Wall Art Size Calculator

The short answer

Art above furniture should be about two-thirds to three-quarters as wide as the furniture below it, and the same goes for a mirror. Above an 84 inch sofa that’s 56 to 63 in; above a queen bed, 40 to 45 in; above a 48 inch console, 32 to 36 in.

On an empty wall, the same share applies to the open wall space the art will own. The calculator works out the range and checks the standard frame and canvas sizes against it, so you can see which ones land there and which come close.

How to measure

1. Sofa: measure from the outside of one arm to the other. For a sectional, measure the side the art hangs above.
2. Bed: pick the bed size; the calculator uses the mattress width. If the headboard is much wider, measure it and enter its width with the console option.
3. Console or dresser: measure the top from end to end. Still choosing an entry console? The entryway runner and console size calculator sizes one from the wall and the space in front of it.
4. Empty wall: measure the open stretch of wall the art will fill: between two windows, a door and a corner, or two corners.

How to use the calculator

1. Choose where the art goes: above a sofa, a bed, a console or dresser, or on an empty wall.
2. Enter the width, or pick the bed size, and choose whether the piece hangs horizontally or vertically.
3. Read the result. You get the width to look for and the standard sizes around it, each labeled Fits, Tight or Doesn’t fit with its width as hung.
4. Save or share it. Copy link keeps your numbers in the address, handy when you shop. Switch to centimeters with the toggle at the top.

How we calculate

• The range. two-thirds to three-quarters of the width below the art, for a mirror as well as a print or a canvas. Above a bed, a dresser or a credenza, two-thirds is a good target.
• Beds. The width is the mattress width for the bed size, in standard US dimensions.
• Empty walls. The same share, two-thirds to three-quarters, of the open wall width you enter.
• Standard sizes. The list holds common frame and canvas sizes, up to 30 × 40 in. Each one is checked by its width as hung: a size Fits inside the range and is Tight down to 60% of the width (or the same distance over the top of the range).
• Rounding. The range is rounded inward to whole inches, so both ends stay inside it.

A piece a little outside the range can still look right, especially if it’s tall or part of a group.

Worked examples

Worked example

Above an 84 in sofa

What we know

• Sofa width: 84 in
• Orientation: Horizontal

How it works out

1. Two-thirds of 84 in is 56 in, and three-quarters is 63 in.
2. The widest standard size here, 30 × 40 in, is 40 in wide hung horizontally: too narrow on its own.

Look for art 56 to 63 in wide: an oversized piece, or a group of frames that wide.

Worked example

Above a queen bed

What we know

• Bed: Queen (mattress 60 in wide)
• Orientation: Horizontal

How it works out

1. Two-thirds of 60 in is 40 in, and three-quarters is 45 in.
2. Hung horizontally, 30 × 40 in is 40 in wide, inside that range.

Look for art 40 to 45 in wide: 30 × 40 in, hung horizontally.

Worked example

Above a 48 in console table

What we know

• Console width: 48 in
• Orientation: Horizontal

How it works out

1. Two-thirds of 48 in is 32 in, and three-quarters is 36 in.
2. Hung horizontally, 12 × 36 in, 24 × 36 in and 36 × 36 in are 36 in wide, inside that range.

Look for art 32 to 36 in wide: 12 × 36 in, 24 × 36 in and 36 × 36 in, hung horizontally.

Worked example

A 36 in wall between two windows

What we know

• Open wall: 36 in wide
• Orientation: Vertical

How it works out

1. Two-thirds of 36 in is 24 in, and three-quarters is 27 in.
2. Hung vertically, 24 × 36 in is 24 in wide, inside that range.

Look for art 24 to 27 in wide: 24 × 36 in, hung vertically.

Wall art size by furniture width

The width range for art or a mirror above a sofa, console or dresser of each common width. A mirror over a bathroom vanity follows its own rules, for its height as much as its width: the vanity mirror size calculator works those out.

Above a sofa of 72 inches or more, the range (48 to 54 in and up) is wider than standard frames, which top out at 40 in hung horizontally. That’s why the calculator suggests an oversized piece or a group of frames above most sofas. To plan a group, the gallery wall layout generator arranges your frames to that width and prints where every nail goes.

Wall art size by bed size

The width range for art above each standard bed, from the mattress width.

Before you buy

1. Check what the size means. A framed print’s listing may give the print size or the outside of the frame. The calculator works from the size as sold, so check which one you’re looking at.
2. Think about height too. The range is about width. A tall piece above a low sofa can work, but leave room above it: the picture hanging height calculator shows where the top of the frame lands.
3. Using a group? Treat the whole group as one piece and size its overall width to the range.