Decorating with canvas pictures
Showcase your style with canvas pictures
Canvas pictures are excellent to add even more emphasis to your individual style. We will let you into the secret of the impact canvas pictures can have in the right place and how they can add variety to your home. Very simple, great value and a good match for the wallpaper and the rest of the interior design.
Content:
- Which walls are suitable for canvas pictures?
- Canvas pictures vs photo wallpapers
- How do I decorate a sofa with canvas pictures and cushions?
- Which motif is suitable for a canvas picture?
- Do canvas prints work well in the kitchen?
- Which motifs work well for canvas prints for the office?
- Which motifs should you choose for canvas prints for the bedroom?
- Which canvas prints work in the kids’ room?
- How do I design a wall with several canvas pictures?
Which wall is suitable for a canvas picture?
In principle, all walls are suitable for a canvas picture. But that’s only in principle. There are a few things to keep in mind to ensure that canvas pictures look their best. The most important criteria are as follows:
- the size of the wall
- the pattern and texture of the wall
- other objects on the wall
Canvas pictures on large and small walls
Canvas pictures need space to look their best and display their full splendour. If there is only a little space to the left and right to the nearest walls, even the most beautiful works of art on canvas look squashed and squeezed.
This is the case in a small hallway, for example. A large canvas print would probably look out of place here. The wall height also plays a role. In a room with low ceilings, large pictures on stretcher frames do not always achieve the desired effect.
Important: The opposite wall should be at the appropriate distance so that you can enjoy the canvas prints without having to put your reading glasses on. In a narrow hallway, it’s not quite that simple.
Canvas pictures vs patterns and texture
As a general rule: The more neutral a wall is, the easier it is to put a canvas picture on it. White plaster or woodchip wallpaper? There’s no question that this will work. However, when used with single-colour wallpapers, the colours featured in the stretcher frame picture should fit with the wallpaper.
It becomes more difficult with patterned wallpapers. Here, an additional frame with a passe-partout will help to emphasise the canvas picture sufficiently. But it will be tricky if the patterns are very busy or dominant.
TIP 1: If possible, hang a matching canvas picture on the adjoining or opposite wall of such patterned wallpapered walls. This will allow you to create an interesting dialogue between the wallpaper and the picture. Incidentally, the same also applies to strongly object-based walls, for example, brick or natural stone.
TIP 2: Don’t hang them, simply lean them against the wall, for example, on the floor or on a sideboard. This will give the canvas picture an object-like character so that it does not look like it works against the pattern of the wallpaper. Carefully selected art prints on canvas can harmonise well with the wall when carefully selected and matched.
Canvas pictures vs other objects on the wall
This includes the furniture, for one thing. For example, in the living room: If there is a tall cupboard to the right and left, a canvas picture in the living room will lose its impressive effect. There is rarely any problem with positioning canvas pictures above the sofa. The same goes for above the bed in the bedroom.
Canvas pictures vs photo wallpapers
Photo wallpapers and canvas pictures?
Photo wallpapers and canvas pictures? That sounds like competition. After all, a photo wallpaper is a picture that takes up the entire wall. And why would you hang a picture on top of a picture?
Correct. But on the one hand, not every photo wallpaper looks like a picture. And for those that do look like a picture, you don’t need to hang the stretcher frame pictures on the photo wallpaper itself. How can we make canvas pictures harmonise with a photo wallpaper?
Which photo wallpapers can be paired with a canvas picture?
As a general rule: The less representational and the more uniform the motif of the photo wallpaper, the easier it will be to successfully pair it with a canvas picture.
Example 1: A suitable canvas print will be very welcome on a concrete-look photo wallpaper.
Example 2: On a stylish and light marble wallpaper with a discreet structure, a canvas picture with a rose motif can look really fantastic.
Canvas pictures and photo wallpaper with strong motifs
But what if you have chosen a photo wallpaper with a very realistic motif? For example, a beach? Here you have two options for using canvas pictures.
Option 1: The dialogue of the room
Look for a different wall in the room for a canvas picture, either an adjacent wall or the opposite wall. Select a suitable motif, either another beach image or an art print on canvas, with a maritime motif. Decorate the room with other accessories from the same theme, for example, with matching decorative cushions. And with just a few items, you’ve created a perfectly harmonious atmosphere in the room.
Style tip: We have designed identical canvas prints for a few of our most popular wallpapers. For example, for our marble motifs or the opulent rose motifs. When positioned on the wall opposite the photo wallpaper, they reflect the motif, intensifying the effect. A very popular look!
Option 2: Emphasise the character of the canvas print as an object
Do you hang a picture? You don’t have to. Simply place it somewhere. In this way, the canvas picture looks like an object and stands out clearly from the motif on the wall. Both should naturally harmonise, either in unison or as an interesting contrast.
