unframed and has no glass, so it reads as a soft object and is free of reflections from windows opposite. Framed Canvas and Framed Print come in 8 colours: Black, White, Natural, Gold, Walnut, Silver, Dark Grey and Light Grey. Framed Canvas goes up to 40x40 inches (102x102 cm); Framed Print stops at 30x40 and 36x36 inches (76x102 and 91x91 cm), so the largest wall pieces are canvas.

If you pick a size that does not match the artwork's proportions, the image is centred and cropped, and the product page shows how much. Before ordering, tape paper or masking tape to the wall at the exact size and live with the outline for a day. Every piece is made to order, and sizes are listed in inches and centimetres on each product page.

Other collections

Related collections, also curated by Archive Lane:

• Impressionist Masterpieces — 42,526 artworks
• Renaissance Treasures — 7,965 artworks