Measure the wall before you choose the piece. A work hung above a sofa or a console usually covers about two-thirds of its width, and its centre sits at eye level, about 150 cm from the floor. Those two rules give the right size in most homes. This guide sets out MASHQ's calligraphy paint sizes and prices as they stand today, and what suits each place in the home.
The two-thirds rule
Above a piece of furniture, make the width of the work, or of the works side by side with the gap between them, about two-thirds of the furniture's width. A 210 cm sofa wants a piece about 140 cm wide, or two pieces side by side. A 120 cm console is well served by an A1 or a 50×70 cm. On a bare wall with no furniture, leave generous space on every side: the space is part of the composition.
Eye level
Hang the piece so its centre sits about 150 cm from the floor, and above a sofa leave 20 to 25 cm between its lower edge and the sofa's back. A piece hung too high seems to escape the room; one hung too low disappears behind the heads of the people sitting under it.
Sizes and prices
Calligraphy paint prices in AED, the same for every phrase and script:
| Size | Canvas, frameless | Framed | Framed with acrylic glass |
|---|---|---|---|
| A4 (21×29.7 cm) | 60 | 140 | 150 |
| A3 (29.7×42 cm) | 60 | 150 | 170 |
| 50×40 cm | 75 | 200 | 235 |
| A2 (42×59.4 cm) | 85 | 245 | 285 |
| 50×70 cm | 120 | 315 | 375 |
| A1 (59.4×84.1 cm) | 145 | 395 | 480 |
| 60×90 cm | 160 | 425 | 515 |
| 100×70 cm | 195 | 510 | 630 |
| A0 (84.1×118.9 cm) | 250 | 650 | 820 |
| 90×120 cm | 295 | 750 | 930 |
What suits each place
- A shelf, a desk or a side table: A4 or A3, read up close.
- A hallway, a study or a child's room: A3 or A2.
- Above a console or a sideboard: A1 or 50×70 cm.
- Above a three-seat sofa: 100×70 cm or 90×120 cm, or two A1s side by side.
- A majlis wall or a wide entrance: A0 or 90×120 cm.
The length of the phrase changes the size
A single word or a name holds at any size. A long verse or a full line of poetry needs room for its letters to stay legible from where people sit, so above five words, start from A2. The script changes the sum too: Thuluth needs space to breathe, and Diwani stays beautiful small.
Try it on the wall before you order
A sizes double: an A3 is two sheets of A4, an A2 four, an A1 eight. Tape A4 sheets to the wall in the size you are considering and look at them from the sofa and from the door for a day before you decide. Or write your phrase in Mashq Studio, free, and choose the size there.
Framed or not, glass or not
A rolled, frameless canvas is the least expensive, for anyone with a framer they trust. The frame comes in eight hand-finished mouldings, polished gold, matte black, antique gold, light wood, oak, dark walnut, white and silver, at one price for all of them at a given size. Acrylic glass protects the surface from dust and hands, and is worth adding in hallways, children's rooms and near a kitchen.
Making and delivery
Every paint is made to order in our UAE workshop in 5–7 working days. Delivery anywhere in the UAE is AED 50 per order, whatever the quantity; Worldwide Express is AED 250 per order, within 8 days.
Three paints to start from
- «إن مع العسر يسرا», With hardship comes ease, in Diwani: from AED 60.
- «بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم» in Thuluth: from AED 60.
- Your name in Arabic calligraphy: framed at A3, AED 185.
All of them are in the calligraphy paint collection.
Related reading: Buying Arabic Calligraphy Art in the UAE: Originals, Paints, Prices · 43 Arabic Phrases for Wall Art, With Their Meanings.