The dining room is the one room where everyone looks at the walls for an hour at a time, sitting still. That makes it a good place for a piece you want to really look at, and it changes a couple of the usual rules.
How big should art be above a sideboard?
Two-thirds to three-quarters of the sideboard's width, the same proportion as above a sofa. A 72″ (183 cm) sideboard takes 48 to 54″ (122 to 137 cm) of art; a 60″ (152 cm) one, 40 to 45″ (102 to 114 cm). A pair side by side with a 3″ (8 cm) gap counts as one width.
Hang the bottom edge 8″ (20 cm) above the top of the sideboard; 6 to 10″ works. If lamps or a bowl stand on it, let them overlap the frame a little rather than lifting the art above them.
What about the wall behind the table?
If the table runs parallel to the wall, size the art to the table, not the wall: about two-thirds of the table's length. A 72″ table wants about 48″ of art. If there's no furniture against the wall, centre the art on the table, not on the wall, so it lines up with the place everyone sits.
Height on a bare dining wall is still 57″ (145 cm) to the centre. That might feel high when you're seated, but a dining room is also walked through and seen from the next room, and 57″ keeps the art in line with the rest of the house. What does change is how close people sit: a chair pushed back can touch the wall, so keep the bottom edge clear of the top of the chair backs.
What suits a dining room?
Pieces that reward a long look. A dining table is the one place guests sit facing a wall for an hour, so detail, texture and subject matter you can talk about earn their place here more than anywhere else. Still lifes are the classic choice for a reason; landscapes and botanicals work just as well.
Practical things matter too:
- Glare. A glass framed print opposite a window or under a pendant light can turn into a mirror at dinner time. Stand where you'd sit, at the hour you eat, and look before you choose glass.
- Splashes. Art right behind a sideboard used as a serving station gets the odd splash. A canvas, or a glass framed print you can wipe, is easier than a paper print in a thin frame.
- Light. A dimmed room at dinner flattens a dark piece. Pieces with lighter grounds read better by candlelight; a picture light helps the others. See how to light art.
One large piece or a series?
A single large piece above a sideboard is the easiest answer. A series of two, three or four botanicals or still lifes in matching frames, hung in a row with equal gaps, is the classic dining room look, and it's easy to extend later. Keep the whole row inside the two-thirds rule and treat it as one piece when you centre it. Pairs and triptychs has the spacing.
Next step
Measure the sideboard or table, then see the piece at approximate scale in Your Blank Wall. Botanicals, a dining room favourite, are in Botanicals.
Questions we get asked
Treat the dining area as its own room: size to its sideboard or table, not to the full width of the open-plan wall. If the dining wall is also seen from the sofa, check the piece from there too.
It should get along with it, not match it. If the two spaces are open to each other, keep the frames in the same family, say all wood or all black, and let the images differ.
I wouldn't. Rising heat dries out paper and frames over the years. The care guide has more.