What size canvas should I choose? A simple wall art size guide
Choosing the artwork and what to paint is one thing. Choosing the right canvas size for your wall can feel like a completely separate decision.
Too small and a piece can feel a little lost. Too large and it can overwhelm the space. But you really don't need to measure every wall in your house or become an interior designer before you choose.
At Plan, our framed canvas art kits come in two sizes:
- 30 × 40 cm
- 50 × 70 cm
Both work beautifully, they just create a different feeling in a room. So if you're wondering what size canvas should I choose?, here's a simple way to think about it.
First: think about where the artwork will live
The easiest way to choose wall art size is to start with the furniture or space around it. That context matters more than the size of the wall itself. Are you making art for:
- a small wall
- above a console table
- beside a bed
- above a desk
- a gallery wall
- above a sofa
- a larger empty wall
- a pair of paintings hung together
For artwork hanging above furniture, a widely used interior-design guideline is to aim for a total artwork width of roughly two-thirds to three-quarters of the furniture underneath it.
That doesn't mean every artwork needs to hit an exact formula. You can think of it as a useful starting point.
30 × 40 cm: small enough to be flexible
Our 30 × 40 cm canvas is the smaller of the two Plan sizes. It's a really easy size to work with because it can sit comfortably in places where a larger piece might feel too dominant. Think:
- above a bedside table
- over a small desk
- in a hallway
- on a smaller wall
- as part of a gallery wall
- leaning on a shelf or console
- paired with another 30 × 40 cm canvas
It also works really well if you're new to painting. A smaller canvas can feel slightly less intimidating because there simply isn't as much surface to fill. But it can still have plenty of impact. Especially once you add the edge frame.
When two 30 × 40 cm canvases work better than one
This is where our Double Art Kits come in. Two smaller canvases side by side can create much more visual presence than one on its own.
You could make a matching pair, a diptych, two completely different pieces using the same colour palette, or two artworks with one repeated shape or mark connecting them.
When you're styling multiple pieces, think about the combined width, including the gap between them, rather than measuring each canvas individually. That's the footprint your eye reads on the wall.
So two 30 × 40 cm artworks can work beautifully in a space where one might feel too small.
50 × 70 cm: more of a statement
Our 50 × 70 cm canvas naturally has more presence. It's the one we'd choose if you want the artwork to feel more like a standalone focal point. It works well:
- above a console
- on a larger bedroom wall
- above a desk
- on an open living-room wall
- beside a dining table
- where you want one piece to do more of the work
50 × 70 cm is also a very common wall-art format and sits in that useful middle ground between an accent piece and something much larger. Because there's more canvas to work with, you also get more room for larger marks, more negative space and compositions that need a little more breathing room.
What size wall art should I choose above a sofa?
This is probably one of the most commonly searched wall-art sizing questions. A useful starting point is to make the total artwork width around 60–75% of the sofa width, with roughly two-thirds being a simple middle reference.
For a typical sofa, one 30 × 40 cm canvas would usually feel quite small on its own. A single 50 × 70 cm artwork has more presence, but depending on the sofa width, you may still prefer:
- two 50 × 70 cm artworks
- a pair of 30 × 40 cm canvases
- a mixed arrangement
- several pieces as part of a gallery-style wall
The important thing is to think about the whole arrangement, not just one canvas.
What size wall art works above a bed?
The same general principle applies above a bed. Your artwork should feel connected to the bed rather than floating as a tiny object in the middle of a large wall.
For a wider bed, two canvases can work especially well. Two 30 × 40 cm pieces can create a lighter, more minimal arrangement. Two 50 × 70 cm pieces will feel much more substantial and can turn the wall into a real focal point.
If you're using two pieces, give them enough space to feel separate, but not so much that they stop reading as a pair.
Don't automatically choose the bigger canvas
Bigger isn't always better. A 30 × 40 cm artwork can look much stronger than a 50 × 70 cm one if the surrounding space suits it.
If the room already has a lot happening (shelving, lighting, furniture, other art), a smaller piece can feel much more intentional. Likewise, a tiny canvas on a huge empty wall can look lost. It really comes down to proportion.
Think about portrait vs landscape too
Your Plan canvas doesn't have to be used in one orientation. We've designed or frames to have a groove running inside every length of your inner frame pieces, so you can hang your artwork in whichever orientation suits your space best.
A portrait canvas is great when you have more vertical space: between furniture, beside a doorway, above a smaller console or in a narrow section of wall.
Turn the same canvas landscape and it immediately becomes wider, which can work better above furniture.
So before choosing the size and starting your painting, think about orientation too. Sometimes the answer isn't a bigger canvas. It's simply turning it sideways.
Mix and match different sizes
You also don't need to choose one size and stick to it forever. Mixing 30 × 40 cm and 50 × 70 cm canvases can create a much more relaxed, collected feel. For example:
- one 50 × 70 cm piece with a 30 × 40 cm artwork beside it
- one larger artwork with two smaller pieces nearby
- a gallery wall mixing both sizes
- several artworks in different orientations using the same frame finish
When you're making the art yourself, this can look especially good because the colours, materials and framing can create cohesion even when the sizes are different.
Use masking tape before you commit
If you're unsure what size canvas will look right, this is probably the easiest trick. Use masking tape to mark out 30 × 40 cm and 50 × 70 cm directly on the wall.
Then step back. Live with it for a bit, and look at it from across the room. You'll very quickly get a better sense of whether the proportions feel right.
You can also tape out two canvases side by side if you're considering a Double Kit. It's much easier to judge the real scale on the wall than imagine it from measurements on a product page.
One artwork or a pair?
If the space feels too large for one canvas but you don't necessarily want one huge piece, making two paintings can be a really good solution. A pair gives you more total width while still keeping each individual artwork manageable.
And they don't need to match perfectly. Use the same colours, repeat one mark, use matching edge frames. Then let the compositions be different.
We've put together a full guide on how to make two abstract paintings look good together if you're considering creating a pair.
So, which Plan canvas size should you choose?
If you want something flexible, approachable and easy to place, go for: 30 × 40 cm. If you want something with more presence and room to make larger marks, go for: 50 × 70 cm.
If you're filling a wider wall or creating art above larger furniture, consider: two canvases together. And if you're still unsure, tape both sizes onto the wall first.
There isn't one perfect canvas size. The right one is the size that feels balanced in your room and gives you enough space to make the artwork you actually want to create.
Choose your canvas
All Plan Art Kits are designed to become finished framed artwork for your home. Choose 30 × 40 cm or 50 × 70 cm, make one statement piece, create a pair with a Double Art Kit or mix different sizes across your space.
Explore our canvas art kits and choose the size that works for your wall. And if you're still unsure, we're always here to help you choose. Send us a message any time, and either me or Ewan will be on the other end.
Emmi
Co-founder of Plan