Size guide · By size

Every size, one at a time

Twenty-three sizes, each drawn twice: once against a six-foot person so you can see how big it is, and once above the piece of furniture it suits so you can see where it goes. Both drawings are built at one scale, so nothing on this page is flattering itself.

23 sizes · 46 drawings · all at one scale

Square sizes

18 by 18 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
18 by 18 inch canvas above a cane-topped stool
Where it goes — above a 24″ cane-topped stool.

18 × 18″ 46 × 46 cm · Square

The smallest thing we make, and it needs company. On its own above a stool it reads as a gesture rather than a picture; in a pair, a row of three, or a grid of four it becomes a wall. Buy it when you already know where the second one goes.

Canvas
18″ × 18″
Centimetres
46 × 46 cm
Hangs above
cane-topped stool, 24″ wide
Share of its back
77% of 23″
Centre height
40″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
8″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

20 by 20 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
20 by 20 inch canvas above a bedside table
Where it goes — above a 24″ bedside table.

20 × 20″ 51 × 51 cm · Square

Still a small square, but large enough to hold a wall on its own above a bedside table or a narrow chowki. This is the size for a corner nobody looks at directly - a landing, a passage, the wall beside a door.

Canvas
20″ × 20″
Centimetres
51 × 51 cm
Hangs above
bedside table, 24″ wide
Share of its back
83% of 24″
Centre height
40″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
9″

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24 by 24 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
24 by 24 inch canvas above a brass-topped table
Where it goes — above a 32″ brass-topped table.

24 × 24″ 61 × 61 cm · Square

The first square that works alone. Above a brass-topped table or a side cabinet it is the right weight for a seated room, and it is the size most often bought in threes for a stair wall.

Canvas
24″ × 24″
Centimetres
61 × 61 cm
Hangs above
brass-topped table, 32″ wide
Share of its back
75% of 32″
Centre height
44″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
6″

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30 by 30 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
30 by 30 inch canvas above a carved chest
Where it goes — above a 40″ carved chest.

30 × 30″ 76 × 76 cm · Square

A square with presence. It fills the wall above a chest or a low console without needing a partner, and it is the largest square most bedrooms can take above a bedside without crowding the headboard.

Canvas
30″ × 30″
Centimetres
76 × 76 cm
Hangs above
carved chest, 40″ wide
Share of its back
75% of 40″
Centre height
47″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
8″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

32 by 32 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
32 by 32 inch canvas above a carved chest
Where it goes — above a 40″ carved chest.

32 × 32″ 81 × 81 cm · Square

Half a step up from 30 x 30, and worth it when the furniture beneath is 40 inches or wider. If you are choosing between the two, measure the furniture: below 40 inches take the 30, above it take the 32.

Canvas
32″ × 32″
Centimetres
81 × 81 cm
Hangs above
carved chest, 40″ wide
Share of its back
80% of 40″
Centre height
48″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
8″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

36 by 36 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
36 by 36 inch canvas above a teak console
Where it goes — above a 48″ teak console.

36 × 36″ 91 × 91 cm · Square

The largest square in the ladder, and a room-defining piece. It belongs over a full console or a sideboard in a living room with some ceiling height - under a low ceiling it will sit uncomfortably close to the door header.

Canvas
36″ × 36″
Centimetres
91 × 91 cm
Hangs above
teak console, 48″ wide
Share of its back
75% of 48″
Centre height
57″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
8″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

Panoramic sizes

36 by 18 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
36 by 18 inch canvas above a carved console table
Where it goes — above a 48″ carved console table.

36 × 18″ 91 × 46 cm · Panoramic

The entry-level panoramic, and the one that fits above a console in a hallway without dominating it. Short enough that it clears a low ceiling, wide enough that it reads as a considered choice rather than a filler.

Canvas
36″ × 18″
Centimetres
91 × 46 cm
Hangs above
carved console table, 48″ wide
Share of its back
75% of 48″
Centre height
52″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
8″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

40 by 20 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
40 by 20 inch canvas above a carved wooden diwan
Where it goes — above a 72″ carved wooden diwan.

40 × 20″ 102 × 51 cm · Panoramic

The middle panoramic. It wants a piece with a real back beneath it - a diwan, a daybed, a sofa - rather than a table, because a piece this short hung over a table leaves a stretch of empty wall above it that the eye keeps finding.

