Choosing the right frame size

Sizing a backlit frame is not quite the same as sizing a picture. The frame doesn't just occupy the wall — it lights it. So the question isn't only "what fits", it's "how much glow do I want in this room, and from where".

As a rough starting point: for a piece hung on its own, we like the frame to be around two-thirds the width of whatever furniture sits below it. Above a 220 cm sofa, that puts you comfortably at 120×80 or larger. Above a 90 cm console, a 60×90 in portrait works beautifully.

In a bedroom, we recommend going smaller than you think. A 40×60 or 50×50 above a bedside table, dimmed to twenty or thirty percent, becomes a nightlight you actually want on. Anything larger risks becoming the main event when the room is asking for a supporting one.

In a hallway, portrait beats landscape almost every time. Try a 70×100 or 80×120 at eye level, centred on the longest uninterrupted stretch of wall. The narrow footprint keeps the corridor feeling wide, and the vertical light guides you through the space in the evening.

Above a dining table, aim for a frame that echoes the table's proportions. A 100×100 square over a round table; a 120×80 landscape over a long rectangular one. Hang it lower than you would a painting — around 70 cm above the tabletop — so the glow reaches the surface where people actually eat.

For a gallery arrangement of multiple frames, mix sizes but stick to one frame colour. Two 50×50 squares flanking a 70×100 portrait, all in black, reads as considered. The same three sizes in mixed finishes tends to read as busy.

And when you're unsure between two sizes: go one up. A slightly larger frame always feels intentional. A slightly smaller one almost always feels tentative.