Whether you rent or own, an easy way to cheer up your walls is with a well-chosen print.
While paint and wallpaper offer a more permanent option, you can chop and change the mood of your spaces quickly with prints, updating it for the season ahead or giving your home the refresh it needs. If you’re someone who likes to switch up their interiors regularly, it’s a no-brainer.
To stop your abode from resembling a teenager’s bedroom or uni halls residence, framed prints trump posters every time. They feel more grown-up and give your print the spotlight it deserves.
Scandinavian wall art brand Desenio advises: "A light frame will make the artwork pop, while a black frame creates contrast. Black frames often look nice paired with monochrome photo art." Go one further by adding a mount to border your artwork.
How to pick the right size frame for a gallery wall
This varies depending on the look you’re hoping to achieve. For those with a gallery wall in mind, a mix of frames will give a patchwork effect. But make sure to use a spirit level to ensure your prints line up properly; if you’re anything like us, slightly wonky ones will drive you mad.
Desenio’s Executive Creative Director Annica Wallin adds: “A universal rule is to place the centre of your gallery wall approximately 145 cm, or 57 inches, above the floor. Do feel free to experiment with this rule - if you have a high ceiling it may have to be adjusted a bit. We also must take the edge of the sofa into account, the lowest hanging frame should hang at least 15 cm, or 6 inches, above the sofa.”
How to evenly space framed pictures on a wall
If you’re after a more polished look and want to space the same-sized frames evenly across a wall, it’s time to crack out the measuring tape as well as the spirit level to ensure you have even proportions. Finding the centre of each frame will help you work out how much space to leave between each one depending on the number of frames and the size of the wall in question.
How to hang one giant print
Got just one XL statement print to hang? Wallin recommends “calculating two-thirds of the height or width of the wall space. For example, if your space is eight feet wide, two-thirds would be six feet. This is your first guideline for the size of your frame. It doesn’t have to fill two-thirds of the entire space, only two-thirds of the distance in one direction to ensure the space is filled symmetrically and ties your room together seamlessly.”
It’s a lot of maths and measurements, but it will pay off in the end. Play around with your frame configuration on the floor first to make sure it’s just right before you root around for a hammer and rawl plugs. Better still, use Command Strips to hang images: the sticky-backed Velcro solutions are easy to detach and won’t blemish your walls - ideal if you’re renting.
When it comes to what to hang, the choice could fill all the museum walls in London - and then some. Art prints and reproductions can inspire, while graphic prints are a great way to express interests, hobbies and humour. Photography prints are an excellent choice for bringing a moment, place or atmosphere into the home too - especially if you opt for an oversized showpiece.
We’ve put together an edit of photo prints to hang on your walls, whether you’re creating a gallery wall or want a few high-impact options to make your space sing. Every one comes with a framing option; simply hang once delivered to your door.
Shop our pick of the best photo prints with frames now.
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Fy! Vintage Photography Collection Sophia Loren Apprets To Drink New Year In Rome At Her Home Art Print
Wet your whistle in good company with the eternally glamorous Sophia Loren, ready to join you whatever the hour.
The snap, taken in the actress’s Rome home on January 1, 1963, offers a sense of refined hedonism that’ll look right at home by your drinks cabinet. Best paired with a black frame, although, as with all Fy! prints, oak and white colours are also available.
Find more jewels in Fy!’s Vintage Photography Collection.
Buy now £13.00, Fy!
Roger Framed Art Print
A cheeky print of the UK’s favourite fictional spy, this print captures the late Sir Roger Moore as James Bond. Full of warmth and character - no mean feat, considering it’s a black-and-white shot - it’s a fun, exhibition-quality piece that will delight fans. Available in small, medium and large, you can play with frame colours as well as mount shades. The pane is made from acrylic, lighter and more shock-resistant than glass.
Buy now £72.18, RedBubble
King and McGaw Debbie Harry by Andy Warhol, 1980 (pink)
Welcome not one but two legends into your home with this art photography print available at King and McGaw.
Blondie gets a bubblegum pink makeover as Debbie Harry is captured through Warhol’s lens with a multi-hued lift, promising to inject a splash of colour into your interiors.
