Decor
Two- and Three-Panel Paintings: When to Choose a Diptych or Triptych and How to Hang It
One large painting or a set of two or three for a long wall? Spacing between panels, working out the total width, hanging order and commissioning a custom set.
A two-panel (diptych) or three-panel (triptych) set means one painting split across two or three canvases, or separate paintings that complete each other, hung side by side. They work best on long, low walls: above a sofa, behind a dining table, over a bed. Leave 5 to 10 cm between panels, and keep the total width between two thirds and three quarters of the furniture below.
One large painting or a set?
A set makes more sense in three situations.
The first is getting it into the house. A single 180 cm canvas struggles up a narrow staircase or into a small lift. Split the same width into three panels and each one fits in one person's arms.
The second is the wall itself. On a wall with a socket, a thermostat or a window edge in the middle, a single large canvas covers that point or knocks against it. A set lets you line a gap up with the obstacle.
The third is later. If your next home has a shorter wall, you can hang two panels of a triptych together and the third in another room.
A single canvas has its own advantage: the composition is never cut. In a painting with a face or one focal point, a gap running through that point splits the picture. For portraits and similar work, one canvas is the right call.
How is a set planned?
There are two ways:
- One painting, divided. A landscape or abstract composition is designed as a single picture and then split into panels. Things that run horizontally, such as a horizon, cross a gap without trouble. An eye cut down the middle is disturbing, so the dividing lines are fixed at the sketch stage.
- Separate paintings that complete each other. Painted in the same palette and size, but each able to stand alone: the same street in morning and evening light, two different leaves of the same plant.
I find the second way lasts longer. If the panels are ever separated, each is still a painting.
The canvases should also share the same depth. Hang a 2 cm stretcher next to a 4 cm one and the difference shows as soon as you look from the side. Stretcher and fabric options are covered in types of canvas.
How much space between panels?
5 to 10 cm. Below 5 cm the line between them looks like a mistake. Above 10 cm the set falls apart and the eye reads three separate paintings.
Count the gaps when you work out the total width. Three 50x70 cm panels with 7 cm gaps come to 50 + 7 + 50 + 7 + 50 = 164 cm. That suits a sofa of 220 to 240 cm.
A pair is quicker. Two 60x80 cm panels with a 6 cm gap come to 126 cm, which sits well over a 160 to 180 cm console or a double bed.
How do you hang a set?
Order matters. These are the steps I follow:
- Cut paper to the size of each panel and tape it to the wall with masking tape. You see the gaps and height before drilling a single hole.
- Start with the middle panel. Above a sofa or console, put its bottom edge 20 to 25 cm above the furniture.
- Align the side panels to the top edge of the middle one. A spirit level is essential; a 3 mm difference is invisible on one painting and obvious in a set.
- Fix each panel at two points. A panel on a single nail tilts over time and the set goes out of line.
Plugs and screws by wall type are in how to hang a painting.
Mixed sizes and vertical sets
A set does not have to use equal panels. A large panel in the middle with smaller ones either side (70x100 cm in the centre, 50x70 cm on the sides, say) feels livelier. Here, line up the horizontal centre lines of the panels rather than their top edges.
On narrow, tall walls, beside a door or on a stairwell, two panels can also hang one above the other.
Commissioning a custom set
In the calculator on the custom order page, choose acrylic on canvas and enter the size of a single panel; the estimate shown is for one panel. In your message, give the number of panels, the width of the wall and the size of the furniture. Attaching a photo of the wall as a reference image also helps plan the dividing lines. The calculator accepts up to 200 cm on one side, so for a wider wall a set is the practical answer anyway.
To see finished paintings and their sizes, and picture how they would sit on your wall, browse the painting page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much space should there be between the panels of a triptych?
5 to 10 cm. Less and the line looks like a mistake; more and the set falls apart into three separate paintings. Include the gaps in the total width: three 50 cm panels with 7 cm gaps come to 164 cm.
One painting or a triptych above a sofa?
A set suits a long, low wall, a wall with a socket or thermostat in the middle, or a home where a large canvas is hard to carry upstairs. If the picture has a single face or focal point, one canvas is better, because a gap would cut through it.
How do you hang a set of paintings?
Tape panel-sized sheets of paper to the wall first to test the layout. Start with the middle panel, level the side panels to its top edge, and fix each panel at two points.
Can I commission a custom two- or three-panel painting?
Yes. In the custom order calculator, choose acrylic on canvas and the size of one panel, then give the number of panels and the wall width in your message. The final price is confirmed once the sizes and composition are reviewed.