For example, you could lean the canvas print on the floor against the wall or place it on the sideboard. Or you could position it a little way in front of the wall, for example, leaning on a box or on an old chair.
Practical: Stretcher frame pictures can simply be stood up. Thanks to the solid stretcher frame, it is stable enough not to be blown over by a gust of wind. And even if it does fall over, no harm will usually be done. There is no glass to break.
How do I decorate a sofa with a canvas picture and cushions?
Canvas pictures for the living room are classics. No wonder. On the one hand, it’s your room where you can switch off with some music, television or a good book. A beautiful image of nature or a canvas art print creates the right atmosphere.
On the other hand, the living room is generally speaking the room in your flat or house that represents you the most. Your guests should feel a sense of well-being in this room – and also admire you a little for your interior design and decorating skills. Here, we can reveal to you how to achieve this with canvas prints and decorative cushions with great ease.
Canvas picture above the sofa
The wall above the sofa is the ideal spot for large pictures in the living room. The simple reason is that the wall is usually empty there. Other walls are often occupied with cupboards, large windows, or they aren’t available at all because the living room and dining room are one room. And the wall with the television? No way! Canvas pictures in the living room don’t look right when positioned next to flickering sources of competition.
Bring sofas and canvas pictures into harmony
The sofa is, therefore, the number one criterion when selecting the right canvas print. First of all, the format: landscape format, the same as the sofa. The image should at least harmonise with the colour of the sofa and preferably also with the texture of the fabric.
If you have a very special sofa, very special canvas pictures will be the right fit. An Italian designer sofa will look good with very modern living room pictures. An old English-style sofa will probably work best with a more romantic look, for example floral canvas pictures.
Naturally, you can also intentionally break up the cosy harmony. Granny’s sofa with an octopus or a love heart – why not? Art prints on canvas don’t cost the earth and are quick to replace. Just in case Granny doesn’t like love hearts.
Sofas, sofa cushions and canvas pictures
Yet another reason why canvas pictures for the living room belong above the sofa: Decorative cushions. With the help of decorative cushions, you can emphasise the impact of your images even further. For example, you can pick up the colours in the cushions with a stretcher frame picture. Alternatively, you can reflect the motif in the picture with the cushions, for example, a graphic plant motif with a matching cushion featuring a plant motif.
Of course, the decorative cushions also need to match the sofa. And the canvas pictures for the living room should also harmonise in colour, texture and style.
Which motif is suitable for a canvas picture?
Fundamentally, all motifs are suitable for canvas pictures. The main thing is that you like it. But as soon as you need to make a specific choice, it looks different. That’s because when you ask ‘where’, you also have to ask ‘what’ again.
Ultimately the place has a significant influence on what we think is suitable and what we don’t. A canvas print of a pickled gherkin might fit in the kitchen, but not above your bed. But let’s stick with the living room and dining room now.
Canvas pictures for the living room and dining room
Like the living room, the dining room is one of the rooms that represents you. Here, you will meet with your friends and chat with your relatives over coffee and cake. That’s a good enough reason to create a happy environment for both yourself and your loved ones with beautiful canvas pictures – and to impress them too.
Canvas prints above the dining table
Here, anything with the slightest link to food and table decoration will work. Splendid motifs that recall the still life paintings of old Dutch masters are very popular above the dining table. For example, these canvas art prints featuring orchids, roses and hortensias.
You can also choose canvas prints that suit your table crockery, tablecloth and napkins. For example, this art print is suitable for the popular classic porcelain series featuring bird motifs.
Canvas pictures in the living room
The living room is the place where your personal tastes are most strongly represented. In other words: Show what makes you different and what interests you. Are you a car freak? Then stretcher frame pictures with cars are your thing. Do you love music? Then let it show with a suitable art print on canvas.
Not everyone wants to see their hobbies displayed on the wall. Anyone who is looking for pictures for a modern living room should also think about abstract paintings. The pared-back, non-object based design language fits very well with the clear shapes and straight lines of modern living room furniture.
People who love nature will probably be looking out for nature-related pictures. If you have turned your living room into a mini jungle with scheffleras, yukkas, orchids and other plants, you can emphasise this with corresponding canvas pictures with nature motifs.
Whichever motif you choose: always ensure that the colours of your canvas picture harmonise with the colours of your furniture, walls, floors and curtains.
Do canvas prints work well in the kitchen?
Canvas pictures and kitchens, are they a good fit? We will reply with a clear ‘Yes, but..’. Of course, the days in which mothers worked hard in the kitchen, all alone and unseen, are luckily long gone. The kitchen is now a social place and has been for some time. We cook together as a couple in our kitchen or with our dear friends, and every party starts and finishes there.