The piece is available in small (42 x 42cm), medium (62 x 62cm), large (82 x 82cm) and extra large (102 x 102cm) square sizes with a small selection of neutral-coloured wood frame options. Black stained ash with a window mount really makes this culture-focused shot pop.
From £90.
Buy now £90.00, King and McGaw
Desenio Iconic Music Trio Poster Pack
Audiophiles will adore Desenio’s bundle of prints featuring three musical legends that helped shape modern music. The Fab Five (30 x 40cm) join Freddie (50 x 70cm) and Kurt (30 x 40cm) in this set, which can be displayed together or peppered across the home. Matching frames can be found for the trio here.
Buy now £41.50, Desenio
Usain Bolt’s Gold 100m Olympic Games 2008
If you’re the athletic type, you may enjoy this stunning photograph of one of the world’s greatest runners crossing the finishing line at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, breaking the 100m world record. Available in a selection of frames including an XL 150 x 100cm called ‘museum’. An intense scene of triumph.
From £109.
Buy now £109.00, Art Photo Limited
Art Photo Limited Mister T
Taken in 1985 at the height of A-Team fame, this photo is part of LIFE magazine’s extensive archives. The black-and-white print comes in small, classic, medium and large sizes with frames and colour options available for an extra fee.
From £79.
Buy now £79.00, Art Photo Limited
Victoria's Stories Positano Morning Art Print
Sip your morning espresso while gazing at this detailed image of Positano and feel like you're really there. Fy! has an excellent selection of wall art including photography prints like this. Available in a selection of sizes, add a black, oak or white frame for £22 more.
Find Positano at golden hour here.
Buy now £11.00, Fy!
New York Chrysler Building - Framed Print & Mount
Get a fresh perspective on the Big Apple with a print that makes the Chrysler Building the star of the show. The perfect gift for travellers, big dreamers and fans of architecture alike.
Buy now £75.00, John Lewis
Erica Fuchs Photography Desert Sunset 1 Square Art Print
Retreat to the desert with Erica Fuchs’ saturated still life of a cactus doing its thing in the wide open space. The calming print has more edge than a traditional British landscape and thanks to the colours used, will work with a variety of interior palettes.
Buy now £31.00, Fy!
‘Penguins & Pelican Airplane Cabin’ Framed Print & Mount
Add a sense of play to your walls with this print, which depicts penguins and pelicans on board a vintage commercial aircraft. The surreal print comes in a black gloss frame with a textured mount to give it the right presentation.
Buy now £108.00, John Lewis
Art Photo Limited Earth Rising Over The Moon
Gaze at the awe-inspiring spectacle of a snap taken on the lunar surface every day by bringing this iconic Earthrise print home. Offered in four sizes ranging from small (30 x 30cm) to giant (100 x 100cm) frames and colour options are available for an extra cost too.
From £74.
Buy now, Art Photo Limited
Papier Single Photo Print
Make your photography the star of the show with help from Papier, who will print, mount and frame the snap of your choice to a highly polished professional standard. Frames are available in a choice of black or white and formats include square, landscape and portrait.
Buy now £48.00, Papier
Artemest Port Life Framed Print By Slim Aarons
For a gift they’ll keep forever, artwork is the way to go. Artemest offers a huge selection of art and photography prints to choose from, so there’s bound to be something that‘ll liven up their walls.
For our money, we love Slim Aarons’ snaps of the Italian Riviera (pictured). A candid caught moment from 1977 in the Portofino marina, it’s a timeless image that would elevate any home. Registered with Getty Images, it’s an authorised print that’s accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
Bonus: it’s already mounted and framed.
Buy now £775.00, Artemest
Sven Silk Raw
Let your art do all the talking. DROOL is an online art store packed with work from emerging artists, so if you’re looking for something a little usual, have a wander along its digital aisles.
Black, white and natural wood tones are available, along with unframed if you already own a frame that needs filling. And in terms of size, the options range from 15 x 20cm all the way up to A2 size for the biggest impact.
Buy now £34.00, DROOL