Canvas
40″ × 20″
Centimetres
102 × 51 cm
Hangs above
carved wooden diwan, 72″ wide
Share of its back
79% of 51″
Centre height
50″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
8″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

48 by 24 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
48 by 24 inch canvas above a teak cane diwan
Where it goes — above a 72″ teak cane diwan.

48 × 24″ 122 × 61 cm · Panoramic

The panoramic most people should buy. Four feet of canvas is enough to hold a sofa wall or a bed wall on its own, and at two feet tall it stays well clear of the door header in a standard Indian room.

Canvas
48″ × 24″
Centimetres
122 × 61 cm
Hangs above
teak cane diwan, 72″ wide
Share of its back
81% of 60″
Centre height
55″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
8″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

Landscape sizes

30 by 20 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
30 by 20 inch canvas above a carved wooden bench
Where it goes — above a 48″ carved wooden bench.

30 × 20″ 76 × 51 cm · Landscape

A small landscape for a small wall - above a bench, a low chest, a writing desk. This is the size to choose when the wall is already busy and the picture is meant to settle it rather than lead it.

Canvas
30″ × 20″
Centimetres
76 × 51 cm
Hangs above
carved wooden bench, 48″ wide
Share of its back
71% of 42″
Centre height
49″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
8″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

36 by 24 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
36 by 24 inch canvas above a teak console
Where it goes — above a 48″ teak console.

36 × 24″ 91 × 61 cm · Landscape

If the guide had one recommendation, this would be it. Three feet of canvas over a 48-inch console is the most reliable pairing here, and 3:2 is the ratio most of our paintings were composed in.

Canvas
36″ × 24″
Centimetres
91 × 61 cm
Hangs above
teak console, 48″ wide
Share of its back
75% of 48″
Centre height
51″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
8″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

48 by 32 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
48 by 32 inch canvas above a 3-seat sofa
Where it goes — above a 72″ 3-seat sofa.

48 × 32″ 122 × 81 cm · Landscape

A large landscape, and a genuine statement over a three-seat sofa. It needs a wall with nothing else on it - a piece this size beside a mirror or a clock ends up arguing with it.

Canvas
48″ × 32″
Centimetres
122 × 81 cm
Hangs above
3-seat sofa, 72″ wide
Share of its back
83% of 58″
Centre height
54″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
8″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

Portrait sizes

20 by 30 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
20 by 30 inch canvas above a bedside table
Where it goes — above a 24″ bedside table.

20 × 30″ 51 × 76 cm · Portrait

The smallest upright portrait, and the answer to a narrow wall. It hangs happily above a bedside table, in the return beside a window, or in the strip between two doors where nothing else in the ladder will fit.

Canvas
20″ × 30″
Centimetres
51 × 76 cm
Hangs above
bedside table, 24″ wide
Share of its back
83% of 24″
Centre height
42″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
6″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

24 by 36 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
24 by 36 inch canvas above a brass-topped table
Where it goes — above a 32″ brass-topped table.

24 × 36″ 61 × 91 cm · Portrait

The portrait most people are picturing when they think of a canvas. It is large enough to be the subject of a wall and small enough to hang above a side cabinet without a second piece to balance it.

Canvas
24″ × 36″
Centimetres
61 × 91 cm
Hangs above
brass-topped table, 32″ wide
Share of its back
75% of 32″
Centre height
50″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
6″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

32 by 48 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
32 by 48 inch canvas above a wooden sandook chest
Where it goes — above a 48″ wooden sandook chest.

32 × 48″ 81 × 122 cm · Portrait

Four feet of upright canvas. This is a hall piece or a stair piece - somewhere with the height to take it - and it should sit above a chest or a sandook rather than float on an open wall.

Canvas
32″ × 48″
Centimetres
81 × 122 cm
Hangs above
wooden sandook chest, 48″ wide
Share of its back
67% of 48″
Centre height
55″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
8″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

Wide landscape sizes

24 by 18 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
24 by 18 inch canvas above a brass-topped table
Where it goes — above a 32″ brass-topped table.

24 × 18″ 61 × 46 cm · Wide landscape

The smallest wide landscape, and an unusually easy piece to place. Almost any table in the house takes it. Buy it for a study, a kitchen wall, or a guest room where the wall is short and the furniture is low.

