As an interior stylist and editor, the one thing I see people struggle with the most in their homes is how to choose wall art. In this post, I’m going to share my expert tips for choosing wall art, plus my top picks from a brand I’m excited to work with.
Most people play it too safe with wall art, and I think that’s a big mistake. Many people either default to something inoffensive or (even worse) hang nothing at all! And I completely understand why. Art is incredibly personal, permanent and expensive. What if you get it wrong? What if it dates? What if you change your home style?
But what I’ve learned from styling hundreds of homes as an magazine stylist is that wall art isn’t just decoration. When done well, it provides personality, depth and light in your home, and also reveals a story about you too.
So here is my ultimate guide on how to choose wall art for your home!
Let Me Introduce You To JP Designs
Before we deep dive into all my top wall art tips, I want to introduce you to a company I’ve been recently working with called JP Designs? They are a small husband and wife studio based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. It really is a small business that I want you to add to your address book.
As a small company, all their artwork in made in the UK. Jason focuses on the digital sculpting, the structure and proportion of the artwork to give each design its clarity. And Paula brings the artwork to life at the finishing bench, hand-applying the gold leaf or silver leaf that gives every piece its quiet glow.
Once the sculpted relief is ready, it moves to Paula’s workbench where the surface is prepared, and each piece is hand-gilded by Paula in metallic leaf which she then refines so it catches light across the raised detail.
How to choose wall art for your home: Every piece of their art work is made to order, handmade in the UK, and framed to art gallery standard in deep wooden box frames sourced from sustainably managed forests. It looks fabulous when hung up on your walls.
What I love as an interiors editor is how personal their artwork collections are. If you are buying art for yourself or looking for a gift that will genuinely mean something, you’ll find something made my Jason and Paula that has lots of special meaning which is exactly what you want for your walls, right?
My 4 Rules For How to Choose Wall Art for Your Home
Before we get into specific pieces for your home, I want us to talk about the fundamentals of choosing wall art. These are my four rules you need to consider when choose art for your home.
RULE 1: Always go bigger than you think
The most common mistake I see people making is buying art that’s too small for the space. A tiny print floating in the middle of a large wall looks lost and a little sad. As a rule of thumb, your artwork should fill around two-thirds of the wall width it’s hanging on. If in doubt, go up a size. Large-scale art is confident and it anchors your room.
If you’re choosing wall art for a smaller space eg above a desk, in a hallway, in an alcove, then a single piece at the right scale will always beat a cluster of small ones that don’t quite work together.
RULE 2: Where you hang it matters as much as what it is
You want your artwork to ideally be positioned at eye level. Measure so that the centre of the artwork sits roughly 145 to 150cm from the floor. When hanging above furniture, leave 15 to 20cm between the top of the sofa, bed or headboard and the bottom of the frame. This keeps art connected to the piece below rather than floating away from it.
RULE 3: Frame your artwork properly
What is the point of spending money on art, only to choose a frame that is too small or too big, or doesn’t complement the style of your artwork. For example, a piece of art in a minimal framing would suit a simple Scandi interior. While an ornate gilded frame suits a more maximalist space. Neither is right or wrong, the key is that they look intentional.
In my own home, I choose to frame all my artwork in black frames. This helped to unify all my artwork in my space, even though all the prints are of a different style!
You can buy cheap frames (I did that) but you will notice the difference if you splash out on a proper framing service.
RULE 4: Never choose generic art
This is the big one. The most memorable rooms I’ve ever walked into have art that tells a story about the person who lives there. A favourite city. A beloved pet. A constellation that matches their birthday. A football stadium they cried in.
Art that’s personal to you will always feel more alive than something that simply ‘goes’ with your sofa.
8 Of Best Wall Art STYLES That Will Instantly Add Personality To Your Home
When working out how to how to choose wall art for your home, you might need a little a little guidance. That’s why I’ve picked out my 8 of the best wall art styles, and shared my top styling tips so that you can pick the perfect piece for your home. There is going to be at least one that you’re going to love.
1. Best For…Celebrating a Big Birthday
There’s something quietly magical about having your own constellation on the wall, show how the stars were arranged on the night you were born, or a loved one’s sign rendered in metallic leaf. The Zodiac Constellation will start a conversation every time someone sees it. I think this would make the perfect gift for a loved one celebrating a big birthday milestone as it is a gift they can keep forever.
Style tip: Gold leaf for a warm, celestial feel while silver leaf if your room has a cooler, more ethereal palette.