You’ll probably also like to show your kitchen off if you’ve done it up with a great design and equipment. You should have at least one stretcher frame picture in there, shouldn’t you? Nonetheless, there are a few things to consider.
Which canvas pictures are a good fit for the kitchen?
Anything that has to do with eating or drinking and for which there is space on a stretcher frame picture is also a great fit for the kitchen. This stylish picture of a woman drinking coffee , for example. Or what about some fresh fish? Motivational quotations could also be a good choice, for example, if your hollandaise sauce hasn’t worked yet again.
Canvas pictures for kitchens with a themed interior design
If you’re using a specific theme world for the design of your kitchen, you can highlight this with a canvas art print. A kitchen on a maritime theme can be simply adorned with motifs featuring beaches and oceans.
If you’re looking to recreate Caribbean flair, a canvas print of a beach bar will look great behind your mojito station. You can adorn a well-loved English country style kitchen with stylish drawings depicting nature or – for a simple yet refined option – our marble pictures.
The right place for canvas prints is in the kitchen
But it isn’t always easy to place a large canvas picture in the kitchen. After all, not every home has a dream kitchen like those which gleam in catalogues and glossy magazines. Where should this beautiful canvas picture go?
The area above the cooker is a no-go simply because of the possibility of grease and sauce splashes. The fire hazard must also not be underestimated, especially if you enjoy making flambé dishes. The area over the sink is also not allowed.
To the right and left of the window, there is unlikely to be a lot of space. A huge fridge, plenty of cupboard space – bah! Perhaps you could place a vertical canvas picture next to the door? Or in an open-plan kitchen, in the place where the kitchen and dining area meet. That could work.
Which motifs work well for canvas prints in the office?
Canvas pictures for the office always have at least one dual function. On the one hand, they lighten up what would otherwise be a very serious and concentrated working environment. On the other hand, they generally also fulfil some sort of representative purpose, sometimes more, sometimes less. And sometimes, they are also a good conversation starter.
Canvas pictures for your home office
You have relatively free reign when it comes to choosing a picture for your home office. If you often participate in video conferences, you can use a canvas picture as a more solid background than artificial digital backgrounds. When selecting a motif, it depends on what image of yourself you want to portray.
The only motifs you should avoid are those that are too evocative of holidays. You don’t want your colleagues to become envious. Studies have shown that this makes us yearn for our next holiday more – reducing the pleasure we take in our work.
Canvas prints for offices that are not open to customers
In this case, almost anything that doesn’t undermine morale at work is allowed. So very little, then! Joking aside, most stretcher frame pictures are entirely innocuous. But you have to be aware that the powers that be might veto it, and then the canvas picture has to come down again. However, no one can object to a wise saying, can they?
Canvas pictures for offices which are open to customers
You won’t have quite as much freedom when selecting your motif in this case. As soon as customers enter your office, everything in it represents the company you work for. This also goes for the canvas pictures. At the very least, it mustn’t run counter to the company ethos. For this reason, more discreet, unobtrusive motifs are suitable here.
Pictures often provide a good way of starting up relaxed small talk – if you’re well prepared. If the canvas pictures are abstract, for example, you might often get questions about what it’s supposed to represent. There’s no harm in having a suitable story ready to tell. If the canvas pictures depict flowers, it’s not a bad idea to know what type they are.
Many customers find it easier to chat about things they already have some relationship with. As a conversation starter, canvas prints featuring well-known cities such as London, Paris or New York are suitable. That’s assuming you’ve been there yourself!
Canvas prints are very popular in the bedroom. The most popular space for them is directly over the bed. They enhance the atmosphere of this very private space. You should also be very careful when selecting the motif. For that reason, here are some general tips before we move on to motif suggestions.
General tips for canvas pictures in the bedroom
Tip 1: Select motifs with a calming colour scheme. Motifs with two or a maximum of three main colours in an organic arrangement. Bright colours are no problem when they are natural in origin.
Tip 2: Choose clear motifs. This means anything that is restful for the eye. Canvas prints with just a few elements, curved lines, organic depictions of nature. Broken lines, an unnaturally chaotic image composition or images with lots of different elements look restless.
Tip 3: Choose canvas pictures that go well with the rest of the interior. This means the furniture, the curtains, the bedlinen, the throw and the stripes on your pyjamas. Decorative cushions can enhance the atmosphere created by the picture. Find out more below.
Canvas pictures with calming motifs
Motifs that radiate a certain calm and serenity are very popular amongst bedroom motifs. What that means for you naturally depends on what type of person you are and your preferences. One person will find misty hills relaxing, whilst others will find peace in oriental-inspired motifs.
