Talk to me about canvas pictures for wall behind a big sofa

[JustDenny]

We've been here two years and the wall behind the sofa is still bare. It's about 3m wide so anything small looks lost on it. I keep going back and forth between canvas pictures for wall the big wrap-around ones with no frame — and just doing three proper framed prints in a row.
My worry with canvas is that it dates. My sister had a huge one of a poppy field for about a decade and it screamed 2012 by the end. But framed feels a bit safe and gallery-ish for a family room where things get thrown at the walls.
What's yours like? Anyone regretted going canvas?

Proper art, originals, framed, mixed sizes. Take you time you don’t need to buy all at once. Curate the wall with artwork you love.

Agree with this. Canvas, unless it's an original painting on it maybe, looks very dated and generic to me. I have a mixture of original art, framed posters or prints and stuff I picked up in charity shops. Every single thing means something to me.

I like to put stuff up that we've bought when we've been away somewhere we loved, or from local artists. I don't know but people may well think it's a generic print - but it means something to me. Apparently chat GPT can help with placement if you take a photo....

We have lots of art and, because we've downsized more than once, much of it is still stored away since our most recent move in 2024 (I'm not ready to part with it yet as we may well upsize again). However, virtually every inch of the walls - except where our renovations are ongoing - is covered with original art, prints etc we've collected over many years. It's all been bought because we love the subject matter, style of painting etc.

Because of the way our rooms are laid out we don't actually have art behind the sofas - in our tv room the main sofa backs onto the window whilst behind the smaller sofa there's a 5' long antique Arts & Crafts Movement mirror. That room has a mix of vintage prints, mostly representing women.

In the snug, again the sofa is against a window and the armchair is placed in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling wall of book shelves. But there's still lots of art - mostly original - in the room. No canvases or generic stuff.

Elsewhere we have a few gallery walls although one comprises 30+ frames of vintage taxidermy butterflies and another is a collection of twelve Oka prints. Then we have a wall of mostly original still life paintings above our bed. Another bedroom has Audubon bird prints in an assortment of interesting frames.

The only unframed canvas is in the hall - thrown out by someone we knew, it was a hideous Italian street scene, but I saw the potential and painted a portrait over the top 😉

I think original art to your own taste is best.

It doesn't have to be expensive. You can get pieces from local artist fairs or if you see someone's work there whose style you like you could ask them to do you an original piece.

I have three large canvas paintings throughout the house. They are original pieces and abstract and in acrylic in my favourite colours. I've had them some years now but they still make me smile when I look at them.
I also use Artfinder. There are filters so you can find what you are looking for with size, style, colour materials used

Get real actual art painted by an artist! Mine above my sofa is about 6ft square and is an abstract landscape by a Scottish artist my late DH bought well before he met me. Local art fairs are a good source of affordable art.

I agree about the cost being unimportant. It's if you love it that matters. My two favourite vintage prints cost £1 each from a car boot sale. Otoh, my favourite original artwork cost us £1200....

We have shelves on ours to hold our lego, I do have a las vegas print to frame and go underneath it when I cba!

Always original art and NEVER generic IKEA or Range machine made pictures. There’s no substance or depth in them, just wall coverings for the sake of it. Doesn’t have to be super expensive either - whether you opt for one direct from a local artist or a piece off Marketplace.

I have a similar problem. The walls in my living room are big and so one picture looks lost, but lots could look like an art gallery. I’m considering some long shelves, different sizes, at different heights for pictures and some interesting ‘things’ or objects so it doesn’t just look like rows of frames. Goodness knows what objects 😄 (I already have a lovely mirror over the fireplace) but I feel the pictures at least should be ones I really like. I love paintings and it feels wrong with nothing to look at but the space is daunting

We have a set of 3 canvases which are a cityscape of a place very special to us hanging over our sofa. It's our house, we love the set and don't give a monkeys if other people don't. Art should be what you like not what you think will impress other people.