50x70 cm Wall Art: Why This Size Works

When choosing a piece for the wall, size is the decision most often postponed; subject and colour get discussed, size is left for last. Yet size is what first determines how a work will sit on the wall. 50x70 wall art is one of the most common formats, from ready-made frames to print, and at Aurecort it is the standard size for canvas, plexi and framed pieces. This article explains where the format comes from, what it means in numbers and which wall it suits; by the end you can decide whether your own wall needs one piece, two, three, or a different size altogether.

Where the 50x70 wall art format comes from

50 × 70 cm (about 19.7 × 27.6 in) is a rectangle with a side ratio of 5 to 7; the long side is 1.4 times the short one. That is very close to the 1 to 1.414 ratio used for paper sizes: the international B2 sheet measures 50 × 70.7 cm. In other words, 50 × 70 is the rounded version of a size the print world already uses. Compared with the A series it is larger than A2 (42 × 59.4 cm) and smaller than A1 (59.4 × 84.1 cm).

This has two practical consequences. First, ready-made frames, mounts and packaging are easy to find in this size. Second, compositions prepared for posters and prints fit the ratio without cropping.

50 × 70 in numbers

The surface area is 0.35 square metres. The diagonal is about 86 cm; a comfortable viewing distance is taken as 1.5 to 2 times the diagonal, that is 1.3–1.7 metres. This matches the distance from the opposite wall of a hallway, or from the sofa in a living room.

Compared with neighbouring sizes: 30 × 40 cm is 0.12 square metres, 40 × 50 cm is 0.20, 60 × 90 cm is 0.54 and 70 × 100 cm is 0.70. A 50 × 70 has 1.75 times the surface of a 40 × 50, while a 70 × 100 equals exactly two 50 × 70 pieces side by side. That makes 50 × 70 an in-between size: large enough to read on its own, small enough to hang in a row.

Why this ratio suits a tennis court

A tennis court is 23.77 metres long; it is 8.23 metres wide for singles and 10.97 for doubles. The doubles court is about 2.2 times as long as it is wide, so the court is noticeably longer than the 1.4 ratio of a 50 × 70. When a court seen from above is placed on a vertical 50 × 70, space remains on both sides; that space makes room for the run-off area around the court and for the colour of the surface.

A sample calculation: if the court is drawn 60 cm long, the scale is roughly 1 to 40. At that scale the doubles court is 27.7 cm wide; on a 50 cm width this leaves about 11 cm on each side and 5 cm at the top and bottom. The lines stay legible and the surface colour has room to breathe around them.

The dimensions of the court are the same at every tournament; what changes is the surface and the colour. Which surface is being played on this week is covered in the tennis notes, and the colours of the surfaces in the article on court surfaces and their colours.

Portrait or landscape

The same size does two different jobs. In portrait (50 cm wide, 70 cm high) the piece suits narrow walls, the space between doors and side-by-side rows; long subjects such as a court seen from above sit comfortably this way. In landscape (70 cm wide, 50 cm high) the piece follows the line of the furniture above a console or a headboard.

If you are building a series, choose the orientation at the start: mixing portrait and landscape pieces in the same row undoes the order that a shared size provides.

Which wall 50x70 wall art suits

Above a sofa

The general rule is that the total width of the pieces should be between two thirds and three quarters of the furniture. Above a two-seater of 145–160 cm, two portrait pieces (108 cm with an 8 cm gap) fall within that range. Above a three-seater of 220–250 cm, three portrait pieces (166 cm) are the right proportion.

Above a console or sideboard

A single landscape piece is 70 cm wide; it sits in balance above a console of 95–105 cm. A single portrait piece, at 50 cm wide, suits a narrow piece of furniture of 70–75 cm.

Hallways and narrow walls

A portrait piece needs at least 70–80 cm of clear wall width; without 10–15 cm of space on each side it looks squeezed. The 80–100 cm sections of wall between two doors are good places for a 50 × 70.

Large, empty walls

On an empty wall wider than 3 metres a single 50 × 70 looks small. The answer here is usually not a larger size but more pieces: the aim is for the row to fill 60–75 per cent of the wall width.

