Living with the work

One of the five pillars

You have the painting, or you nearly do. Four articles on which room, how high, what size, and what arrives at your door.

24 articles under this pillar

Which roomWho sees itSize and heightLight and framingGetting it thereCare and movingBorrowing instead of buying

Which room

7 articles
A contemporary living room at dusk, lamplight across a walnut slatted wall, the empty wall circled in open black marker, a marker arrow running to it from the handwritten words still looking for a wall, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workWhere to hang a nude painting: a room by room guide A narrow entrance hall in a bright apartment, a tall window with slim black frames at its end, the near wall circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words you walk past this one, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workHanging a painting in the hallway A coastal loft bedroom with a steel-framed window and a travertine floor, the wall above the headboard struck through with a black marker cross, an arrow from the handwritten words not above the bed, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workA painting in the bedroom: the easy room and its one problem A stair landing in a coastal loft, a steel-framed window beside the travertine treads, the wall above the landing circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words the landing decides, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workHanging a painting in a stairwell or on a landing A small home study with a black desk and shelving, a rust-orange chair pulled out, the wall the desk camera frames struck through with a black marker cross, an arrow from the handwritten words not the camera wall, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workA painting in a home office A small guest room in warm plaster, a single bed with an upholstered headboard, the wall behind the headboard circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words behind the bed, only there, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workA painting in the guest room A bathroom in warm off-white tadelakt plaster with a walk-in shower and a moulded plaster washstand, the bare wall struck through with a black marker cross, an arrow from the handwritten words not in here, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workCan you hang an oil painting in a bathroom?
All 7 in which room →

Who sees it

9 articles
A small home study with a black desk and shelving, a rust-orange chair pulled out, the wall the desk camera frames struck through with a black marker cross, an arrow from the handwritten words not the camera wall, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workA painting in a home office A small guest room in warm plaster, a single bed with an upholstered headboard, the wall behind the headboard circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words behind the bed, only there, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workA painting in the guest room A bright apartment living room with a slate blue sideboard and a dusty pink chair, the empty wall circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words three sentences, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workWhat do you say when someone asks about the painting? An entrance hall with a dark stone wall and a slim console table, the wall beside the console circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words say it once, no apology, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workThe cleaner, the plumber and the painting A contemporary living room at dusk, lamplight across a walnut slatted wall, an upright rectangle and a nail drawn in marker, marking where a canvas is not, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workYour parents are visiting: leave it up A bright apartment living room with a slate blue sideboard and a dusty pink chair, the empty wall circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words adults supply the awkwardness, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workChildren and a painting of a woman An entrance hall with a dark stone wall and a slim console table, the wall on the route to the table circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words by route, not by room, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workClients and colleagues in your house A coastal loft bedroom with a steel-framed window and a travertine floor, the empty wall circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words the listing, not the guest, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workLetting your place with the work still on the wall A single nail left in a bare plaster wall, fresh dust below it, the nail circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words the wedding photos too, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workHouse viewings: what an agent asks you to take down
All 9 in who sees it →

Size and height

9 articles
A stair landing in a coastal loft, a steel-framed window beside the travertine treads, the wall above the landing circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words the landing decides, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workHanging a painting in a stairwell or on a landing A lived-in living room with a walnut slatted wall and a deep brown rug, amber globe lamps lit low, the empty wall circled in open black marker, a marker arrow running to it from the handwritten words give it room, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workHow to display erotic art at home A Mediterranean bedroom with pale ceiling beams and arched plaster niches, the wall above the headboard circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words two thirds of the bed, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workWhat size painting works above a bed? A lived-in living room with a long linen sofa and a completely bare plaster wall above it, the wall above the sofa circled in open black marker, a marker arrow running to it from the handwritten words two thirds of that, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workWhat size painting works above a sofa? Marker drawing of a wall and floor line with an empty upright canvas on it, a dashed line through its centre and an arrow measuring that height from the floor, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workHow high should a painting hang? A narrow corridor in daylight, the near wall close to the camera, the near wall circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words stand back twice its height, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workViewing distance: how close is too close? A dining room with a concrete ceiling and a steel-framed window, the wall below the concrete ceiling circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words two are already there, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workWill a tall canvas fit this wall? A dining room with a concrete ceiling and a steel-framed window, the wall to one side of the empty space circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words empty is the point, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workWhich canvas fits your wall? A size chart in centimetres A matt black cordless drill on an oak floor with wall plugs, brass hooks and a folding rule, the brass hooks and wall plugs circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words the wall decides, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workHow to hang a canvas: wall types, fixings and no-drill options
All 9 in size and height →

