Size guide
Choose the size from the wall and the furniture under it, not from the piece. A single piece above a sofa, a bed or a console looks settled when it spans about two thirds of the furniture's width, its centre about 150 cm from the floor and its lower edge 20–25 cm above the sofa back or headboard. Every calligraphy paint comes in the ten sizes below, set portrait or landscape as its design reads, and the price for each size is on the paint's own page.
What fits over what
| Over | Usual width | Aim for about | Sizes that fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| A desk, a shelf or a bedside table | 60–80 cm | 40–55 cm wide | A4, A3, 50 × 40 cm |
| A console or a sideboard | 100–120 cm | 65–80 cm wide | A2, 50 × 70 cm, A1 |
| A two-seat sofa | 150–160 cm | 100–105 cm wide | A1 set landscape (84 cm), 100 × 70 cm |
| A queen bed | 160 cm | about 105 cm wide | 100 × 70 cm, A0 |
| A three-seat sofa or a king bed | 200–220 cm | 130–145 cm wide | A0 set landscape (119 cm), 90 × 120 cm, or two A1 side by side |
| A majlis wall with floor seating | 300 cm and more | 150 cm and more | two or three A1 or A0, or 90 × 120 cm |
The ten sizes in centimetres
| Size | Width × height, portrait | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| A4 | 21 × 29.7 cm | a desk, a shelf, a gift on a stand |
| A3 | 29.7 × 42 cm | a corridor, a study, a shelf |
| 50 × 40 cm | 40 × 50 cm | beside a door, a bedside wall |
| A2 | 42 × 59.4 cm | a console, an entrance |
| 50 × 70 cm | 50 × 70 cm | a console, a dining wall |
| A1 | 59.4 × 84.1 cm | a two-seat sofa, a sideboard |
| 60 × 90 cm | 60 × 90 cm | a narrow tall wall, a stairwell |
| 100 × 70 cm | 70 × 100 cm | a sofa, a queen bed |
| A0 | 84.1 × 118.9 cm | a three-seat sofa, a king bed |
| 90 × 120 cm | 90 × 120 cm | the main wall of a living room or majlis |
A frame adds its moulding around the edge, so a framed piece is a little larger than the canvas size above.
Before you order
- Tape it out. Mark the size on the wall with masking tape and live with the rectangle for a day. It answers the question better than any table.
- Two pieces or one. Over a long sofa, two matching pieces with 5–8 cm between them read as one work and are easier to move later.
- Text size. A short phrase stays legible from across the room at A2 and up; a long verse needs A1 or larger to be read, not just seen.
The longer version, with the thinking behind each rule, is in How to choose the size of an Arabic calligraphy painting. You can also try any phrase at any size in Mashq Studio, free. Not sure? Send us a photo of the wall on WhatsApp and we will answer with the size.