Print sizes and frame colours explained

The A series doubles at each step — A3 is two A4s, A2 is two A3s. Each jump is bigger than it sounds, because you are doubling area, not width.

For a single piece above a three-seater sofa, A2 is the right answer far more often than A3. Above a two-seater or an armchair, A3. Above a console table, chest of drawers or in an alcove, A3 or A4 — you see these close up, so they can be smaller without feeling mean.

In a hallway, A4 and A3 are usually correct, because you are reading them at arm's length and the wall itself is narrow. In a stairwell, go larger than instinct suggests: you view those walls from a distance and at an angle, and everything shrinks.

For a child's room, A4 or A3 at the child's eye level rather than yours. The piece should be theirs to look at, not an adult's decoration hung above their head.

And remember the frame adds size. A framed A3 with a mount can occupy the wall space of an unframed A2. If you are working to a tight space between two windows or above a radiator, measure the framed dimensions, not the paper.

A mount — the card border between the print and the frame — does two things. It makes the piece read as larger and more formal, and it stops the artwork touching the glass, which matters over the years.

A generous mount is a gallery trick worth stealing: an A4 print in a mounted A3 frame looks considered and deliberate in a way an A4 print in an A4 frame does not. If you want presence without buying a bigger print, that is the cheapest route to it.

Keep mounts white or off-white. Coloured mounts pull attention to the border rather than the work, and they date faster than anything else in the arrangement.

Black is the graphic choice. It defines the edge of the artwork hard, sharpens the contrast of ink lettering, and makes a piece read as intentional and modern. It suits rooms with dark accents — a black window frame, a charcoal sofa, dark shelving. It can look heavy on a very pale piece in a very pale room, so it is the frame that most rewards a look before committing.

Oak, and light woods generally, warms everything. It softens contrast, sits beautifully against cream and warm white walls, and works particularly well with the sand and cream grounds I use most. If a piece has felt too stark to you in a black frame, oak is usually the fix.

White nearly disappears. On a white wall it gives you a clean edge and nothing else, so the artwork is the only thing registering. It is the right answer for a busy gallery wall where several frames would otherwise compete, and for pieces you want to feel airy rather than anchored.

A quick way to decide: look at the metal and wood already in the room. Warm brass and oak furniture want a wood frame. Black metal lighting, dark joinery or steel want black. A very white, minimal room can take white and often looks best that way.

Then hold the decision across the whole group. One finish per group, always. If you have collected several finishes already, it is worth reframing rather than rearranging — the frames, not the layout, are what make a mismatched wall look unresolved.

Also think about glass. Standard glass is clear and gives the best colour, but it reflects; a piece hung opposite a window will show you the window. Non-reflective glazing slightly mutes the print but is far easier to look at in a bright room.

If you are framing yourself, decide the frame size first, then buy the print size to fit it — including whether it will be mounted. Doing it the other way round is how people end up trimming artwork, which never ends well.

If you want the piece to arrive ready to hang, check each listing: some designs are supplied framed and some are supplied as prints. It is stated on the product page before you buy.

And whichever route you take, keep prints out of direct sun. Any pigment fades eventually in a south-facing window, and a print you chose carefully deserves a wall where it will not.