Furniture gets replaced every few years, paint every few years after that, but blank walls tend to stay blank. That is a shame, because wall décor is the cheapest way to make a room feel finished — and the easiest to get wrong.
Three mistakes account for almost every awkward-looking wall: art hung too high, art that is too small for the wall, and pieces spread too far apart.
The rules that matter
- Hang at eye level. The centre of the artwork should sit about 57 to 60 inches from the floor. Most people hang a good six inches higher than this, which makes the wall look top-heavy.
- Relate it to the furniture, not the wall. Above a sofa or bed, the arrangement should span roughly two thirds of the furniture's width. A small frame over a large sofa looks lost.
- Keep the gaps tight. Two to three inches between frames reads as one composition. Six inches reads as separate objects that happen to share a wall.
- Leave breathing room below. Six to ten inches between the top of the sofa and the bottom of the frame.
Arrangements that work
- Grid: identical frames in even rows and columns. Calm, formal and the most forgiving to hang, because every gap is the same.
- One large piece: the simplest solution over a bed. One big piece always beats three small ones that do not relate to each other.
- Gallery wall: mixed sizes around a central anchor piece. Lay it out on the floor first and photograph it before touching the wall.
- Vertical column: two or three pieces stacked, good for narrow walls beside a door or in a hallway.
- Leaning: a large frame resting on a console or shelf. No holes, and easy to change.
Ideas for rented homes
Many families in Pakistan rent, and landlords are rarely happy about drilled walls. Options that do not need nails:
- Self-adhesive wall tiles. They peel and stick, cover a wide area quickly and come off without taking paint with them. Our set of 6 sticky wall art tiles is made for exactly this.
- Leaning frames on shelves, consoles and mantelpieces.
- Fabric as art: a framed dupatta, block print or piece of ralli work is genuinely local and costs very little.
- Mirrors instead of art on a dark wall: they bounce light and make a small room feel larger.
Choosing what goes on the wall
Pick one theme for a room and stay with it. Mixed calligraphy, landscape photos and abstract prints on one wall fight each other. Popular choices in Pakistani homes:
- Calligraphy — traditional, works in a lounge or entrance.
- Botanicals and leaves — soft, suits bedrooms and rooms with wooden furniture.
- Geometric patterns — modern, and they echo the borders on printed bedding.
- Family photographs — best in a hallway or stairwell rather than the formal drawing room.
See our full wall art collection and the home décor range for shelf pieces that finish a room.
Room by room
| Room | What works | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Drawing room | One large piece or a symmetrical pair above the sofa | Many small frames scattered high on the wall |
| Bedroom | Calm subjects above the bed, hung low and wide | Heavy frames directly over the pillows |
| Dining room | A grid or a mirror | Anything that competes with the table setting |
| Hallway | A vertical column or photo gallery | Pieces so deep that people brush them walking past |
| Children's room | Peel-and-stick tiles you can change cheaply | Glass frames at child height |
Finishing the room
Wall art rarely works alone. A room reads as "decorated" when two or three things agree: the art, the cushions and one object on a shelf or table. Our cushion styling guide covers the second of those, and a single décor showpiece or a table lamp usually covers the third.
Frequently asked questions
How high should wall art be hung?
Centre the piece about 57 to 60 inches from the floor, which is average eye level. Above furniture, leave six to ten inches between the furniture and the bottom of the frame.
What size art goes above a sofa or bed?
The arrangement should be about two thirds the width of the furniture below it. One large piece or a tight group is better than a single small frame.
How do I decorate walls without drilling?
Self-adhesive wall tiles, leaning frames on shelves and consoles, and removable hooks all avoid holes, which matters in a rented house.
Do sticky wall tiles damage paint?
They are designed to peel off cleanly. Remove them slowly and evenly rather than pulling from one corner, especially on emulsion paint.
Do you deliver across Pakistan?
Yes, free delivery all over Pakistan with cash on delivery, usually in 3 to 5 working days.
