Which size fits which wall
The answer
Above a sofa, usually not on its own. A 50×70 cm print is 50 cm wide, and the usual rule of thumb is that a print covers two-thirds to three-quarters of the furniture below it. One sheet suits furniture 67 to 75 cm wide, such as a side table or a narrow chest. Over a sofa, a row of two or three does the job. The tables below do the sums for every size.
What size print goes above a sofa, a bed or a sideboard?
Measure the piece of furniture, then find the row whose figures bracket that measurement.
| Size | Sheet width | Covers three-quarters of | Covers two-thirds of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70×100 cm | 70 cm | 93 cm | 105 cm |
| 50×70 cm | 50 cm | 67 cm | 75 cm |
| 30×40 cm | 30 cm | 40 cm | 45 cm |
What if the furniture is wider than one sheet?
Then hang the sheets side by side. Once the furniture is wider than the largest sheet can cover, a row is the way to keep the proportion. The widths below are for the sheets alone. Any gap you leave between them adds to the span, so treat these figures as a minimum.
| Row | Sheets together | Covers three-quarters of | Covers two-thirds of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two × 70×100 cm | 140 cm | 187 cm | 210 cm |
| Two × 50×70 cm | 100 cm | 133 cm | 150 cm |
| Two × 30×40 cm | 60 cm | 80 cm | 90 cm |
| Three × 70×100 cm | 210 cm | 280 cm | 315 cm |
| Three × 50×70 cm | 150 cm | 200 cm | 225 cm |
| Three × 30×40 cm | 90 cm | 120 cm | 135 cm |
Which prints go together in a row?
A row looks like one piece when the prints belong together. The groups below are built from two things every print is filed under: its range, and the colour sampled from its file. They are worked out from the catalogue as it stands, so they change when new prints are added.
| Grouped by | The prints |
|---|---|
| Botanics in Warm and Yellow | Blossom, Mottle, Arch |
| Botanics in Yellow and Green | Blossom, Scrub, Grain |
| Ceramics in Blue | Streak, Sediment, Pewter |
| Ceramics in Teal | Clearing, Verge, Band |
| Ceramics in Teal and Blue | Sediment, Band, Ebb |
| Ceramics in Warm | Seam, Crust, Ochre |
| Ceramics in Warm and Yellow | Seam, Amber, Cream |
| Glacier in Teal and Blue | Swell, Cobalt, Relief |
| Impressions in Blue | Drift, Rise, Thread |
| Impressions in Teal | Scatter, Shoal, Undergrowth |
| Impressions in Warm | Ember, Gravel, Spark |
| Impressions in Warm and Yellow | Weave, Run, Spark |
| Patina in Blue | Husk, Overlap, Cinder |
| Patina in Warm | Blush, Vein, Furrow |
| Patina in Green, Blue and Purple | Ridge, Bruise, Strata |
| Patina in Warm and Blue | Vein, Fissure, Husk |
| Green and Blue | Streak, Pool, Lichen |
| Warm and Blue | Mottle, Coral, Streak |
| Warm and Teal | Coral, Band, Ochre |
| Warm, Yellow and Blue | Mottle, Sediment, Amber |
| Warm, Yellow and Teal | Mottle, Band, Cream |
| Yellow and Blue | Arch, Streak, Amber |
| Yellow, Blue and Purple | Rise, Run, Ridge |
| Yellow and Purple | Grain, Fleck, Divide |
| Yellow and Teal | Arch, Ebb, Cream |
| Green and Purple | Scrub, Fleck, Lichen |
| Ceramics in Warm and Teal | Clearing, Ebb, Crust |
| Ceramics in Warm, Teal and Blue | Band, Seam, Pewter |
| Ceramics in Warm, Yellow and Blue | Sediment, Crust, Cream |
| Ceramics in Warm, Yellow and Teal | Band, Crust, Amber |
| Ceramics in Yellow and Blue | Streak, Cream, Divide |
| Ceramics in Yellow, Teal and Blue | Ebb, Amber, Pewter |
| Impressions in Warm, Yellow and Blue | Ember, Thread, Weave |
| Green, Blue and Purple | Fleck, Pool, Rise |
| Warm, Teal and Blue | Sediment, Seam, Hollow |
| Yellow, Green and Blue | Scrub, Arch, Drift |
| Yellow, Green and Purple | Pool, Divide, Ridge |
| Yellow, Teal and Blue | Cream, Pewter, Hollow |
| Ceramics in Warm, Teal and Purple | Clearing, Seam, Fleck |
| Ceramics in Yellow, Teal and Purple | Verge, Fleck, Amber |
| Warm, Green and Blue | Mottle, Patch, Rise |
| Warm, Green and Purple | Patch, Coral, Fleck |
| Warm, Teal and Purple | Mottle, Speckle, Fleck |
| Yellow, Teal and Purple | Blossom, Speckle, Ridge |
How high should it hang?
With its centre 145 cm from the floor. The size drawings on every product page use the same height, and the size guide shows where the top and bottom edge of each size land.
Are the prints portrait or landscape?
Every sheet is portrait, taller than it is wide. For a wide, low space, such as above a sideboard or a headboard, a row works better than a single sheet.
The check worth doing before you order
Cut newspaper to the size, tape it to the wall at that height and leave it a day. It costs nothing and it answers the question better than any table can.