Canvas
24″ × 18″
Centimetres
61 × 46 cm
Hangs above
brass-topped table, 32″ wide
Share of its back
75% of 32″
Centre height
41″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
6″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

32 by 24 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
32 by 24 inch canvas above a carved wooden bench
Where it goes — above a 48″ carved wooden bench.

32 × 24″ 81 × 61 cm · Wide landscape

A wide landscape with enough height to hold a wall above a bench or a carved chest. This is the shape to choose over 3:2 when the ceiling is low and the wall above the furniture is the whole event.

Canvas
32″ × 24″
Centimetres
81 × 61 cm
Hangs above
carved wooden bench, 48″ wide
Share of its back
76% of 42″
Centre height
51″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
8″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

40 by 30 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
40 by 30 inch canvas above a low wooden diwan
Where it goes — above a 66″ low wooden diwan.

40 × 30″ 102 × 76 cm · Wide landscape

A large 4:3, and the piece for a diwan. The extra height over a panoramic of the same width is what makes it read as a painting rather than a band, which matters in a traditionally furnished room.

Canvas
40″ × 30″
Centimetres
102 × 76 cm
Hangs above
low wooden diwan, 66″ wide
Share of its back
74% of 54″
Centre height
50″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
9″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

48 by 36 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
48 by 36 inch canvas above a 3-seat sofa
Where it goes — above a 72″ 3-seat sofa.

48 × 36″ 122 × 91 cm · Wide landscape

The largest wide landscape we make. It belongs above a three-seat sofa or a long diwan in a room with some air in it. In anything smaller it will be the only thing anyone sees.

Canvas
48″ × 36″
Centimetres
122 × 91 cm
Hangs above
3-seat sofa, 72″ wide
Share of its back
83% of 58″
Centre height
56″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
8″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

Upright sizes

18 by 24 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
18 by 24 inch canvas above a cane-topped stool
Where it goes — above a 24″ cane-topped stool.

18 × 24″ 46 × 61 cm · Upright

A small upright, and the natural bedside piece. It also works in a pair either side of a mirror, or in a column of two on a tall narrow wall. Alone on a wide wall it will look lost.

Canvas
18″ × 24″
Centimetres
46 × 61 cm
Hangs above
cane-topped stool, 24″ wide
Share of its back
77% of 23″
Centre height
41″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
6″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

24 by 32 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
24 by 32 inch canvas above a carved side cabinet
Where it goes — above a 32″ carved side cabinet.

24 × 32″ 61 × 81 cm · Upright

An upright with enough weight to stand alone above a side cabinet or a carved chest. This is the size for a reading corner, an entrance nook, or the wall beside a stair.

Canvas
24″ × 32″
Centimetres
61 × 81 cm
Hangs above
carved side cabinet, 32″ wide
Share of its back
75% of 32″
Centre height
44″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
6″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

30 by 40 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
30 by 40 inch canvas above a woven manji bench
Where it goes — above a 40″ woven manji bench.

30 × 40″ 76 × 102 cm · Upright

A substantial upright. Over a manji or a bench it fills the wall properly, and it is tall enough to draw the eye up in a room with height to spare.

Canvas
30″ × 40″
Centimetres
76 × 102 cm
Hangs above
woven manji bench, 40″ wide
Share of its back
83% of 36″
Centre height
47″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
8″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

36 by 48 inch canvas compared to a six foot person
How big it is — against a six-foot person.
36 by 48 inch canvas above a wooden sandook chest
Where it goes — above a 48″ wooden sandook chest.

36 × 48″ 91 × 122 cm · Upright

The largest upright in the ladder. Three feet by four is a hall piece: it wants a sandook or a full chest beneath it and a wall with nothing else on it.

Canvas
36″ × 48″
Centimetres
91 × 122 cm
Hangs above
wooden sandook chest, 48″ wide
Share of its back
75% of 48″
Centre height
55″ from the floor
Gap above furniture
8″

Back to the index ↑  ·  Other sizes for this furniture

The other two ways in

Start with your furniture

You know what it will hang over. Measure the back of it, and we will tell you which sizes fit.

Find sizes by furniture →

Start with the shape

The wall is wide, or narrow, or square, and you want to know which shape it wants.

Compare the six shapes →

Furniture shown throughout is for scale only and is not included with any canvas. Every drawing is built at a single pixels-per-inch. How these drawings are made.