2. Best for…the animal lover
A pet portrait is one of the most joyful things you can hang in a home! I have pictures of my dog in every room and it makes me happy on the daily. An artwork of your fur baby is personal, it’s warm, and it never fails to make guests smile.
Style tip: Hang your pet print in a room where you want a bit of warmth, like a living room, hallway or home office.
3. Best for…the fashion lover
If you have someone in your life who loves getting dressed up, then this is the style of artwork for them! A perfume bottle in gold leaf is a classic design, as it feels simultaneously luxurious and playful like a still life painting hung in a fashion house.
Style tip: Place your print on your dressing table, or hanging in a walk-in wardrobe or place in a dedicated getting-ready corner to turn it into a fashion moment.
4. Best for…the nature lover
In my honest opinion, botanical art is timeless and there is a good reason why it’s a design that has been hung on the walls since the 17th century and that is because it never dates. This is the piece for the person who wants something beautiful, quiet and enduring like this stunning rose print in gold leaf.
Style tip: Hang anywhere you want bring the outdoors into your home, like a hallway, conservatory or room that overlooks your garden.
5. Best for…the sports fan
If you’re looking for a piece of art that captures your love of football, then you can’t go wrong with a piece of stadium art as it captures something emotional about a place that matters to someone. The metallic leaf finish elevates it completely out of the ‘sports memorabilia’ category and into something you’d be proud to frame. This is a brilliant gift for someone who still gets goosebumps walking into their ground.
6. Best for…a meaningful sympathy or remembrance gift
Sometimes art carries the most weight when it’s commemorating something and that can be anything like a person, a place or even a moment. Tribute artwork, when it is handmade, is thoughtful in the truest sense of the word.
Style tip: Hang in a quiet corner or place on a mantelpiece.
7. Best for…a wedding, anniversary or new home gift
If you want to give a gift that is unlike anything else someone will receive, you’ll need a a custom commission like this wing art work. It’s ideal for a first home address, a wedding date, a map of somewhere meaningful as the possibilities are personal in a way that no off-the-shelf gift can be.
JP Designs also offer bespoke pieces created from your own photographs, designed with the same calm, gallery format. Visit their Custom Commissions page to request a wedding sign, pet portrait, memorial piece or bespoke framed relief artwork.
Style tip: Art with a reflective finish like gold or silver leaf will catch and move with natural light in a really beautiful way. You’ll want to position these pieces somewhere daylight can work its magic so they sparkle in your home.
8. Best for…a reflective or spiritual space
Symbolic art has a long and beautiful history, and there’s something quietly powerful about having a meaningful symbol on your wall. This is the type of artwork (like this lotus piece) that means something beyond aesthetics and the gold leaf finish gives it a reverent, icon-like quality.
Style tip: Create a meditation space by hanging a symbolic print up.
Above: orange slice artwork
How to hang wall art: Step by Step Guide
Choosing art is only half the job. Hanging it well is where people so often go wrong. That’s why I’m sharing my practical guide on how to hang art properly and get it right first time.
Step one: Lay out your artwork design
If you are hanging a few prints in a pair or in a clutter, you’ll want to try out the design first before putting any holes in your walls. A mix of artwork sizes works brilliantly in a gallery wall but you’ll need to make sure there’s a common thread between your artwork, whether that’s style, colour or frame choice. Keep gaps between frames consistent, around 5 to 8cm is usually right.
I like to mock it up on the floor first, and then I take a photo of different combinations as it is laid out to make sure I am happy with it.
Step two: Choose the right height for your artwork
The rule of thumb is to hang the centre of the artwork at eye level around 145 to 150cm from the floor. When hanging above furniture, leave 15 to 20cm between the top of the furniture and the bottom of the frame. This keeps the art connected to the piece below it rather than floating away from it.
Use paper templates to the size of each frame, tape them to the wall with masking tape, and live with the arrangement for a day or two before committing. You’ll be amazed how often you’ll want to adjust things once you see them at scale.
Step three: Choose your fixing for your artwork
I suggest you invest in a proper picture hanging kit (I got mine at B&Q) which has all the different picture hooks, artwork wire and fittings so that you can hang the artwork up properly.
If you rent, or want to move your artwork around your home, then you can use heavy-duty adhesive strips also known as Command strips which hold a surprising amount of weight on most wall surfaces.
Or you can use your traditional picture rails, and they’re perfect for hanging without drilling. Use a picture rail hook, and make a feature of your wire by choosing gold threads.
