Guides & tips

Giving art as a gift, without the guesswork

Art is one of the most personal things you can give – which is exactly why it can feel risky. Taste varies, and you rarely know what someone else’s walls look like. The good news: a few simple choices take most of the guesswork out. Here’s how we would choose a print for someone else – the motif, the size and the frame – and what’s good to know before you order.

Ornament Birds, a folk-art pattern of flowers and birds, in an oak frame on a present wrapped in red and white striped paper, beside a red ribbon and a gift tag

Seabird, a white bird made of blue brushstrokes, in an oak frame held in one hand

In short

19.7x27.6 inour most popular size, and it works on most walls
11.8x15.7 inthe safe choice for a shelf, a narrow wall or a picture ledge
90 daysto return, counted from delivery – plenty of time after the holidays
10 Decis when we recommend ordering by, to be on the safe side for Christmas

Start with their home, not your own taste

The most common mistake is to choose what you would hang yourself. Instead, think about the walls it’s going to.

Look at what’s already there. The art someone owns says more than any wish list: the colors, the subjects, and whether they like one big piece or lots of small ones. Notice the frames too – oak, black or white? It will help later.

Notice the colors in the room. Textiles, rugs and the sofa set the palette. A print that picks up one of those colors almost always looks as if it belongs.

Think about the light. A bright home with pale wood suits soft tones and plenty of air in the motif. A darker, warmer room can take deeper colors and more contrast.

Ask someone who knows. A partner, a sibling or a flatmate can tell you which wall is empty – and which motif would make them roll their eyes.

Motifs that almost always work

Some subjects feel at home almost anywhere. They’re calm, open to interpretation and don’t ask the owner to share a particular opinion or sense of humor. These four are our safe bets, and every motif below comes in both 11.8x15.7 in and 19.7x27.6 in.

Looking for ideas person by person – the host, the skier, the art lover? Our holiday gift guide has picks for everyone on your list.

Calm nature

Mountains, sea and desert light. Landscape photography is about as universal as wall art gets – it suits a living room, a bedroom or a hallway.

Mount Fuji

Low Tide

Moonrise in Namib Desert

Flowers and leaves

Botanical motifs have hung on walls for centuries for a reason. A Japanese iris, a graphic tulip or a pattern of leaves: pick the one closest to their style.

Iris Kaempferi by Ogawa Kazumasa

Tulip Blue

Leafy Patterns

Soft abstracts

Shapes and texture in muted tones slip into almost any color scheme. The safe choice when you don’t know the room.

Abstract Movement

Labyrinthe Blanc

Sand and Sky

The great masters

Matisse, Hilma af Klint, Hokusai. For someone with a trained eye, a classic is hard to get wrong.

Nu Bleu III

The Ten Largest, No.7, by Hilma af Klint

The Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai

And the ones to think twice about

Not off limits – just harder to get right for someone else.

Quotes and slogans. Words come with a tone of voice. Unless you know theirs well, keep them for your own walls.

Inside jokes and sharp humor. Funny once, on the wall every day. Choose it if you’re sure it will still make them smile in March.

Very large formats. A 27.6x39.4 in or a 39.4x55.1 in needs a particular wall. Unless you know which one, go medium.

This season’s color. A trend color might not be theirs. Calmer tones are easier to live with.

The size: when in doubt, go medium

19.7x27.6 in is our most popular size for a reason. It’s big enough to hold a wall above a sideboard or a bed, and small enough to work almost anywhere. If you don’t know where it will hang, it’s the safest choice.

11.8x15.7 in suits a smaller home, a shelf or a picture ledge – or someone who is just starting their collection. It’s easy to lean, easy to move and easy to find a place for.

Know the wall? If you know where the art will go – above their sofa or their bed, say – choose the furniture below and enter its width. The calculator suggests sizes that fit, and our poster size guide goes into more detail.

Size calculator

What size fits your wall?

Choose the furniture, enter its width and see what fits – with the size, the gap and the height to hang it.

StatementSubtleA pairSquare

39.4x55.1 in · landscape

55 inwide in total
8 inabove the sofa
61 infloor to center

One large print that sets the tone – the wall does the talking. Covers about 70% of the sofa’s width.

Shop 39.4x55.1 posters Five gallery wall layouts →

Based on our hanging guide: 8–10 in above the furniture, about 2.5 in between frames and the top edge no higher than 83 in. Standard furniture heights and an 8 ft ceiling.

Frame or no frame?

A framed poster is a gift that’s ready to hang the moment the paper comes off. Our posters are delivered without a frame, so add one on the poster’s product page – the picture shows the poster in the frame you choose before you buy.

Not sure which color? Look at the frames they already have and choose the same. If their walls are a mix, oak, black and white are the safe trio: oak for warm, natural homes, black for contrast and photography, white when everything else is light.

Unsure about a frame altogether? Give the poster on its own, in a standard size. A 19.7x27.6 in poster fits a 19.7x27.6 in frame, so they can frame it to match the rest of their home.

Tulip Blue, a pale pink tulip on blue, in an oak frame against a beige wall beside a low lounge chair, a sheepskin rug and a wooden stool

Labyrinthe Blanc, soft white shapes on sand, in a black frame leaning on a herringbone floor beside a stack of books and a marble plinth

Leafy Patterns, pale leaves on rust brown, in a white frame above a green stool, a table lamp on a stack of books and a curved armchair

Before you wrap

Frame it first. Our frames open at the back with clips, so putting the poster in takes no tools. Here’s how to swap a poster in a frame, step by step.
Leave the protective film on the glazing. It keeps the surface free of scratches until the frame is on their wall – and a frame can’t be returned once the film has been removed.
Keep your order number. If something needs to go back, you’ll need it to start the return. You have 90 days from delivery – see our return policy.
Write the size on the gift tag. If they ever want a new motif for the same frame, they’ll know which size to choose.

When to order before Christmas

There’s no hard last day, but we recommend ordering by 10 December to be on the safe side. We process orders within 0–2 business days, and every delivery is tracked. Delivery times vary by country, so check yours in our shipping policy.

Missed the date? Art doesn’t go out of season. A framed poster is just as welcome for a birthday, a housewarming or simply because.

What if they don’t like it?

You have 90 days from delivery to return it, so there’s time after the holidays. Keep the order number – you’ll need it to start the return. Our return policy has the details.

Which size is the safest gift?

19.7x27.6 in if you don’t know the wall: it’s our most popular size and works almost anywhere. 11.8x15.7 in for a small home, a shelf or a picture ledge.

Should I choose a frame too?

If you know their style, yes – a framed poster is ready to hang. If you don’t, give the poster on its own in a standard size, so it fits a frame they choose themselves.

Can I see the poster in a frame before I buy?

Yes. Choose a frame on the poster’s product page, and the picture shows the poster in that frame.

Is there a last day to order before Christmas?

There’s no hard cut-off, but we recommend ordering by 10 December. Delivery times for each country are in our shipping policy.

Shop by size

Posters8.3x11.8 11.8x15.7 15.7x15.7 15.7x19.7 19.7x19.7 19.7x27.6 27.6x27.6 27.6x39.4 39.4x39.4 39.4x55.1

Frames8.3x11.8 11.8x15.7 15.7x19.7 19.7x19.7 19.7x27.6 27.6x27.6 27.6x39.4 39.4x39.4 39.4x55.1

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