Art & walls·14 guides
Paintings, canvases and art at home
Hanging a work follows a few simple rules of height, size and light, which these guides set out room by room.
They also cover what separates a one-off canvas from a reproduction, what a certificate of authenticity is for and how to look after an acrylic painting.
IS × SEY Maison: why a ceiling-light house presents unique canvases, and how the first collection was built
Six canvases signed IS, numbered 1 to 6, each in a single copy. What the collaboration means for a house that usually looks after the ceiling, the choices made to present it, and what the person acquiring one receives.
A panoramic painting in a corridor or entrance: the format that dresses narrow walls
Corridors and entrances have long, low walls, where a square painting looks lost. The panoramic format, twice as wide as high, finds its place there: at what height, how far from the door, and with what lighting.
Caring for an acrylic canvas: dusting, protecting, moving, without ever damaging it
An acrylic canvas keeps for decades with almost nothing: a dry brush twice a year, a wall without direct sun or damp, and a few moves to know for taking it down or moving house.
Silhouettes, shadows and warm tones: the decor trend putting the human figure back on the wall
After years of geometric abstraction, the figure returns as silhouettes and cast shadows, in ochre, brown and gold palettes. Where the trend comes from, why it pleases, and how to hang it at home.
Giving a unique artwork: the gift that compares to nothing else
A mass-produced object can be replaced; a unique canvas cannot. Why a numbered artwork is the most memorable gift for a wedding, a housewarming or a birthday, and how to choose it without going wrong.
Lighting a painting at home: colour temperature, angle and intensity that respect the canvas
A canvas changes face depending on the light that hits it. Which colour temperature to choose, at what angle, at what intensity, and how a dimmable three-white ceiling light replaces the gallery spot.
Gallery wall or a single canvas: which to choose for your living room, and why empty space matters
Gallery wall of frames or a single work: reading, upkeep, evolution over time, value. The honest comparison and the empty-space rule around a unique canvas.
Which painting for a bedroom: calming colours, subjects that help you sleep, placement facing the bed
The bedroom painting is the last image seen at night. Warm or cool colours, calm subjects, format, facing the bed or above it, and the light that goes with it.
Which painting above the sofa: format, height, orientation, the method in four measurements
The wall above the sofa is the most looked-at in the house. Size relative to sofa width, height of the frame bottom, landscape or portrait, one or two canvases: the method.
Buying your first work of art: the guide to starting a collection without mistakes
First original work: what budget, what format, where to buy, how to verify authenticity, and why the rule is to choose with the heart, then check with the head.
An artwork's certificate of authenticity: what it is really for and what it must contain
A painting's certificate of authenticity: what it guarantees, the five essential details, what it changes at resale, and why a canvas without one is worth less.
Composing a room from wall to ceiling: the two focal points rule
A successful room has two focal points: one on the wall, one on the ceiling. How to choose them, match them, and avoid the room that has only furniture.
Original canvas or reproduction: what you really buy when you hang a painting
Poster, canvas print, numbered edition, original work: the four levels, what they are worth, how they age, and when a unique piece becomes the right choice.
Hanging a painting at the right height: the museum rule, room by room
How high to hang a painting? The 145 cm rule, the exceptions above a sofa or a bed, and the role of the ceiling light in the composition.
From reading to choosing