Sizing Framed Posters of Arne Jacobsen's Work

The most common framed poster sizes for Jacobsen prints, matched to wall space and room type. The right answer depends less on the artwork than on where it hangs.

Auvrique Editorial · Fine Art Editions

The short answer

The most popular framed poster sizes for Jacobsen prints are 30x40 cm, 50x70 cm and 70x100 cm, with 24x36 inches common in the US. The 50x70 cm format is the workhorse. It suits most living rooms and hallways, while 30x40 cm works in pairs or small walls and 70x100 cm needs roughly a metre of clear wall.

The three sizes that dominate

Three formats account for most framed poster sales of mid-century design graphics, and Jacobsen's work fits the pattern. The smallest is 30x40 cm, roughly 12x16 inches. The middle size is 50x70 cm, about 20x28 inches. The largest standard format is 70x100 cm, close to 28x40 inches. In North America the inch-based equivalents are 18x24, 24x36 and 27x40 inches.

The 50x70 cm size earns its popularity honestly. It is large enough to carry a single graphic image above a sofa or sideboard, yet light enough to hang on a plasterboard wall without special fixings. It also matches standard frame stock, which keeps the cost of framing down. For a print of Jacobsen's work, where the appeal is clean geometry, that middle format reads as deliberate rather than oversized.

Matching size to room and wall

The common mistake is buying too small for the wall, not too large. A print that covers roughly two thirds to three quarters of the width of the furniture below it looks settled. Above a standard three seat sofa, that means 50x70 cm as a single piece or two 30x40 cm frames side by side. Above a desk or a bed, 30x40 cm usually suffices.

Hallways and stairwells are the natural territory of the 70x100 cm format, where the viewer stands close and the wall is long. Be honest about clearance. A frame that size needs about a metre of unbroken wall and reads badly squeezed between a door frame and a light switch. For a fuller treatment of tight rooms, see what fits a small living room.

Quick size rules

30x40 cm suits small walls, bathrooms and pairs on a gallery wall.
50x70 cm is the default for a single print above a sofa or sideboard.
70x100 cm needs a metre of clear wall and a solid fixing point.
Leave 15 to 25 cm between the frame and the top of the furniture below.

Gallery walls and mixed arrangements

Jacobsen's graphic work, with its flat planes and disciplined lines, holds up well in a group. The best dimensions for gallery walls mix two or three sizes rather than one. A common arrangement pairs a 50x70 cm anchor with two or three 30x40 cm frames around it, spaced 5 to 8 cm apart. Keep the spacing consistent and the grid reads as intentional.

Before buying, tape the outline of each frame on the wall with masking tape. It costs nothing and settles the proportion question in ten minutes. If a taped 70x100 cm rectangle looks heavy in the room, drop to 50x70 cm. Framed posters are a different market from originals, and the point of the format is that a change of mind is affordable. Anyone weighing frame against canvas can compare the two formats directly in the framed versus canvas comparison.

Most rooms are not defeated by the wrong size. They are defeated by a print two sizes too small for the wall.

Size	Metric equivalent	Best use	Wall needed
18x24 in	30x40 cm	Pairs, small walls, bathrooms	About 40 cm of clear wall
24x36 in	50x70 cm	Single print above a sofa or bed	About 70 cm of clear wall
27x40 in	70x100 cm	Hallways, stairwells, statement walls	A metre or more of clear wall

Standard framed poster sizes and where they work

Key takeaways

The three dominant framed poster sizes are 30x40 cm, 50x70 cm and 70x100 cm.
The 50x70 cm format is the safest single choice for most living spaces.
Match the print width to roughly two thirds of the furniture below it.
Tape the frame outline on the wall before buying to test the proportion.

Related questions

Is 50x70 cm too large for a hallway?

Usually the opposite. A hallway with a long unbroken wall is one of the few places where 70x100 cm earns its space, because viewers stand close and pass by rather than sit with the print. If the hallway is narrow or interrupted by doors, 50x70 cm is the better fit.

Should I buy one large print or several small ones?

One large print suits a wall with a single piece of furniture below it. Several small prints suit staircases, long walls and rooms where furniture sits at different heights. Jacobsen's clean graphic style survives grouping well, provided the spacing between frames stays even.

Do standard frame sizes limit which prints I can buy?

To a degree. Reproduction editions are usually printed to fit standard frame stock, which is why 30x40, 50x70 and 70x100 cm recur across sellers. Custom framing exists but costs more, and for a poster format it rarely changes how the print reads on the wall.

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