Bathroom Wall Art Ideas
The best bathroom wall art is small to medium, hung away from splashes and protected behind glass. Botanicals, coastal scenes and gentle line art suit most bathrooms, and one A3 or A2 print is usually enough to finish a wall.
Below: where to hang art in a bathroom, how to protect prints from steam, the styles and colours that work, and prints chosen for the job.
Prints for this look
Where art works best in a bathroom
- Above the toilet. The classic spot, and usually the driest wall. One A3 or a pair of A4 prints stacked vertically fits most cisterns. Leave 15 to 25 cm between the top of the cistern and the bottom of the frame.
- The wall facing the door. It is the first thing you see as you walk in, so it is the place for your favourite print.
- Beside the mirror or above a towel rail. Narrow spaces suit a single A4 or a tall A3.
- Above the bath. Only in a well ventilated room, and only where the shower spray cannot reach. A wide A2 works well here.
On a wall with nothing in front of it, hang the centre of the print at about 145 to 150 cm from the floor, the same as anywhere else in the house.
A powder room or downstairs cloakroom has no shower, so there is far less steam. That makes it the easiest bathroom to decorate, and a good place to be a little bolder: a larger print, or a small group of three.
Protecting prints from steam and damp
Yes, you can hang art prints in a bathroom. Paper simply needs a little protection from moisture.
- Frame it behind glass or acrylic with a well-sealed back. Acrylic is lighter and safer in a room with hard floors.
- Let air move behind the frame. Small felt bumpers on the bottom corners hold it slightly off the wall so damp cannot collect behind it.
- Keep it out of the splash zone. The wall opposite the shower is better than the wall beside it.
- Ventilate after every shower. An extractor fan or an open window clears steam quickly and helps the frame as much as the walls.
If your shower room has no window and no fan, hang the art just outside it, on the landing or hallway wall, and keep the bathroom itself simple.
Choosing bathroom art: styles and colours
Bathrooms are calm, practical rooms, so art that feels fresh and quiet tends to work best.
- Botanicals bring the green of a plant to a room that often has no space for one. They look especially good against white or cream tiles. Browse our botanical prints.
- Coastal and ocean scenes suit blue, white and sandy bathrooms and feel at home near water. See our ocean prints.
- Birds and line art keep things light in a small bathroom, with plenty of white space so the room does not feel crowded.
- A touch of humour works well in a cloakroom or a family bathroom, where guests have a moment to look.
For colour, pick one shade from your tiles, towels or plants and repeat it in the print. Dark green or navy walls make prints with a cream background glow. A small, white bathroom can take almost any colour, but airy prints with lots of space around the subject help it feel bigger.
See the full bathroom art collection for more ideas.
Sizes at a glance
| Size | Centimetres | Inches | Works for |
|---|---|---|---|
| A4 | 21 x 29.7 | 8.3 x 11.7 | Shelves, desks, small gaps, sets of 3 |
| A3 | 29.7 x 42 | 11.7 x 16.5 | Hallways, side walls, pairs |
| A2 | 42 x 59.4 | 16.5 x 23.4 | Above a sideboard or small sofa, the anchor of a gallery wall |
| A1 | 59.4 x 84.1 | 23.4 x 33.1 | Above a standard sofa or bed |
| A0 | 84.1 x 118.9 | 33.1 x 46.8 | Large walls, open-plan rooms, statement pieces |
All our A sizes fit standard off-the-shelf frames, and every print is made to order on museum-grade matte paper.
