Mixed Media
Dining Room Wall Art: What to Hang Where People Sit and Talk
By Alexander van der Meer·· 5 min read
The dining room is the wall guests look at longest, and they look at it sitting down. Here is what to hang there, how big, how high, and how to have it up before the first dinner of the season.
The best dining room wall art is calm enough to sit facing for two hours and has something in it to talk about: warm light, a place, a gentle story. Hang it lower than in a living room, with its centre at about 135–140 cm, because everyone sees it seated, and size it to the furniture: about two-thirds of the width of the sideboard or table beneath it.
This guide covers three ways to dress a dining wall with works from the gallery, the sizes and heights that suit common tables, and the practical details of a kitchen-diner.
What makes art right for a dining room
A dining room is the one room where people sit still, face a wall and talk. That changes the brief. A picture there is seen for a whole meal, by several people at once, often by candlelight. Very loud colour or a confronting image tires quickly at the table; a work that is warm, has depth and gives the eye somewhere to rest does not. The best dining room pieces also give guests an easy opening: a place someone recognises, a scene that raises a question, the name of the artist.
Three ways to dress a dining wall
Wine glasses and candlelight
The most natural subject for a dining room is the table itself. Golden Elegance by Serena, a row of wine glasses glowing in warm ambient light, is €95 at 40×30 cm and looks its best in the evening, when the room is lit the way the photograph is. For a larger statement, Elegance in the Dark by Elena Aureli, a woman holding a glass of red wine against a dark ground, is €195 at 60×40 cm and has the mood of a late dinner.
A row of three over a long table
A long table or bench along a wall needs width rather than height, and one picture rarely gives it. Three works in a row do. The Quiet Countryside set brings together three photographs by Bellucci, a red house alone in a field, two red houses in a sea of green and a yellow house by the water, for €255 instead of €285 bought separately. Three related landscapes are easy company for a whole meal, and they give guests something to compare. More of that kind of work is in landscapes and nature.
The country kitchen
For a kitchen-diner or a farmhouse table, the classic motif is the rooster. The Proud Rooster by Elena Aureli, in bold oil colour, is €295 at 60×40 cm and carries a wall on its own. Whispers of the Sunflowers by Henri des Bois, two goldfinches on sunflower heads in yellow and gold, is €145 at the same size and a little quieter. For a breakfast corner, Sunny Side Up in the Sky by Melodique, a fried egg floating in the sky like a sun, is €65 and starts a conversation every morning.
Size and height
- Above a sideboard: aim for about two-thirds of its width and leave 20–25 cm between the top of the sideboard and the bottom of the frame. On a 150 cm sideboard that means a group about 100 cm wide, such as two 60×40 cm prints side by side.
- On the wall behind the table: a 180–200 cm table wants art about 120–140 cm wide. Three framed 40×30 cm prints with 6–8 cm between them come to roughly that, depending on the frame.
- Hang for seated eyes: centre the work at about 135–140 cm rather than the usual 145 cm. Our guide to hanging art at the right height explains the rule.
- Leave room for chairs: if chairs back onto the wall, keep the bottom of the frame above the chair backs, usually 95–100 cm from the floor, so nobody knocks it when they stand up.
Kitchen-diners and candlelight
- Frame behind glass. Prints arrive unframed. In a room with cooking, a frame with glass or acrylic keeps steam and splashes off the paper. Do not hang art directly above the hob.
- Mind the pendant light. A lamp low over the table reflects in glass on the facing wall. Hang slightly off the axis of the lamp or choose non-reflective glass.
- Candles stay on the table. Keep open flames well away from the wall and the frame.
Ready before the first dinner of the season
If you are hosting in December, order early enough to frame and hang the work before guests arrive. On our standard delivery estimate a print ordered by 18 December arrives before Christmas within the Netherlands, by 11 December elsewhere in the EU, and by 8 December for the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or the United States, but framing takes a few days more, so earlier is better. The same works make good presents; see the Christmas gift guide.
Every print is a hand-signed limited edition of 25 on premium photographic paper, posted unframed from Amsterdam, with free EU delivery on orders over €175. Start with art under €100 for a first piece, or browse the full gallery.
Frequently asked questions
- What kind of art is best for a dining room?
- Art that is calm enough to sit facing for a whole meal and has something to talk about: warm light, a recognisable place or a gentle story. Very loud colour or a confronting image tires quickly at the table. Wine, candlelight, landscapes and classic kitchen motifs such as the rooster all work well.
- How high should art be hung in a dining room?
- Lower than in a living room, because everyone sees it seated. Centre the work at about 135–140 cm from the floor. Above a sideboard, leave 20–25 cm between the top of the furniture and the bottom of the frame, and keep the frame above the chair backs if chairs stand against the wall.
- What size art goes above a sideboard?
- About two-thirds of the sideboard's width. On a 150 cm sideboard that is a work or group about 100 cm wide, for example two 60×40 cm prints side by side. A single 40×30 cm print will look too small there unless it is part of a group.
- Can I hang art in a kitchen-diner?
- Yes, framed behind glass or acrylic, which protects the paper from steam and splashes. Keep it away from the area directly above the hob and from open flames. Our prints arrive unframed, so the frame and glass are your choice.
- One large piece or several small ones above a dining table?
- For a long table, several. A row of three related works gives the width a long table needs and something for guests to compare. A single large piece suits a square table or a sideboard in a smaller room.