Measure the Wall Before the Print

Start with the wall itself, not the artwork. Measure the width of the clear wall space in centimetres, then measure the height from where you want the bottom edge to sit, usually around 145 cm from the floor at eye level. Write both numbers down. The anxiety most people feel about sizing comes from guessing in a shop or on a product page without those two figures. With them, the choice becomes arithmetic rather than taste.

A single canvas hung alone looks settled when it spans about two thirds of the available width. On a 180 cm stretch of empty wall, that means a print between 110 and 130 cm wide. On a narrow wall between two doorways, 50 to 70 cm is usually enough. Edmund Dulac's illustrations were made as book plates, so most compositions are portrait shaped, which suits taller wall spaces and can look lost on a wide horizontal one.

If you are weighing format as well as size, the difference between a stretched canvas and a framed poster changes the visible dimensions, since a frame adds several centimetres on each side. Our guide to choosing between the two formats walks through that in detail. For a worked example on a smaller wall, see our piece on Dulac prints in a small living room.

Match the Size to the Furniture

Furniture sets the ceiling for canvas size. Above a standard sofa, around 200 cm long, a canvas of 90 to 120 cm wide sits comfortably, hung so its bottom edge sits 15 to 20 cm above the sofa back. Any lower and it crowds the cushions. Any higher and the gap reads as a mistake. The same rule applies over a sideboard, a mantel or a bed head.

A common error is buying too small. A 40 cm canvas above a large sofa will look like a stamp on an envelope, and no amount of framing fixes it. When in doubt between two sizes, take the larger, provided the wall height allows it. Standard framed poster editions, such as Misty Effect, Paris or Art Forms in Nature 97, tend to fall in the 30 to 70 cm range, which works well on narrower walls or in pairs and trios rather than as a single statement.

If you plan a pair or a gallery row, treat the group as one object. Add the widths of all pieces plus 8 to 10 cm between each, then check that total against the two thirds rule. A row of three 30 cm prints with gaps reads as roughly 110 cm of visual width.

Check Scale With Paper Before Buying

The cheapest way to remove all doubt costs nothing. Cut sheets of newspaper or Kraft paper to the exact dimensions of the canvas you are considering, tape them to the wall in the intended position, and live with them for a day. Step back from the doorway you normally enter by. The paper silhouette tells you more than any product page, because it shows the real scale against your furniture, your skirting boards and your light.

Do this before ordering rather than after. Returns are possible, but a taped paper mock-up takes ten minutes and prevents the problem entirely. It also settles the portrait versus landscape question, which matters here. Dulac's compositions were designed for the printed page, so a tall format usually flatters them, and the mock-up will show immediately whether your wall agrees.

Once the size is settled, the remaining decisions are about finish and care rather than measurement. Our guide to cleaning and maintaining a canvas print covers the upkeep, and our FAQ on whether framed posters arrive ready to hang covers what to expect when the piece lands on your doorstep.