Looking for unframed art ideas? Start with Anthony Hopkins’ living room. Homes & Gardens spotted his wall in the background of one of his Instagram videos. It’s a warm white wall with one extra-large painting surrounded by smaller ones. Nothing is framed, and the pieces hang at uneven distances from each other. The paintings are his own.
The lesson is that a wall built around what you love looks better than one built around a rulebook. Here’s how to get that look at home.
1. Start with one big piece
Hopkins’ wall works because one large painting leads and everything else follows it. Choose your biggest piece first and hang it before you plan anything else. An expressive portrait like Quiet Witness or The Deceiver has enough presence to anchor a whole wall.
Explore the Portraits collection →
2. Surround it with smaller works
Once the anchor is up, add smaller pieces around it. Mixing sizes keeps the wall lively, and you can add to it over time. Still Got It and Small Acts of Disorder are good companions. Their colours and shapes differ from the portrait but sit comfortably beside it.
Browse the Abstracts collection →
3. Skip the frames
Hopkins’ paintings hang bare, so the wall reads as art rather than as a set of frames. Every TESOLEE piece is made for that look. Each is an unframed fine art pigment print under acrylic glass, so there’s no frame to match to your furniture, and the colour sits right at the surface. You hang the piece and the wall is finished.
4. Hang with irregular spacing, but plan it
Uneven gaps look deliberate only when you’ve planned them. Cut paper templates for each piece, tape them to the wall and move them around until the balance feels right. Then replace each template with the real artwork. Keep your largest piece slightly off-centre for a more relaxed look.
5. Use a calm backdrop
Hopkins’ paintings sit against warm white walls, which lets the colour do the work. If your walls are white, cream or soft grey, you have the same backdrop. A piece like Plating Study 02, with its ochre arc, cobalt circle and crimson triangle, shows up strongly against a quiet wall.
Explore the Plating Studies collection →
6. Hang what you love
Hopkins has said he paints for the enjoyment of it, and his wall shows it. That’s why it feels calm and bold at once. Don’t buy art to fit a trend. Choose pieces you keep wanting to look at. Semblance and A Beautiful Entanglement both look at home in a dining room, next to natural wood and warm light.
Artwork should bring something personal to a room, whether that’s colour, energy, curiosity or simply a sense of enjoyment. A painting doesn’t need to match every cushion or piece of furniture to belong. Sometimes the most unexpected choice becomes the one that brings everything together. Trust your own taste, and let the artwork speak for itself.
Quick checklist to recreate the look
- Keep walls a calm, warm white
- Hang one large piece first
- Add smaller works around it
- Go unframed
- Plan uneven spacing with paper templates
- Choose art you love, not art that matches
Ready to build your own wall?
TESOLEE creates contemporary abstract art, from expressive portraits to bold geometric compositions. Every piece is an unframed fine art pigment print under acrylic glass, ready to hang and ready to stand out.
Inspired by Homes & Gardens’ look at Anthony Hopkins’ living room. Read the original article.