Art for living room walls: 7 decisions before buying

Kunstwarenhaus editorial team · 22.10.2026 · Diesen Artikel auf Deutsch lesen

When choosing art for living room walls, start with your personal connection to the work, then consider placement, size, colour, materials and budget. Compare two or three favourites using full-size paper templates and a visualisation in your own room; then assess the surface and the work’s physical presence by viewing the original.

When choosing art for living room walls, a work might appeal to you immediately — but would you also want to see it over your first coffee, on an ordinary evening and alongside your familiar furniture? In a room you use every day, first impressions are only part of the picture. What matters is whether your choice continues to feel right.

The following seven decisions take you from personal taste to the final checks before buying. Three original artworks provide concrete points of comparison, not a shopping list. One particularly useful detail: all three are 100 cm wide, yet their heights differ considerably.

1. Personal connection: what art would you like to see every day?

Start without considering your sofa colour or interior trends. Make a note of three works that hold your attention. For each, complete the sentence: “What interests me about this is …”. Is it the subject, the colours, the visual language or something you cannot immediately name? That last response is a good starting point too.

Three different approaches offer a useful comparison: “Etter 4791” by René Etter is abstract art, “Urban Prelude” by Carl Smith is urban art, and “The Window Room” by Jonjo Elliott is figurative art. Rather than asking which style is generally better suited to a living room, ask which one makes you want to look again.

2. Placement: where will the artwork work best?

Start by choosing a main wall. Sit in your usual spot on the sofa, then look at the same area from the doorway. Will the work actually be in view, or will you mainly see it as you walk past? Not every empty wall is necessarily the right place.

• Measure the usable wall space and the height of the top edge of the furniture.
• Note the distances to switches, lights, curtains and obstacles on either side in centimetres.
• Temporarily mark the intended lower and upper edges of the artwork using a method suitable for your wall.
• Compare the position while sitting and standing.

Use these views to decide which position feels right to you. A standard hanging height or a fixed distance above the sofa cannot replace this comparison. Also check whether anything partly obscures the wall during everyday use, such as an open door.

3. Size and format: the same width, a different presence

Full-size paper templates make it easier to assess living room artwork size. Assemble templates matching the dimensions of your shortlisted works and temporarily attach them in the intended position. This lets you compare dimensions before committing to a subject or colour.

Artwork	Dimensions	Format
Etter 4791	100 × 100 cm	Square
Urban Prelude	80 × 100 cm	Landscape
The Window Room	170 × 100 cm	Portrait

Although all three works are equally wide, “The Window Room” takes up considerably more wall height than “Urban Prelude”. For your first comparison, keep the lower edges at the same height and view the templates from the places where you actually sit. Then adjust each position individually. How much clear wall would you like above and beside the work? How does it relate to the furniture? Rules of proportion are, at most, useful guides rather than fixed requirements.

4. Colour: a connection to your interior or a deliberate contrast?

There are two equally valid approaches to colour: pick up an existing shade or deliberately introduce a new palette. A connection might come through a rug, upholstery or a single object. A contrast, on the other hand, may be precisely what draws you to the work.

“Urban Prelude” is listed as grey and multicoloured, while “The Window Room” is listed as blue and multicoloured. Use these details to narrow your selection, not as complete descriptions of the works. Compare both in a photograph of your room: which would you choose if you later changed the cushions?

5. Materials and surface: what can only the original reveal?

The media differ: “Etter 4791” is mixed media, “Urban Prelude” is mixed media on canvas, and “The Window Room” is acrylic. These descriptions do not, however, reliably tell you what surface texture, framing or side view to expect. Check these details on each original.

• Look at the surface close up and from roughly the distance at which you would sit.
• Change your viewing angle and check for possible reflections.
• Look at the sides and how the work is currently presented.
• Ask for placement and care guidance specific to the work rather than drawing conclusions from the name of the medium.

Almost all the works on the website are displayed in Kunstwarenhaus’s 160 m² showroom at Neumarkt 6, 8001 Zürich. Before making a visit to see particular works, confirm that your favourites are on display. Kunstwarenhaus sells original artworks only, not posters, prints or duplicates.

6. Budget: what total cost feels right for you?

Set your personal spending limit before making your final choice. Distinguish between the artwork’s price and the total cost of having it displayed as you wish. Clarify delivery and any framing or installation that may be needed, without assuming that these services or costs apply.

• Etter 4791: CHF 1,800
• Urban Prelude: CHF 1,900
• The Window Room: CHF 3,050

Check the current price and availability before deciding. Also ask yourself: would I still prefer this work if all three cost the same? This helps separate your artistic preference from your financial considerations.

Art rental can be an alternative for private individuals. Ask for an explanation of the terms and total costs for your preferred rental period. Rental is neither a free trial nor necessarily a cheaper route to buying; it is separate from the free trial hanging service.

7. Before buying: compare two favourites in your own room

Now bring your earlier decisions together. Take a photograph of your room that clearly shows the intended wall and the neighbouring furniture. Have your measurements ready and compare your two favourites using the same view wherever possible.

1. Open each artwork’s page. Use the sofa icon to upload your own room photograph and position the work within it.
2. For a comparison to scale, you can request a free photomontage: send your room photograph and the gallery will insert your selected works at the appropriate scale.
3. If you still have questions about your choice, use the free personal consultation service, available in your home on request. Kunstwarenhaus also offers free trial hanging for those who are undecided.

A visualisation helps you compare placement and format, but it is not a physical trial hanging. Only the original lets you assess the surface and presence directly. You can discuss any remaining questions about your favourites through the personal art consultation service.

• Connection: I can explain why I want to see this work every day.
• Placement: I have checked the view from the sofa and the doorway.
• Format: I have tested the height and width on my wall.
• Colour: I have deliberately chosen a connection or contrast with my interior.
• Materials: I have assessed the surface and presentation of the original.
• Budget: The artwork’s price and any additional costs fit within my limit.
• Room check: I have resolved remaining doubts through visualisation, consultation or trial hanging.

The right original art for your living room need not follow an interior trend or a fixed formula for proportions. What matters is your personal connection, a position you have tested and a cost you feel comfortable with. If you are left with two works, stop adding more to the comparison and look more carefully at those two in your actual room.