InkSmithery
The Case for Two Prints: Why Pairs Often Beat a Single Piece
Two prints hung side by side can do something a single piece can't — if they actually talk to each other. Here's how to pick pairs that work.
Tips
Practical advice on choosing, placing, and looking after wall art, mugs, t-shirts, and other printed bits. New tips Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Art Above a Headboard: Sizing, Proportion and Safety
How wide should art above a bed be, why portrait-orientation pieces make a room feel shorter, and the fixings question nobody wants to think about but should.
Buying Kids' Room Art That Won't Get Binned at 14
Most art sold for kids' rooms has a shelf life of about six years. Here's how to choose pieces a child will love now and a teenager won't be embarrassed by later.
Are Printed Mugs Microwave Safe? An Honest Answer
The short answer is yes, but it helps to know how the print is actually made, what to watch for, and when a chipped mug has quietly reached the end of its life.
Buying Art for the Dad Who Refuses to Want Anything
The dad who claims he wants nothing isn't ungrateful — he's just done with clutter. Here's why art gets past his defences, and how to choose it without landing in cliché territory.
When a Room's Doing Too Much: Calming a Busy Wall
If a room feels vaguely exhausting to sit in, the answer usually isn't more stuff — it's less. A guide to calming a busy wall by removing rather than adding.
Why One Big Print Beats Three Small Ones in a Small Room
The advice to hang small art in small rooms sounds sensible and is mostly wrong. Here's the counter-intuitive maths of why one big piece almost always wins.
How to Start a Gallery Wall Without Ending Up in a Mess
Most gallery walls go wrong at the start, not the end. Here's how to pick the anchor piece, work outwards, and test the whole layout on paper before you pick up a hammer.
Storing Unframed Prints So They Stay Flat and Unmarked
Flat storage, acid-free tissue, and why cardboard tubes are a shipping decision rather than a storage one — plus how to rescue a print that's already curled.
Bedroom Art That Helps You Sleep Without Being Boring
Restful doesn't have to mean beige. A look at why scenes work better than faces above the bed, which palettes actually help you wind down, and how to hang it.
Mid-Century Modern vs Memphis: Two Movements, One Big Mix-Up
Both get called 'retro', both use bold shapes, and both turn up constantly on Pinterest — but mid-century modern and Memphis are wildly different beasts. Here's how to tell them apart.
Where to Hang Art in a Home Office Without Wrecking Your Video Calls
Where you hang art in a home office changes how it reads on camera — and the wall everyone wants to use is usually the worst choice. Here's what actually works.