Light and framing

2 articles
A lived-in living room with a walnut slatted wall and a deep brown rug, amber globe lamps lit low, the empty wall circled in open black marker, a marker arrow running to it from the handwritten words give it room, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workHow to display erotic art at home A living room with a dark honed stone wall along its length and a stone grey sofa, the dark stone wall circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words better than white, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workHanging a painting on a dark wall

Getting it there

2 articles
A flat cardboard shipping box leaning against a wall, still taped shut, the shipping box circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words one sticker, nothing else, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artHow your painting is packed and shipped, and what the box says A matt black cordless drill on an oak floor with wall plugs, brass hooks and a folding rule, the brass hooks and wall plugs circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words the wall decides, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workHow to hang a canvas: wall types, fixings and no-drill options

Care and moving

4 articles
A bathroom in warm off-white tadelakt plaster with a walk-in shower and a moulded plaster washstand, the bare wall struck through with a black marker cross, an arrow from the handwritten words not in here, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workCan you hang an oil painting in a bathroom? A single nail left in a bare plaster wall, fresh dust below it, the nail circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words the wedding photos too, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workHouse viewings: what an agent asks you to take down A plaster wall with a hard band of sunlight across it and a radiator below, the sunlit wall struck through with a black marker cross, an arrow from the handwritten words it does not undo, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workSunlight, radiators and the walls you should not use A room mid-move with three flat painting boxes standing upright on their edges against a bare wall, the upright boxes circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words upright, never flat, by Willem van der Krieken Living with the workMoving house with an oil painting

Borrowing instead of buying

2 articles
Living with the workRenting art in the Netherlands: what it costs, and what you give up Living with the workWhy this is a loan and not a rental

Home › Notes from the studio › Living with the work

A painting stops being a purchase the moment it is on the wall. Then it is just something in your house that people will see. Almost every question I get after a sale is about that transition: which room, how high, how big, and who is going to walk past it. Here they are, answered one at a time.

Underneath all of them sits the question nobody puts in an email. Ordering one of these takes a minute. Hanging it where visitors can see it is a decision about what you are willing to have people think, and most of the hesitation is about that rather than about hallway lighting. It is worth saying plainly, because it is the normal reaction and not a sign that the painting is wrong for you.

The practical answers below help. They will not settle it for you. That part is yours: hang it anyway.

Where it goes

How big

Getting it there

Borrowing instead of buying

Before you got here

Questions people ask

How high should a painting hang?

Centre the painting at eye level, which for most rooms means the middle of the canvas at about 145 cm from the floor. Above furniture, the rule changes: leave 15 to 20 cm between the top of the sofa or headboard and the bottom of the frame, so the two read as one group rather than two separate objects.

Is a nude painting suitable for a living room?

Yes, and it is the most common place these paintings end up. The room that people worry about is usually the hallway, because a guest meets it before they have met you. A bedroom is the easiest room of all and the least interesting one, because almost nobody except you will ever see it.

What size painting should go above a bed?

Aim for a canvas between two thirds and three quarters of the width of the bed. Above a 160 cm double bed that means roughly 100 to 120 cm wide. The usual mistake is choosing something too small, which leaves the wall looking unfinished no matter where you hang it.

Do the paintings arrive framed?

The paintings are oil on canvas on a stretcher and are sold unframed, which is normal for work on stretched canvas: the painted edges are part of the piece. A frame is a later choice you can make with a framer, not something that has to be decided before buying.

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