The Wall Guide

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  Rooms · 5 min read

  Art for a home office

  The wall you face all day and the wall behind you on every video call are different jobs. How to size art above a desk, what reads well on camera, and why I'd skip glass behind you.

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  Hanging · 6 min read

  Art for nurseries and kids' rooms

  Nothing heavy or under glass over a crib or a bed, every frame on two fixings, hung at their height rather than yours, and art they won't outgrow by kindergarten. Six rules from a mom of two young kids.

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  Hanging · 6 min read

  Art for renters, without losing your deposit

  Adhesive strips and what they really hold, picture ledges, leaning, and the one small nail hole most leases can live with. Five rules for hanging art in a rental without a fight at move-out.

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  Sizing · 5 min read

  Art for small spaces and condos

  In a small room, one bigger piece usually beats several small ones. How to size art for a condo living room, a narrow wall, the space beside a window, and walls you can't put a hole in.

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  Rooms · 5 min read

  Can you hang art in a bathroom or kitchen?

  Yes, with care about where. Steam, splashes and heat are what damage art, so the answer depends less on the room than on the spot on the wall. The honest version, finish by finish.

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  Rooms · 5 min read

  Cottage and cabin wall art

  Water, woods and old photographs, in frames that stand up to a place you close for the winter. What suits a cottage, what to hang where, and what to bring home in the fall.

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  Rooms · 5 min read

  Dining room art: what size, and how high?

  Above a sideboard, art spans two-thirds of it and sits 8″ above the top. On the wall behind the table, size to the table. And remember most people see dining room art sitting down.

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  Process · 6 min read

  Framed canvas, gallery wrap or glass framed print?

  The same image reads as three different pieces depending on its finish. What each one looks like, what it weighs, how it handles light, and which I'd choose for which room.

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  Layouts · 7 min read

  Gallery wall templates, measured

  Six gallery walls with every size worked out, one 3″ gap throughout, and the total footprint of each, so you know before you start whether it fits above your sofa, your bed or a bare wall.

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  Gifts · 5 min read

  Giving art as a gift, in Canada

  Art is a lovely gift and an easy one to get wrong. How to choose a size that fits any wall, why ready to ship is usually the right call, and what to know about timing, returns and the signature at the door.

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  Rooms · 5 min read

  Hallway and entryway art

  You see hallway art from a metre away, walking past, so smaller pieces in a row usually beat one big one. Plus the entry console, doors, switches and the narrowest walls in the house.

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  Sizing · 5 min read

  Horizontal, vertical or square?

  Match the shape of the space you're filling, not the room. When horizontal is right, when to go vertical, what a square does, and what "hangs both ways" means on our product pages.

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  Sizing · 7 min read

  How big should art be above a sofa?

  The two-thirds rule, the 6 to 10″ gap, and what to do when your wall doesn't follow the rules. Measured in inches, because that's how frames are sold in Canada.

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  Hanging · 6 min read

  How high should you hang art?

  The 57″ centre for a bare wall, 8″ above furniture, and what changes on stairs, under tall ceilings and with a group. One tape measure, one pencil, no guessing.

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  Care · 5 min read

  How to care for your wall art

  Out of direct sun, away from heat and damp, dusted dry. How to clean glass without damaging the print, what a Canadian winter does to frames, and how to move and store a piece.

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  Styling · 5 min read

  How to choose a frame

  Match the frame to the wood and metal already in the room before you match it to the art. Black, white, natural and dark wood, gold, silver, a floater or no frame at all, and when a mat helps.

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  Styling · 6 min read

  How to choose art to match your room's colours

  Take one colour from the room, not all of them. How to read warm and cool undertones, when to go neutral, when to go bold, and how to search our pieces by colour.

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  Sizing · 6 min read

  How to fill a large or tall wall

  An empty wall wants art about half to three-fifths of its width. Four ways to get there, from one big piece to a grid, and what to do with a wall that's tall rather than wide.

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  Sizing · 6 min read

  How to hang art above a fireplace

  Size it to the mantel, hang it 8″ above the shelf, or lean it there instead. And one check with the back of your hand before anything goes up over a fireplace you use.

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  Hanging · 6 min read

  How to hang heavy art

  Know the weight, find a stud or choose a rated anchor, use two hooks and a level. And what changes on old plaster and concrete condo walls.

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  Layouts · 6 min read

  How to hang pairs and triptychs

  The 3″ gap, lining panels up, the width that suits your sofa or bed, and when two pieces beat one big one. With the arithmetic for each.

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  Styling · 6 min read

  How to light art at home

  Warm white at 2700 to 3000K, a 30 degree angle from the ceiling, a picture light about half the frame's width, and how to keep glare off the glass and sun off the print.

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  Sizing · 6 min read

  How to measure your wall for art

  Two numbers matter most: the width between two fixed edges and the height from floor to ceiling. Here's where to put the tape, what else to write down, and how to photograph the wall so the measurements work.

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  Process · 6 min read

  Made to order, explained

  What happens at our Burlington studio between the day you order and the day the box arrives, why it takes weeks rather than days, and when ready to ship is the better choice.

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  Sizing · 6 min read

  What size art goes above a bed?

  Two-thirds to three-quarters of the bed's width, 8″ above the headboard, and nothing heavy or glazed hung loosely over someone asleep. The numbers for a twin, double, queen and king.