If your room does not have a natural focal point such as a fireplace, a lovely view or even a pair of French doors leading outdoors, then you can create one with artwork, especially if your sofa is against a wall.
Generally, the art needs to be fairly large and somewhat elegant – an oil painting or watercolor – if it is to be hung in a living room. More informal pieces or groupings of photos work best in family rooms, especially if your home has both a living room and a family room and you want the latter to look less elaborate.
Since the sofa is the natural centerpiece in both of these rooms, and because media cabinets with large televisions, high entertainment centers and wall units are generally situated across from the seating area, hanging artwork above your sofa can help balance the height of the taller piece on the opposite wall.
Here are five guidelines:
1. If you prefer a large piece of art above the sofa, hang one that is at least 4 feet wide and 3 feet high. (If your sofa is wider than 90″ increase both of those measurements 6″-12″.)
2. On average, most sofas are between 31″ – 37″ high (measure to the top of the cushion). If you are hanging one piece or a grouping, a good rule of thumb is to hang the bottom of the painting or the lowest piece of art 10″ – 12″ above the highest point of the sofa. The higher the sofa, the less space should be left in between the top of the seat and the artwork.
Note: It is better to err on the side of hanging something too low than to hang it too high. And, no, if it is hung low you won’t hit your head against it, as long as the artwork is a painting and not a piece of sculpture that juts out from the wall.
3. Remember to keep framing materials consistent for a cohesive look, especially if you are going to display a grouping, i.e. all gold leaf, all espresso wood.
4. Art does not have to match your decor but it doesn’t hurt if at least one of the hues in the piece or pieces ties into your existing color scheme.
5. 
If the painting you’d like to use is not wide enough for the area above your sofa, hang a pair of some kind, on either side of the too small piece, to flank it and make your focal point look wider: a pair of prints, drawings, pedestals or even 2 small sculpture. Anything that works with your décor, coordinates with the centerpiece and makes the whole effect appear broader is an option.
Have you created a focal point using artwork above a sofa in your home?
All of the precious things in your home reflect who you are. You can use what you have to create the home you’ve always dreamed of.”
– Lauri Ward, Use What You Have Decorating
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks so much for this helpful information. I have art above my sofa that meets the 4 x 3 size requirement but am thinking of changing and I love your advice. Love your blog, Lauri. I finally got around to ordering your new book last week.
You are most welcome, Lori.
I hope the suggestions help guide you to an arrangement or piece of art that makes you happier.
Please keep me posted.
This advice, which I first discovered in the first of your books I read, was SOOO helpful as I began my spring cleaning and redecorating (with what we have) effort. I didn’t use a painting over the living room sofa however. Our style is casual, and even though our living room is consistently tidy and well mannered, “formal” just doesn’t suit us. Besides, the thought of all those elegant sofas with elegant oil paintings or watercolors hanging over them all over the country made me want to try something different, something that truly is a reflection of us. So, as I mentioned a couple of posts ago, we hung a beautiful hand made oak quilt rack above the sofa and are currently displaying a single large stained glass quilt block on it that picks up colors from the throw and pillows on the sofa. The shelf above the rack holds a pane of leaded glass that echoes the lines from the quilt block amazingly well. It looks as though they were designed to be together even though they came from different corners of the house when I decided to redecorate. So, I hope I’m not being too unconventional, since your design suggestions have been my compass these past few months, and the results are wonderful! I just thought I’d share this one creative interpretation in case there are others out there with “casually elegant” instead of “formal” living rooms.
Now that I’ve moved on to the family room, I have a new challenge: Too many focal points! One wall has the fireplace, another the entertainment center, and another a comfortable couch with space on the wall above for…something. Guess I’ll re-read your book. As always, thanks!
Paula,
The focal point you created over your living room sofa sounds lovely. Any piece that is the right size and style for the wall space above the sofa can be used – it doesn’t have to be a painting. What I probably did not make clear is that if you have both a living room and a family room, in that case it is better to have the living room be a bit more formal or the home will look as though there are 2 dens. Overall, I don’t advocate that living rooms be formal, or have elaborate artwork above the sofa; a casually elegant look is the best option for most homes.
As for your family room with multiple focal points, I can offer two suggestions: First, you may need a pair of swivel chairs and, second, it will be important to leave one wall bare (possibly the one above the sofa) to give the eye a place to rest.
Have fun!