Guides & tips

Home office wall art that makes Monday a little easier

You probably look at the wall above your desk more than at any other wall at home – between emails, during calls, while a file takes its time to load. So give it something worth looking at. Here’s how big and how high to hang art above a desk, what reads well behind you on camera, which motifs help you focus – and a couple that make the working day a little funnier.

Tulips I by La Poire, pink tulips in a striped black vase, in an oak frame above a wooden desk beside a black floor lamp — One big print turns a desk in the corner into a proper place to work.

Your Financial Advisor, a black-and-white photo of a monkey reading the stock market pages, in a black frame above a wooden desk by a window — Every home office needs a financial advisor. This one never sends an invoice.

Woman Golden Waves by Bea Müller in an oak frame above a dark wood desk with a glowing table lamp and a black chair — Lamp on, laptop closed: the best minute of the working day.

Above the desk

This is the wall you see the most, so start here. Art above a desk is seen from two heights: from your chair while you work, and standing up as you walk past. That’s why it should hang lower than on an open wall. Put the bottom edge about 10 in above the desktop – on a standard desk, the center of an upright 19.7x27.6 in then lands around 53 in from the floor, a little below the 57–59 in in our hanging guide.

One print or a pair? Aim for about two thirds of the desk’s width; a little less looks calm. Above a 47 in desk, one 19.7x27.6 in or two 15.7x19.7 in side by side usually fit. A 63 in desk can carry a 27.6x39.4 in on its side or a pair of 19.7x27.6 in. If your screen stands against the wall, let the art start above it – otherwise you’ll only ever see half of it. Enter your desk below and see what fits.

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.

StatementSubtleWith decorA pairSquare

19.7x27.6 in · landscape

28 inwide in total
10 inabove the desk
49 infloor to center

One large print that sets the tone – the wall does the talking. Covers about 59% of the desk’s width.

Shop 19.7x27.6 posters

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.

Retreat 01 and Retreat 02, two soft gray abstracts, in oak frames side by side above a black desk with a wooden chair — Two quiet abstracts in matching frames: soft enough to sit in front of all day.

The wall behind you on video calls

Your colleagues see this wall more often than you do. On a laptop camera, fine detail turns to mush, so pick one or two prints with big shapes and clear contrast rather than a busy gallery wall. Hang them a little to one side, so nothing seems to grow out of your head, and turn the camera on before you drill: a frame that catches the window will glare in every meeting.

Calm or bold is up to you. A quiet black-and-white photo says focus; a graphic print says you have opinions about design.

Stone Sentinel, a black-and-white photo of a snowy peak in the clouds, in a white frame above a dark desk with a silver lamp, books and a vase

Yellow Graphic No.3, bold yellow, black and pink shapes, in an oak frame above a wooden desk with a white lamp and books

Motifs that help you focus

Art in a workspace has a job: to give your eyes somewhere to rest between tasks. Soft abstracts, open landscapes and calm lines do that well. Maps and architecture add a bit of structure – and a reminder of places you’d rather be. Then there’s the fourth kind: the poster that makes you smile when the inbox doesn’t.

Calm and abstract

Soft shapes and quiet lines that let your thoughts settle. Easy to live with for a whole working day.

Muted Layers

Flowing Lines

Daybreak

Nature and landscapes

A view for when the window faces the neighbors. Fjords, sea and sand to rest your eyes on between tasks.

Norwegian Fjords

Moonlit Waves

Desert Landscape I

Maps, buildings and design

Structure for the wall: a city you love, a staircase to get lost in and a row of chairs for the design nerd.

London Map

Arcadia

Sit Down

A bit of humor

For days full of meetings: a monkey reading the markets, a group chat that never ends and a chimp who has clearly made it.

Your Financial Advisor

Group Chat

Monkey Enterprise

Allow yourself a laugh

A home office doesn’t have to look like an office. One funny poster breaks up a serious day, gives the people on the other end of the call something to talk about, and reminds you that the report can wait five minutes. Black-and-white photos keep the joke stylish, and in an oak frame they look just as good in the living room if you ever move the desk.

Monkey Enterprise, a black-and-white photo of a chimpanzee in a shirt and tie among flying dollar bills, in an oak frame beside a bouclé armchair and a black floor lamp

Out of Office, a red telephone handset on a pale pink background, in a white frame above a dark desk with a silver lamp and books

Ready-made walls for the home office

Want the whole wall sorted in one go? Each of these walls from our inspiration pages is built around a desk, and one click takes you to all the prints on it.

Three colorful prints in oak frames – oranges, two clinking glasses and a red chair – above a light wood desk with red trestle legs

A large white brushstroke print, a black Matisse cut-out and a Paul Klee print above a black desk with a lamp and a small sculpture

Two prints stacked beside a window – an orange line drawing of a Mediterranean town and an olive abstract – above a dark wood desk with a white arch lamp

Home office practicalities

Glare: glazing reflects light just like your screen does. Sit in your chair with the lamp on and check that no frame mirrors the window into your eyes – or into the camera. Our frames have polystyrene glazing, which is light and shatter-free.
Sun: a desk by the window is lovely for you, less so for colors. Our posters are printed on archival-quality paper that won’t yellow over time, but keeping them out of hours of direct sunlight still helps the colors stay fresh.
Lean instead of hang: a frame leaning against the wall at the back of the desk needs no tools at all. A picture ledge takes a few screws once, and then you can swap prints as often as you like.
A wall you can’t drill? Try adhesive strips – the Tesa Powerstrips guide walks you through it step by step.

How high should art hang above a desk?

With the bottom edge about 10 in above the desktop. On a standard desk, an upright 19.7x27.6 in then has its center around 53 in from the floor – right in view from your chair and still comfortable when you stand. Enter your desk in the calculator above to see the exact height.

What size wall art works above a desk?

Above a desk of about 47 in, one 19.7x27.6 in or two 15.7x19.7 in side by side. A 63 in desk can take a 27.6x39.4 in on its side or a pair of 19.7x27.6 in. On a narrow desk, a single 15.7x19.7 in keeps it light.

What should be on the wall behind me in video calls?

One or two prints with large shapes and clear contrast read best on camera. Hang them slightly to the side of where you sit, and check that the glazing doesn’t reflect a window.

Which art works best in a home office?

Art that lets your eyes rest: soft abstracts, landscapes, sea and sky. Maps and architecture add structure, and one poster with a sense of humor never hurts. Our office bestsellers are a good place to start.

Can I put up art in my home office without drilling?

Yes. Lean a frame against the wall on the desk or on a shelf, or use adhesive strips made for frames. A picture ledge needs screws once, and after that you can change the prints without new holes.

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

Home office bestsellers