How to Choose Wall Art for a Living Room: A Guide to Coastal Prints That Work in Any Space

The living room is usually the first place people think about when they're decorating. It's where you spend the most time, where guests sit down, and where one good print on the wall can completely change how the whole room feels. I've had so many customers tell me that after hanging one of my coastal prints, the living room finally felt finished. That's what the right piece of wall art for a living room does. It pulls everything together.

I'm Sam, a Geelong-based photographer and the person behind every single print at Local Breaks. I shoot real Australian beaches, places I actually know and love, and every print is made to order right here in Victoria. This is my honest guide to choosing coastal wall art for a living room, without overcomplicating it.

Start With the Wall, Not the Print

Before you even look at prints, go measure your wall. This sounds obvious but most people skip it. A print that looks massive on a screen can look completely lost on a big living room wall. As a general rule, your artwork should fill roughly two thirds of the wall width it's sitting on.

For most living rooms, that puts you in the L size (59.4x84.1cm) or XL size (84.1x118.9cm) territory. If you've got a big open plan space or a feature wall above a couch, the EPIC size at 100x150cm is genuinely impressive in person. That's 1.5 metres wide and it stops people in their tracks. Our size guide has a visual breakdown that makes it easy to figure out what works where.

If you're still unsure after reading that, I've written a full post on what size wall art to choose that walks through it room by room.

Pick a Print That Actually Means Something

Generic coastal art is everywhere. You can buy it from any homewares chain and it'll look fine. But the prints that people really love, the ones that get compliments every time someone visits, are the ones that mean something.

A lot of my customers buy prints of their favourite beach holiday spot. It's the beach they went to every summer as a kid, or the place where they got engaged, or just the stretch of coast they'd move to tomorrow if they could. Having that on the wall every day is a completely different feeling to hanging a random ocean photo.

One of my top sellers is the Point Addis Art Print I. I shot it from above with my drone on a calm morning and the colours of the water came out better than I could have hoped for. I've had customers tell me they look at it every day and it lifts their mood. That's what good wall art for a living room should do.

If you're on the Surf Coast or have a connection to Anglesea, the Point Roadknight Art Print II is another one that consistently gets a reaction. It's a view most people haven't seen before and it photographs beautifully.

Frame Style Matters More Than Most People Realise

Once you've found the right print, the frame is what makes it look considered rather than just stuck on the wall. Here's a quick breakdown of what I offer and when each one works best in a living room.

• Classic frame: Solid FSC certified timber in black, white or oak. Glass front, metal wire hanging. A clean, traditional look that suits most living rooms. Available in all sizes up to XL.
• Floating frame canvas: Stretched on museum quality 400gsm Hahnemuhle Daguerre canvas with no glass at all. Because there's no glass, there are zero reflections, which is ideal if your living room gets a lot of natural light. Looks very contemporary and works especially well at larger sizes.
• Shadow box frame: The glass sits 20mm off the print, which creates a subtle floating effect. It adds real depth and looks a step above a standard frame. A solid choice if you want something that feels more considered.
• Premium shadow box: Same floating effect but with 308gsm Hahnemuhle Rag Mount Smooth fine art paper, 11-colour archival inks, and Tru Vue Museum Glass with 99% UV protection and virtually no glare. This is the top of the range option and it genuinely looks gallery quality on a living room wall.

For a full comparison of frame styles, take a look at my guide on framed vs canvas: which format works best for coastal wall art.

One Statement Piece or a Gallery Wall?

Both work well. One large print, like an XL or EPIC, above a couch or fireplace is simple and effective. It becomes the centrepiece of the room without you having to think too hard about it.

A gallery wall gives you more flexibility and works really well if you want to tell a story, maybe prints from different beaches you've visited, or a mix of sizes from the same location. The key is keeping the frames consistent so it doesn't look scattered.

Whatever you go with, all my prints are ready to hang straight out of the box with D rings or wire hanging hardware already fitted. No trips to the hardware store required.

Bring the Coast Into Your Living Room

If you've been scrolling past the same generic coastal prints online and none of them have felt quite right, it's probably because they don't mean anything to you. My prints are all real Australian beaches, shot by me personally on location. They're made to order, printed in Victoria on archival materials that won't fade, and shipped free anywhere in Australia.

Starting from $89, they're genuinely good value compared to what you'd pay at a gallery for framed coastal photography. And every print comes with a 10-year warranty on frames.

Browse the full range and find the beach that means something to you at localbreaks.com.au. Or check out the product guide if you want to compare frame options before you decide.

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 works well as a single statement piece above a couch or on a feature wall. A general rule is to aim for artwork that fills around two thirds of the wall width. For very large open plan spaces, the EPIC size at 100x150cm makes a real impact. If you're unsure, use a size guide or hold up a piece of cardboard in the same dimensions to get a feel for the scale.

What kind of coastal wall art works best in a living room?

Art that has a personal connection to the people living there tends to work best. A print of your favourite beach, a place you holiday regularly, or a coastline you grew up near will get far more enjoyment than a generic ocean image. Larger format prints with strong composition work well in living rooms because they can hold the eye across a bigger space.

Should I choose a framed print or a canvas for my living room?

If your living room gets a lot of natural light, a floating frame canvas is worth considering because it has no glass and produces zero reflections. A classic framed print or shadow box frame suits rooms with more controlled lighting and gives a very clean, gallery-style result. Both options use