One, two or three: the width calculation

For pieces hung in portrait with 8 cm between them, the total widths are: one piece 50 cm, two 108 cm, three 166 cm, four 224 cm. The gap is kept between 5 and 10 cm. The centre height is 145–150 cm from the floor; for a portrait 50 × 70 this means the top edge at 180–185 cm and the bottom edge at 110–115 cm. Above a sofa, 15–25 cm is left between the bottom edge and the furniture.

How to order a row is covered in the article on wall layouts with tennis-themed art, and how to choose three pieces in relation to one another in starting an art collection.

How frame and mount change the size

Hung unframed, canvas and plexi take up exactly 50 × 70 cm on the wall. With a framed piece the outer size grows by the width of the moulding: a medium moulding of 2–4 cm brings the outer size to roughly 54–58 × 74–78 cm. In side-by-side rows the gap is calculated from this outer size. The choice of moulding is covered in detail in the article on choosing a frame.

A smaller print can be placed inside a 50 × 70 frame with a mount. An A2 print (42 × 59.4 cm) leaves 4 cm at the sides and about 5 cm at the top and bottom. A 40 × 60 cm print leaves 5 cm all round, and a 30 × 40 cm print 10 cm at the sides and 15 cm at the top and bottom; as the margin widens, the image gets smaller and the space around it grows.

Step by step: does 50 × 70 fit your wall

Step one is to measure the clear width of the wall: the empty area left between doors, windows, sockets and furniture.

Step two is to measure the furniture; the width of the piece or the row should stay between two thirds and three quarters of it.

Step three is to look at the viewing distance. If the wall is mostly seen from 1.3–1.7 metres, 50 × 70 is the right size; if the distance is more than 3 metres, a row or a larger size is worth considering.

Step four is to choose the orientation: portrait or landscape.

Step five is to choose the number: one, two or three; compare with the widths above.

Step six is the paper template. Tape a sheet of wrapping paper cut to 50 × 70 cm to the wall and leave it there for a day; it is the quickest way to test a size decision.

Common mistakes with 50x70 wall art

Hanging a single piece on a wide wall and leaving it in the middle is the first mistake; the piece gets lost on the wall.

Not allowing for the outer size of a framed piece is the second. Once the moulding is added, a row of three may no longer fit the wall.

Mixing portrait and landscape pieces in the same row is the third.

Hanging the piece too high is the fourth. The further the centre rises above 145–150 cm, the more the piece detaches from the furniture.

Making the gap as wide as the piece itself is the fifth; the row turns into pieces hung separately.

Filling a narrow section of wall completely is the sixth. With no space on either side, the piece looks squeezed.

When 50 × 70 is not enough

If a single piece is meant to carry a large wall on its own, if the ceiling is high or the wall is seen from a distance, a larger size is needed. Conversely, shelf tops, desk edges and very narrow sections of wall call for a smaller size. For the pieces on the Framed Art Series and Plexi Series pages the standard size is 50 × 70 cm; for a different wall a custom size is possible, and the size is settled at the quotation stage.

Frequently asked questions

Is 50x70 wall art large or small?

It is a medium size. Its surface is 0.35 square metres; on its own it reads comfortably from 1.3–1.7 metres, and two or three side by side fill the space above a sofa.

Which paper size does 50x70 correspond to?

It corresponds to the international B2 size (50 × 70.7 cm). It is larger than A2 and smaller than A1.

How many 50x70 pieces go above a sofa?

It depends on the width of the sofa: two portrait pieces suit a sofa of about 150 cm, three portrait pieces a sofa of 220–250 cm. The total width should stay between two thirds and three quarters of the sofa.

Which print fits a 50x70 frame?

A full-size 50 × 70 cm print fits directly; A2 and 40 × 60 cm prints fit with a mount. The mount margin is 4 cm at the sides for A2 and 5 cm all round for 40 × 60.

For three-dimensional printing and hand-painted decor objects, see the sister brand Aurecort 3D.

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