A general rule of thumb is that you can cover 60% of the area with wall art and must leave 40% of the area blank.
According to Kenneth Boyer of Atelier k, an over-decorated space could be compared to one that has so many layers, it becomes distracting to the eye. Fix: Take inventory. Look more closely at your negative space, and don't be afraid to leave some walls and floor space bare.
Designers are in agreement that not every wall in the home needs to be decorated. With each individual interior design, the aim is to always ensure that there is a feeling of harmonious visual balance; for some spaces this may mean adorning every wall with beautiful decor, whereas for others, empty wall space triumphs.
In terms of size, aim to fill about two-thirds to three-fourths of your available wall space. If you are looking to hang a focal point above a piece of furniture—such as your couch, headboard, or dresser—follow the same proportions and find a work two-thirds to three-fourths smaller than your furniture.
When something isn't quite right, it can detract from the design and interfere with the overall mood of the room. Luckily, an over-decorated house is often easily fixable with a few tweaks. Simply swapping out accessories or rearranging furnishings can help bring order to the room and maximize your tidying efforts.
Take your living room; the furniture should take up two thirds of the area, leaving enough floor space for easy traffic flow like in the photo below. The painting you hang behind the couch, table or above the fireplace should be approximately two-thirds the width.
It is “The Rule of Three.” The rule, or guideline if you prefer, simply states that things arranged in odd numbers are more visually appealing to the human eye. Our brains just love odd numbers because they challenge us mentally. Groupings of items in odd numbers tend to look dynamic and more natural to us.
In looking at the overall wall space dimensions your artwork should take up two-thirds to three-fourths of the wall.
Popular Art Print Sizes
The top three print sizes, in order of popularity, are 10” x 8”, 10” x 14”, and 12” x 12”. Shutterfly says the 10” x 8” canvas print is suitable for fill-ins on art gallery walls. What's more, it works well in both landscape and portrait orientation.
Start by measuring the width and height of your wall and then multiply them by both 0.60 and 0.75. This will give you the range of canvas print sizes that will suit the space. For example: If you have a blank wall that is 9 feet tall and 5 feet wide, you would multiply both 9 and 5 by 0.6 and 0.75.
Bare Walls
A good rule of thumb is to hang art so that its midpoint is between 57 and 60 inches from the floor. Aim for the lower end of the range if most members of your household are on the short side; in rooms with ceilings higher than eight feet, artwork can be hung a little higher than 60 inches off the floor.
Leaving a wall blank can create a sense of balance and breathing room in a space that's filled with other decorative elements. It acts as a visual pause, allowing the eye to rest and prevent the room from feeling too cluttered or overwhelming. A blank wall can also act as a backdrop for other focal points in the room.
If you want to incorporate three different styles in a room try 70-20-10. Seventy percent can be the dominant style. 20 percent another style and 10 percent another. It is easier to mix decor styles if most of your furniture is updated classics.
This decorating rule suggests that you should cover your room with 60% of a dominant color, 30% of a secondary color, and 10% of an accent shade. It is all about maintaining the perfect balance of tones. Pick colors that mingle well with each other to create a subtle combo.
Landscapes
Our most popular wall art type is landscape wall art. This is unsurprising, as there are so many stunning scenes in the natural world that look impressive as wall art. Like nature and wildlife art, landscapes act as a window to the outside world, transporting you to lands far and wide.
Abstract paintings are most important to gallery sales.
For 59% of respondents, non-figurative paintings (which includes abstract painting, as well as associated genres such as minimalist painting, spiritual abstraction, and neo–abstract expressionism) were selected as most important to their business now.
In the world of art, prints tend to sell more than original works. This is mainly due to the price difference, with prints being a more affordable option for many art enthusiasts. Limited-edition prints, in particular, are highly sought after.
If you're wondering whether you should decorate every wall in each room, the simple answer is that when it comes to hanging pictures and art, no, you don't need to fill every wall space with pictures. Empty wall space actually enhances your decor and can be a crucial design element in many cases.
Yes, wall art can be too big.
While it's tempting to go for that oversized statement piece of art that demands attention, it's important to consider the overall harmony and balance of your space. If you choose art that is too big, it can detract from other design elements making your room feel crowded and imbalanced.
The golden ratio to get a balanced room layout
Using the 60/40 formula, measure up floor space then take measurements of the floor space covered by furniture. If the furniture fills more than 60% of the area of the floor, the room is over-furnished.
You've heard of the Golden Rule, but what about the Golden Ratio? Although this term technically comes from mathematics, it's often used in the design world and, in a nutshell, means approaching your space in either one-third or two-third sections, rather than breaking it up into halves or quarters.
There are seven main principles of interior design: balance, harmony, rhythm, proportion and scale, emphasis, contrast, and details. These concepts can be applied to any room in your home, from the living room to the bathroom.