How to pick a canvas size — a real-world guide to A4, A3, A2 and A1

Choosing the right canvas size is the single biggest decision after picking the artwork itself. Get it right and the piece anchors the room. Get it wrong and it floats — too small to count, too big to relax against.

This guide compares all four sizes we sell — A4, A3, A2 and A1 — against real furniture, real walls, and a real 170 cm person, with a simple rule of thumb you can use without a tape measure.

The four sizes, in human terms

• A4 — 21 × 30 cm. Reads as an accent. Works as part of a gallery wall, on

a desk, on a bedside shelf, or in a narrow hallway alcove. Too small to be a room's focal point.

• A3 — 30 × 42 cm. The classic gallery wall element. Two or three A3s

together can replace an A1. Strong choice above a small console or in a bathroom.

• A2 — 42 × 60 cm. The most-purchased size, and the one most people should

pick. Anchors a single sofa, fits above a bed, sits comfortably above a fireplace.

• A1 — 60 × 84 cm. The statement size. Becomes the room's organising idea.

Choose A1 when the wall is at least 3 m wide or the ceiling is over 2.7 m.

The rule of thumb

The canvas should occupy roughly two-thirds the width of the furniture beneath it. If your sofa is 180 cm, you want a canvas around 120 cm wide — that's an A1 in landscape, or two A2s in portrait hung side by side.

If there's no furniture beneath it — say, a hallway or a stairwell — the canvas should occupy roughly the middle third of the wall vertically, with its centre at eye level (about 145 cm from the floor).

Where each size works best

Above a sofa

A2 portrait or A1 landscape. Anything smaller and the wall reads as empty; anything larger and the canvas dominates the room.

Above a bed

A1 landscape over a king. A2 landscape over a double. A pair of A3 portraits side by side over a single bed.

In a bedroom on a side wall

A2 portrait, or two A3 portraits stacked. Bedrooms reward verticality.

In an office or study

A3 portrait at eye level when seated. Avoid anything that competes with the monitor for attention — this isn't the place for an A1.

In a kitchen or dining room

A2 landscape over the dining table. A3 portrait between cabinets. Keep the piece simple — kitchens already have visual noise.

In a hallway

A series of A4s in a line, evenly spaced. A single A2 portrait at the end of the hallway as a focal point.

The three most common mistakes

1. Picking too small. The most common error by far. When in doubt, go one size up. An A2 where an A3 felt safer rarely looks wrong; the opposite is common.

2. Hanging too high. The centre of the canvas should be at eye level (roughly 145 cm from the floor), not a hand's width below the ceiling. The canvas exists in relation to the people in the room, not the cornice.

3. Centering on the wall instead of the furniture. Hang the canvas so it relates to the sofa, bed, or console beneath it — not the geometric centre of the wall. The eye reads the relationship between the canvas and the object, not the canvas and the cornice.

What we recommend

If you're buying one piece for a main room — A2. If it's going above a king-size bed or in a room with high ceilings — A1. If it's part of a larger arrangement — A3 or A4.

When in doubt: size up.