By the DROOL team · 6 min read
Most men's flats have the same problem. A good sofa, a decent TV, and a wall that's been blank since the move. Sometimes there's one small poster, hung too high, held up with tape. This guide fixes that: what to hang, how big to go, how high to hang it, and how to make several pieces look like a plan rather than an accident.
The short version: pick subjects you genuinely care about, keep the palette to two or three colours, and go bigger than feels comfortable. Above a sofa, art should span roughly two-thirds of its width. Hang it with the centre about 145–150 cm from the floor, or with the bottom edge 15–25 cm above the sofa back.
1. Start with what you're into, not what "men's art" is meant to be
Forget the stag-head-and-whisky-barrel brief. The best walls are personal. Start from your interests and the art will follow:
- Cars: car photography and illustration, from Porsche Paradise by Deston Isas to LEGEND 86 by Todd Pham. More in car art prints.
- Music: club-night graphics and record-shop type, like Support Your Local Record Store by Jérôme Bizien or Acid Techno by Ignorance1. Pair them with a turntable: here's how to design a vinyl corner.
- Design: Bauhaus and Swiss-style graphics such as Apollo 11 by Duane Dalton or CORBU by Przemek Bizoń.
- Cities and travel: TOKYO DSN by George Kempster and New York Underpass by Rob Crosby.
- Sport: Blue Boxing by Joseph Carway or Bridge Basketball by Matej Sefcik.
Not sure what you like? The art finder quiz takes a couple of minutes. Or browse our wall art for men edit, where all of the above live together.
2. Get the size right (the mistake almost everyone makes)
Small art on a big wall looks like an afterthought. Use these rules of thumb:
| Where | Wall or furniture width | What works |
|---|---|---|
| Above a 2-seater sofa | 150–180 cm | One A0 (84 x 119 cm), or a pair of A1s (59.4 x 84.1 cm each) with a 5–8 cm gap |
| Above a 3-seater sofa | 200–230 cm | Three A2s in a row, a pair of A1s, or one 100 cm+ piece |
| Above a double bed | 135–150 cm | A pair of A2s (42 x 59.4 cm) or one 50 x 70 cm landscape |
| Above a king bed | 150–180 cm | A pair of 50 x 70 cm prints or one A1 or A0 in landscape |
| Desk or console | 100–140 cm | One A2 or 50 x 70 cm; a stack of two A3s for narrow walls |
| Hallway | Narrow, viewed close | A vertical line of three A3s, or a skate deck plus two A4s |
Two rules to keep in your head:
- Two-thirds. Art, or a group of art, should be about two-thirds the width of the furniture beneath it.
- Frames add width. Allow a few centimetres each side when you measure. Exact print dimensions are in our size guide.
For the big pieces, browse XL prints. Many prints in our men's edit go up to A0, including Skyline Fever, NINE TO FIVE and Freiheit.
3. Hang it at the right height
- Free wall: centre of the art at 145–150 cm from the floor. That's roughly eye level, and the standard galleries work to.
- Above a sofa: bottom edge 15–25 cm above the sofa back. Any higher and the art floats off on its own.
- Above a bed: bottom edge 15–30 cm above the headboard.
- Groups: treat the whole group as one piece and put its centre at 145–150 cm.
Renting? Strong adhesive strips work for lightweight framed prints, typically A3 and smaller; check the weight rating. For anything heavier, ask your landlord about picture hooks. More renter tips in the 3 best decor tips for decorating rentals.
4. Frames: black, natural or white?
Every DROOL print is available framed in black, white or natural wood, or unframed if you have your own.
- Black: the default for this look. It sharpens graphic and typographic prints and grounds colourful car photography.
- Natural wood: warms up grey, concrete or industrial rooms. Lovely with Japanese subjects like Japanese Beer by Qi Ren.
- White: best on white walls when you want the art to do the talking, as with pastel car shots like Pink F40 by 6.tiff.
Rule: one frame colour per wall. Mixing is possible, but it's harder than it looks.
5. Pick a palette and stick to it
A mixed wall looks expensive when the colours agree. Four palettes that work in men's spaces:
- Monochrome plus one. Black, white, grey and a single accent (red is classic). Try 1984 by Meindl Taxer with ROSSO by Gregory Tauziac. More in black and white prints, and here's how to use an achromatic scheme.