Canvas prints with romantic motifs
Romantic motifs are also very popular. Atmospheric forest scenes highlight a sensitive environment, splendid floral bouquets add a subtle hint of eroticism, whereas stretcher frame pictures featuring motifs of summery poppy fields create a lively and easygoing atmosphere.
Art prints on canvas
If romanticism and meditation don’t do it for you, you may prefer artistic motifs. Abstract paintings are very popular, as are antique-related representations. Drawings featuring scenes of nature are amongst the favourites for above the bed.
Combine canvas pictures with decorative cushions in the bedroom
You can increase the impact of a canvas picture on the atmosphere of the bedroom even more by combining the picture with the matching decorative cushion. For example, along with the floral bouquets we mentioned, at new-walls.com you will also find the corresponding cushion covers with floral motifs. Or you can recall the colour scheme of the various single-colour cushions on the canvas print. Once everything has been arranged to fit with the rest of the interior design, this will create a generally harmonious atmosphere for your very private place of well-being.
Which canvas prints work in the kids’ room?
Children like things colourful, funny, fantastic, stimulating and dream-like. Of course, it all depends on the child’s character. The main thing is that it’s not boring. This is no simple task for a canvas picture. But simple is also boring.
Canvas pictures for young children
They don’t have to be particularly evocative. The main thing is to look colourful and joyful. Joyful patterns or funny drawings of animals are hits with little kids. If you want to bring your interest in art into play, this is perfectly possible here. Bright and colourful art prints on canvas will bring so much fun into the children’s room. You will also find matching wallpapers.
Canvas pictures with dream landscapes
Images stimulate the imagination and promote creativity. Dream landscapes offer an ideal starting point. They might, for example, be forests, whether with an artistic or realistic expression. But urban landscapes also invite you to dream, too.
Canvas pictures featuring animals for girls
Lots of girls have a flamingo phase, at least at some point in their lives. During this phase, the elegant birds with their beautiful pink plumage and funny beaks are emblazoned on just about everything belonging to that little girl. In other words: at some point, canvas pictures with a flamingo motif will be a must-have item. The matching flamingo wallpaper is also needed to complete the craziness.
The horse phase is almost as common as the flamingo phase, also often of the unicorn variety, either one after the other or at the same time. Both are very good, popular motifs for canvas pictures.
Canvas pictures featuring animals for boys
Boys usually like things a little more robust. Pictures of large predatory cats, wolves or bulls. But be careful: Dangerous animals can scare boys too. Before making your choice, it’s best to discuss it with your child.
Tip: Anthropomorphised pictures make the danger seem milder and will also plant the seed for a tale that the child can continue to tell. Such as this rebel tiger. Create the perfect atmosphere with the matching jungle wallpaper.
How do I design a wall with several canvas pictures?
Would you like to group several canvas pictures together? Or you already have pictures, and now you want to add a canvas picture? There are plenty of exciting options here:
1. Hang them in a grid formation
We also call this arrangement the chessboard pattern. This gives a clear impression: there is a strict order to everything: The pictures are all the same size and are at the same distance from one another. You can even enhance the effect by adding another identical criterion, for example, all canvas pictures in the same colour or with similar motifs.
2. Salon hang
This is the exact opposite of hanging in a grid formation. You can decorate a whole wall with this organised chaos. You will be hanging many different pictures close together. These could be canvas prints but also pictures with frames. The distance between the pictures should be between 5 and 15 cm. Take care: A greater distance can mean that it no longer looks like a group formation.
Organised chaos can have many different aspects in common. For example, the same frame type, similar motifs or the same colour scheme. Don’t create too much order; the charm is in the intentional muddle.
Tip: Before hanging the pictures, lay them out on the floor. Or cut paper templates of the pictures and attach them to the wall with removable tape. You can try different things out until you’ve found your favourite arrangement.
3. Aligning canvas pictures along a line
Here you align canvas prints of different sizes or formats along an imaginary line. Horizontally, this is either the top edge, the bottom edge or the centre of the image. The effect is always different: aligned at the top edge, the canvas pictures seem to hang as if on a line, at the bottom edge as if standing on an invisible board. When aligned to the central axis, the pictures literally float on the wall.
This works vertically, too, naturally with a different effect. Here the axes are to the left, right or centre. The vertical axis emphasises the height of the room. Another interesting option, but which is also more difficult, is the diagonal alignment. This is particularly popular for staircases.
4. Hanging in an specific format
The principle for creating order here is a geometric shape. The simplest kind is a right angle or a square. Round shapes such as circles or ovals are more difficult to create. The funny thing about it is that canvas pictures of various sizes come together in the frame to create a new shape. Thus they hang in an imaginary frame, so to speak – creating an astonishing effect. You can try out your arrangement for this on the floor too, or with paper templates.
