Wall art above a sofa should be about two-thirds of the sofa's width: about 140 cm for a 210 cm three-seater, where our largest sizes, 100×70 cm and 90×120 cm, or two A1s side by side, come closest. Hang it with its centre about 150 cm from the floor and its lower edge 20 to 25 cm above the back of the sofa; the same two-thirds rule works above a console or a bed. This guide sets out The Calligraphy Gallery's calligraphy paint sizes and prices as they stand today, from AED 60 rolled, and what suits each place in the home.
The two-thirds rule
Above a piece of furniture, make the width of the work, or of the works side by side with the gap between them, about two-thirds of the furniture's width. A 210 cm sofa wants a piece about 140 cm wide, or two pieces side by side. A 120 cm console is well served by an A1 or a 50×70 cm. On a bare wall with no furniture, leave generous space on every side: the space is part of the composition.
Eye level
Hang the piece so its centre sits about 150 cm from the floor, and above a sofa leave 20 to 25 cm between its lower edge and the sofa's back. A piece hung too high seems to escape the room; one hung too low disappears behind the heads of the people sitting under it.
Sizes and prices
Calligraphy paint prices, the same for every phrase and script:
| Size | Canvas, frameless | Framed | Framed with acrylic glass |
|---|---|---|---|
| A4 (21×29.7 cm) | 60 | 90 | 95 |
| A3 (29.7×42 cm) | 60 | 100 | 105 |
| 50×40 cm | 75 | 150 | 160 |
| A2 (42×59.4 cm) | 85 | 195 | 210 |
| 50×70 cm | 120 | 265 | 300 |
| A1 (59.4×84.1 cm) | 145 | 345 | 405 |
| 60×90 cm | 160 | 375 | 440 |
| 100×70 cm | 195 | 460 | 555 |
| A0 (84.1×118.9 cm) | 250 | 600 | 745 |
| 90×120 cm | 295 | 700 | 855 |
What suits each place
- A shelf, a desk or a side table: A4 or A3, read up close.
- A hallway, a study or a child's room: A3 or A2.
- Above a console or a sideboard: A1 or 50×70 cm.
- Above a three-seat sofa: 100×70 cm or 90×120 cm, or two A1s side by side.
- A majlis wall or a wide entrance: A0 or 90×120 cm.
The length of the phrase changes the size
A single word or a name holds at any size. A long verse or a full line of poetry needs room for its letters to stay legible from where people sit, so above five words, start from A2. The script changes the sum too: Thuluth needs space to breathe, and Diwani stays beautiful small.
Try it on the wall before you order
A sizes double: an A3 is two sheets of A4, an A2 four, an A1 eight. Tape A4 sheets to the wall in the size you are considering and look at them from the sofa and from the door for a day before you decide. Or write your phrase in Mashq Studio, free, and choose the size there.
Framed or not, glass or not
A rolled, frameless canvas is the least expensive, for anyone with a framer they trust. The frame comes in eight hand-finished mouldings, polished gold, matte black, antique gold, light wood, oak, dark walnut, white and silver, at one price for all of them at a given size. Acrylic glass protects the surface from dust and hands, and is worth adding in hallways, children's rooms and near a kitchen.
Making and delivery
Every paint is made to order in our workshop in 5–7 working days. Delivery anywhere in the UAE is AED 50 per order, whatever the quantity; Emirates Post Express, at the shipping rate shown at checkout, in 3 to 5 days.
Three paints to start from
- «إن مع العسر يسرا», With hardship comes ease, in Diwani: from AED 60.
- «بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم» in Thuluth: from AED 60.
- Your name in Arabic calligraphy: framed at A3, AED 185.
All of them are in the calligraphy paint collection.
Related reading: Buying Arabic Calligraphy Art in the UAE: Originals, Paints, Prices · 43 Arabic Phrases for Wall Art, With Their Meanings.
About this guide: written by MASHQ, which makes Arabic calligraphy pieces to order in its own workshop and builds Mashq Studio (1click2open LLC, Sharjah). What we print, what we cut and what a calligrapher writes by hand — and when we confirm a spelling before anything is made — is on how a piece is made.