How to choose art prints by genre

Key answer

Start by genre: landscape, photography, abstract, nature and the rest of the folio. This guide maps the catalogue. Open a collection when you are ready to buy.

AT A GLANCE — Prints
349 works · 46 artists · 6 sizes · from £52.50
Most represented	Paul Duncan, 58 works
Shape of the collection	landscape 111 · portrait 64 · square 47

Start with the room, not the picture

Most people start by browsing images and get overwhelmed, because there are over a thousand works in the shop and they all look good in a grid.

The faster route is to narrow by constraint first. You almost certainly know three things already: which wall, roughly how wide it is, and whether the room is used in daylight or after dark. Those three answers eliminate most of the catalogue before you look at a single image.

Width decides more than taste does

Art above furniture should span roughly two thirds of the furniture's width. A three-seat sofa of 210 cm wants about 140 cm; a double headboard of 145 cm wants about 97 cm; a 120 cm desk wants about 80 cm.

Once you know the number, the format follows. Wide walls want landscape-format work, which means landscape, seascape, cityscape and urban. Narrow walls want portrait, which means abstract, figurative, architectural and doors. That single division cuts the catalogue in half.

The genres, and what each is actually for

If you want calm

Seascape, waterscape and semi-abstract landscape. All three have narrow tonal ranges and no single demanding focal point, which is what restfulness actually is. Waterscape is the quietest of the three.

If you want a place

Cityscape, urban and London. These work through recognition, so they are excellent where there is a personal connection and merely decorative where there is not.

If you want structure without subject

Abstract, geometry and architectural. Absorbing to look at repeatedly without telling you a story, which is why they dominate the study collection.

If the room is visually busy

Botanical and floral. High-key work with a light background and one clear subject cuts through pattern and clutter, which is why they make up most of the kitchen and conservatory edits.

If the light is poor or mixed

Black and white. Monochrome is unaffected by colour temperature, so it looks the same under daylight, a warm lamp and a screen. In a hallway, a study or a dining room used at night, it is the reliable answer.

Framed to order

Every work is printed and hand-framed in the UK to the size, moulding and mount chosen at checkout. Nothing is sitting in a warehouse; the piece you receive is made for the order.

Framed work is the one that belongs in a kitchen or a bathroom — grease, steam and cooking smells never reach the paper, and the glazing takes that film and wipes clean. Use a soft dry cloth rather than a kitchen spray.

Pieces take 3–5 working days to make, then 2–3 days with the courier.

What to do if you still cannot decide

Pick the wall, then filter by size rather than subject, and look at what is left. It is a much shorter list and it will contain things you would not have searched for.

Then preview two or three in the frame you are considering before choosing between them. The frame changes a work more than most people expect.

Related genres

Browse the Prints collection →

Quick answers for collectors

How do I choose an art print?

Start with constraints rather than images. You already know which wall, roughly how wide it is, and whether the room is used in daylight or after dark. Those three answers eliminate most of a thousand-work catalogue before you look at a single picture.

What size art print do I need?

Art above furniture should span roughly two thirds of the furniture's width. A three-seat sofa of 210 cm wants about 140 cm across, a double headboard of 145 cm wants about 97 cm, and a 120 cm desk wants about 80 cm. Measure the furniture, not the wall.

What is the difference between the genres?

They divide by what they do in a room. Seascape and waterscape for calm. Cityscape and London for recognition. Abstract and geometry for structure without narrative. Botanical and floral for visually busy rooms. Black and white for poor or mixed lighting.

How long does a framed print take?

Framed pieces are made to order: 3–5 working days to print and frame, then 2–3 days with a tracked courier, so 5–8 business days in total. Multi-panel sets ship together as one consignment.

What if I cannot decide?

Filter by size rather than subject and look at what is left. It is a far shorter list and usually contains work you would not have searched for. Then preview two or three in the frame you are considering — framing changes a piece more than people expect.