- Night drive. Deep blues, neon pinks and sodium orange, ideal for JDM and Tokyo prints: Neo-Tokyo by Todd Pham, Tokyo Taxi by Anthony Sotomayor and Drift Noir by dolorsilentium. Works best on dark walls.
- Racing heritage. Cream, racing red, petrol blue and warm black. Think Before The Race in Imola by 6.tiff and Vintage Porsche by Korbinian Grad, in natural frames.
- Bauhaus primaries. Red, yellow and blue on off-white: Apollo 11, Logo Archive No.8 and Everything in its right place by Linus Lohoff, in black frames.
6. Three gallery wall layouts that work
The grid (six frames, 2 rows x 3). Same size, same frame, 5 cm gaps. Six A3s make a block of roughly 110 x 90 cm, about right above a 3-seater. Best for a series, such as car shots or type prints, and the easiest to get right.
The line (three frames). Three A2s or 50 x 70s, centres level, 6–8 cm gaps. Clean, architectural and very forgiving. Ideal above a sofa or sideboard.
The salon (seven to nine mixed frames). Start with your largest piece slightly off-centre and build outwards. Keep outer edges roughly aligned and gaps consistent at 5–8 cm. Mix in one object, such as a skate deck like Fang by Sven Silk. The hardest to pull off, but the most personal.
Plan it on the floor first, or cut paper templates and tape them up. Our gallery wall builder lets you test layouts with real prints. More in 4 tips to building the perfect gallery wall.
7. Room by room
- Living room: one statement piece or a line of three above the sofa. Let the TV wall stay quiet.
- Bedroom: calmer subjects, smaller scale, darker palette. Black-and-white photography or a single moody graphic such as How To Stop Worrying by Laserblazt.
- Home office: type and motivational graphics that aren't cheesy, like KEEP GOING or START MOVING by Brad Mead.
- Hallway: a vertical stack of A3s, or decks from skate deck art.
- Studio flat: one big piece beats lots of small ones, because it defines the living zone. More in big-impact design ideas for studio apartments.
8. Common mistakes
- Hanging art too high. It should sit at eye level, not ceiling level.
- Going too small for the wall.
- Five different frame colours on one wall.
- Unframed posters taped at the corners. Framing is the single biggest upgrade.
- Buying everything at once. Start with one piece you love and build around it.
Why DROOL for wall art
DROOL has sold art by independent artists since 2019, and artists earn commission on every sale. Every print is on heavyweight paper and available framed. We print in the UK, USA, EU and Australia, so customers there get fast shipping with no import duties or taxes, and we deliver to 120+ countries.
FAQ
What size wall art should go above a sofa?
Aim for art about two-thirds the width of the sofa. For a 2-seater (150–180 cm), that's one A0 print or a pair of A1 prints. For a 3-seater (200–230 cm), a row of three A2 or 50 x 70 cm prints works well. Allow a few extra centimetres for frames.
How high should I hang wall art?
Hang the centre of the art 145–150 cm from the floor. Above a sofa, leave 15–25 cm between the sofa back and the bottom of the frame. Above a bed, leave 15–30 cm above the headboard. For a gallery wall, treat the whole group as one piece.
What kind of wall art suits a man's apartment?
Art tied to what you're actually into, such as cars, music, sport, cities or graphic design, in a tight palette of two or three colours. Black-and-white photography, Bauhaus-style graphics and car prints are reliable starting points. DROOL's wall art for men edit groups them in one place.
Should frames be black, white or wood?
Black frames suit most graphic, typographic and car prints and are the safest choice. Natural wood warms up grey or industrial rooms. White works on white walls when you want the art to stand out. Stick to one frame colour per wall.
How many prints do I need for a gallery wall?
Three prints in a line is the simplest gallery wall. Six in a 2 x 3 grid looks the most polished. Seven to nine mixed sizes gives a salon-style wall. Keep gaps consistent at 5–8 cm.
Can I hang art in a rented flat without damaging walls?
Yes. Strong adhesive picture strips hold lightweight framed prints, typically A3 and smaller. Check the strip's weight rating against the framed piece. For larger frames, ask your landlord about picture hooks, which leave only a small hole.
