Should You Choose the Art Before the Rest of the Room?
Last updated: 16 October 2026
In short: Choose the art early, or at least budget for it early. Business of Home reports that one New York firm puts art in its early client presentations, and partner Zuni Madera says it starts a budget for art at the very beginning. Size belongs in that first plan too: Emily Henderson's rule of thumb is a painting two-thirds the size of the sofa beneath it.
Why does art usually come last?
A homeowner posting on Houzz about the art proposal she had commissioned for her living room put the common experience plainly. She wanted help "to figure out the right scale for my space," and wrote, "I really, really don't enjoy the hunt for art work." Art arrives last in many rooms because finding it is slow, scale is hard to judge from a photograph, and the furniture has already been ordered.
The cost of that order is a room that is finished and still waiting for its center. Everything else in it has been chosen to be reasonable. The painting is the one decision that carries feeling, and it is left to the end, when the budget and the wall space have already been spoken for.
What changes when art enters the first plan?
Business of Home's Ask Us Anything column (14 October 2026) describes a New York firm that includes art in its early presentation meetings, with the aim, in the article's words, to "clearly establish that art is part of a finished room, not an afterthought." Zuni Madera, a partner at MC Interiors, explains the budget logic: "we'll start to input a budget for art in the very beginning." She adds, of the start of a project, "That is part of the conversation in the beginning."
A painting chosen first sets the palette and the scale of the room. Rugs and upholstery can be matched to a canvas. A canvas is rarely matched to a rug without compromise.
How big should the art be?
Emily Henderson, the designer and blogger, offers a rule of thumb that many designers repeat: "make sure that your piece of art is two-thirds the size of your sofa [or headboard]." It is a starting point, and it is useful because it gives the wall a number before the shopping begins.
Aristotle, in the Poetics, gave the principle behind it: "Beauty is a matter of size and order." A painting that is too small for its wall looks apologetic; one in proportion looks inevitable. When a standard size does not fit, a commission removes the problem. Oversized work from this studio is built across stretched canvas tiles with no upper size limit.
What does a painter need to know at the start?
The wall, the light and the palette already in the room. Photographs of the space help, along with the dimensions of the wall and of the furniture beneath it. From there the painter makes two options at once, so the client chooses between two finished directions rather than approving a sketch. Designers and art consultants can start from the Trade Program. Paintings travel rolled to a framer near you, are stretched there, and arrive ready to hang.
→ Browse the current work: Paintings available now · Start from a conversation: Commissions · For designers and art consultants: Trade Program · Meet the painter: Angela Simeone
Frequently asked questions
When should you choose art for a room?
Early. Business of Home reports that one New York firm includes art in its early client presentations, and partner Zuni Madera says it begins a budget for art at the very beginning of a project.
How big should art be above a sofa?
Emily Henderson's rule of thumb is a piece two-thirds the size of the sofa. It gives the wall a starting number, and a commission can adjust it to the room.
Can a painting be made to a specific size?
Yes. Commissions begin with a conversation about the wall and the light, and oversized work is built across stretched canvas tiles with no upper size limit.
How does art fit into a designer's budget?
Plan a line for it from the first outline of the project. Designers and art consultants can start from the Trade Program.