Above: Donut stacked artwork
FAQs: All your common wall art questions answered
How do I arrange wall art in a living room? Start with your largest piece and build around it. The sofa wall is the natural anchor point in most living rooms. One large piece centred above the sofa almost always works. If you’re doing a gallery wall, treat it as one unit: mock it up on the floor, keep gaps consistent (around 5 to 8cm), and make sure the collection has a visual thread like matching frames, similar colour palette, or a shared subject.
How do I know what size wall art to buy? The two-thirds rule is your friend: aim for artwork that covers roughly two-thirds of the width of the wall or furniture it’s hanging above. If in doubt, go bigger rather than smaller and then you can always style around a statement piece, but a piece that’s too small just looks lost. Measure your wall before you shop, and use paper templates to test the size before you buy.
What art is best for a gallery wall? Because every JP Designs artwork uses the same frame size and presentation, multiple pieces sit together beautifully without any extra effort. A pair can be displayed side by side, stacked vertically, or placed in different rooms while still feeling connected. This works especially well for two dog breed artworks, matching gold and silver pieces, family or memorial designs, zodiac designs or symbolic pieces.
How do I choose artwork for a bedroom? The bedroom is where you can afford to be the most personal. This is the room that’s just for you, so choose something that means something to you. Whether that’s your star sign, a portrait of your pet, or a print from a city you love, the bedroom is the place for it. In terms of scale, a single large piece above the bed is almost always more impactful than several small ones.
What is the best wall art for a small space? One well-chosen piece, correctly scaled, will always beat a cluster of small ones. In a small space, a bold, large-scale piece can actually make the room feel bigger by drawing the eye and creating a sense of intention. If you’re working with a narrow hallway or a small alcove, a tall portrait-format piece will make the most of the available height.
Is handmade wall art better than prints? It depends what you’re looking for. Prints are great for affordability and accessibility, there’s brilliant print art out there. But handmade art has a quality and individuality that a reproduction can’t replicate. When you’re buying something handmade, you’re buying something with genuine craft in it.
What is gold leaf wall art? Gold leaf is exactly what it sounds like: real sheets of gold (or gold-coloured metal leaf) applied to a surface by hand. The technique has been used in art and decoration for thousands of years, from Byzantine icons to Renaissance paintings. When it’s used in contemporary art like JP Designs’ pieces, it gives the work a depth, warmth and luminosity that you can’t get with gold paint or metallic ink. It catches the light differently depending on the time of day, which makes it feel alive in a way a flat print simply doesn’t.
Should I choose gold leaf or silver leaf? Gold leaf has a warm, premium look that catches the light and creates strong contrast against the black background. It is often the best choice when you want the artwork to feel like a statement piece. It works well with warm lighting, neutral rooms and darker decor, and is popular for meaningful gifts, pet portraits and memorial artwork. Silver leaf has a cooler, cleaner look. It suits modern interiors, bright rooms, grey and white colour schemes, and spaces where you want the artwork to feel elegant without being too bold. It’s a good choice when the artwork needs to blend more gently into the room.
How to Choose Wall Art For Your Home: An Interior Stylist’s Guide To Buying Art With Personality
If this post has done one thing, I hope it’s convinced you that wall art is something that is very important when it comes to your home decor! Wall art is one of the most powerful tools you have for making a house feel like yours.
If you have a moment, check out JP Designs who make it genuinely easy for you to find something personal, beautiful and made with real care for your home. Whether you’re treating yourself or looking for a gift that will actually mean something, I’d really encourage you to browse the range.
And if you found my artwork hanging tips useful, don’t miss my post on how to DIY hang a mirror without ruining your walls. It’s one of my most popular posts packed with tips.
Disclaimer: This post is created in collaboration with JP Designs. I’m focusing on one brand rather than doing a general roundup because I genuinely think their work is worth shouting about as it is handmade in the UK, made to order, beautiful quality. You’ll see why.
More about Maxine
I’m an interior stylist and interiors editor, and I specialise in helping people create homes that feel more joyful, balanced and personal. You can read more about me here. You can also listen to my podcast, How to Home, where we’ve covered topics like dopamine decor in more depth, alongside honest conversations about decorating, renovating and making your home work for real life.
If you have enjoyed this post, then please follow me on instagram @maxinebradystyling (99K) and on Pinterest for more styling ideas, real-life renovations, and practical design advice. Or follow me on Facebook (133K)
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