The Living Room Is Where It Has to Work
The living room is the one space in your home where everything is on show. It's where you spend most of your time, where guests sit down, where people notice what's on the walls. So when it comes to choosing wall art for a coastal living room, getting it right matters more than anywhere else in the house.
I'm Sam, the photographer behind Local Breaks. I shoot coastal locations across Victoria and Queensland, and a big part of what I do is help people find a print that actually fits their space, not just one that looks good in a thumbnail. This guide covers the three things that trip people up most: the print itself, the size, and the frame.
Start With the Print, Not the Frame
A lot of people go straight to thinking about frame colours or whether they want canvas or glass. But the print is where it all starts. Pick a location that means something to you first.
The prints that end up working best in living rooms are usually the ones with a real connection behind them. Plenty of my customers have told me they walk past their print every day and it lifts their mood because it's a beach they actually love. That's what you want on your living room wall, not a generic coastal shot that could be anywhere.
If your family holidays on the Surf Coast every summer, that's the print you want. If Anglesea or Point Addis is where you go to clear your head, put that on the wall. My Point Addis Art Print I is my top-selling print for a reason. I shot it from above with my drone on a still morning and the way the rock platform meets the ocean comes through in a way you just don't get at ground level. It looks incredible large in a living room.
For something a little different, the Point Roadknight Art Print II has an artistic quality that people really respond to. Several customers have bought it as a gift specifically because it doesn't look like a generic photo. It looks considered.
Getting the Size Right for a Living Room
This is where most people underestimate. In a living room, a small print just disappears. You need something with presence.
As a general guide:
- Above a sofa, aim for at least an L (59.4x84.1cm) or XL (84.1x118.9cm). Anything smaller tends to look like it's floating in the wrong way.
- For a feature wall with nothing else around it, the XL or EPIC (100x150cm, that's 1.5 metres wide) is worth considering. Yes, it sounds big. But in a living room with decent ceiling height, it's the right call.
- If you're doing a gallery wall across a larger space, M size (42x59.4cm) prints can work well grouped together.
Check out my full size guide here if you want more detail on sizing by room and wall width. There's also a visual size guide at localbreaks.com.au/pages/size-guide-1.
Choosing the Right Frame for a Living Room
The frame changes how the whole print reads. Here's a quick breakdown of what works well in living rooms specifically.
Floating Frame Canvas
This is my most popular choice for living rooms. The museum quality 400gsm Hahnemuhle Daguerre canvas is stretched over a solid timber frame with no glass, which means zero reflections regardless of where your light sources are. It gives the print a warm, gallery feel. Works especially well in rooms that get a lot of natural light.
Shadow Box Frame
The shadow box sits the glass 20mm off the print, which creates a subtle floating effect. It's a step up from the classic frame and looks really considered in a living space. The premium version uses Tru Vue Museum Glass with 99% UV protection and virtually no glare, printed on 308gsm Hahnemuhle Rag Mount Smooth fine art paper with 11-colour giclee archival inks. If you're putting something large on the living room wall and want it to last, the premium shadow box is worth it.
Classic Frame
A solid option if you want something clean and straightforward. Comes in black, white or oak, with a solid sustainably sourced timber frame and a 10-year warranty. Great if your interior is already quite styled and you don't want the frame to compete.
For more help deciding between formats, I wrote a full breakdown in Framed vs Canvas: Which Format Works Best for Coastal Wall Art?
Bring the Coast Into Your Living Room
Coastal wall art for a living room works best when it's specific. A print of a beach you've actually been to, sized to actually fill the wall, framed in a way that suits the room. That's the combination that gets the compliments and makes the space feel like yours.
All prints start from $89 and ship free anywhere in Australia. Everything is printed to order in Victoria and sent ready to hang. If you're not sure which size to go for, feel free to reach out and I'll help you work it out.
Browse the full collection at Point Addis Art Print I or explore all coastal prints at localbreaks.com.au.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size wall art should I get for a living room?
For most living rooms, an L (59.4x84.1cm) or XL (84.1x118.9cm) print is the right starting point. Above a sofa, anything smaller tends to look undersized once it's up on the wall. If you have a large feature wall or high ceilings, the EPIC size at 100x150cm is worth considering for real impact.
Is canvas or framed print better for a living room?
Both work well, but floating frame canvas is a strong choice for living rooms because there's no glass, so you get zero reflections no matter where your windows and lights are positioned. If you prefer a print behind glass with a more traditional look, the shadow box frame adds a nice depth effect that works really well in a living room setting.
Where should I hang wall art in a living room?
Above the sofa is the most common and most effective position. Hang the centre of the print at roughly eye level, which is usually around 145 to 150cm from the floor. If the print is going on a blank wall with no furniture below it, use the same rough eye-level rule and make sure the print is large enough to hold the wall on its own.
What kind of coastal wall art works best in an Australian living room?
Prints of locations that mean something to you personally tend to work best because they give the room a story, not just a look. Photography with genuine colour and detail holds a living room better than generic stock imagery. If you can find a print of a beach you actually visit or grew up near, that's the one to go for.
Got questions? I'm easy to reach and happy to help you find the right print, size and frame for your space.
