The easiest way to add Christmas wall art is to swap festive prints into frames you already own for December. Choose the same size as your current prints, usually A4, A3 or 50 x 70 cm. Winter scenes, cosy interiors and simple typography look stylish, and they can stay up into January without looking out of date.
Why swap in Christmas wall art instead of buying new decorations?
Most festive decorating happens at table height: the tree, candles, garlands on the mantelpiece. The walls stay exactly as they were all year. Swapping one or two prints changes how a room feels at eye level, takes ten minutes, and doesn't add to the box of decorations in the loft. The prints themselves are flat, so they store easily between seasons.
It's also a gentler way to do Christmas if you don't love tinsel. A good winter print says the season without shouting it.
How do I swap prints into frames I already own?
The trick is to buy festive prints in the exact size of the frames already on your walls. Then the swap is quick and the arrangement doesn't change.
- Pick the frames to change. One or two key pieces is enough: the print above the sofa, the mantelpiece, or the frame by the front door.
- Check the print size inside each frame, not the outside of the frame. If there's a mount, measure the print behind it. Common sizes are A4 (21 x 29.7 cm), A3 (29.7 x 42 cm), 30 x 40 cm and 50 x 70 cm.
- Order festive prints unframed in those sizes. Most prints in the Spade22 range come in sizes from 13 x 18 cm up to 60 x 90 cm, though sizes vary by print.
- On swap day, lay a towel on a table, take the frame down, open the back, and slide the new print in front of the old one. Keeping the everyday print in the frame behind it means nothing gets lost.
- In January, reverse it and store the festive print flat in its sleeve, somewhere dry.
Which Christmas wall art styles look stylish rather than tacky?
Winter scenes
Snowy villages, frosty landscapes and mountain towns are my favourite route. They're seasonal without being about Christmas Day, so they can stay up from late November to the end of January. Watercolour styles feel soft and cosy, like the winter bakery village print with its lit shop windows. The snowy mountain landscape is calmer still, and works in a bedroom or a pale living room. For a British winter, the Edinburgh Castle in winter print is lovely.
Cosy interiors
Prints of firelit rooms, Christmas trees and wrapped presents bring warmth to a room, especially on dark afternoons. The cosy Christmas window print, with a decorated tree by the fireplace and snow outside, is about as Christmassy as I'd go on a main wall. A Paris street scene like the winter patisserie print suits a kitchen or dining room.
Stylish typography
Festive words can look great when the lettering is elegant and the colour palette is limited. Avoid novelty fonts and jokes that wear thin by Boxing Day. The red Christmas cocktail print uses a single red ink on cream with a handwritten line, which looks smart above a drinks trolley. The Hello Winter cabin print pairs simple script with a snowy scene.
Pattern
A traditional festive pattern reads as Christmas from across the room without any words or characters. The Christmas pattern print, in gold on deep red with trees and deer, looks a bit like old wallpaper and suits a wood or dark wood frame.
Where should Christmas prints go?
| Spot | Suggested print | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Above the sofa | A calm winter landscape | 50 x 70 cm or a pair of A3 |
| Mantelpiece, leaning | Cosy interior or pattern | A3 or 30 x 40 cm |
| Hallway by the front door | Typography or a winter village | A4 or 30 x 40 cm |
| Kitchen or dining room | Bakery or festive drinks print | A4 or A3 |
| Guest bedroom | Snowy landscape | A3 |
How many festive prints should I put up?
Fewer than you think. One or two swaps per room is plenty, and many homes only need festive art in the living room and hallway. If you have a gallery wall, change two or three frames and leave the rest, so the festive pieces feel like a seasonal layer on top of your usual style. For keeping a mixed wall balanced, see building a gallery wall from prints that don't match.
Keep the colours consistent with your room. If your living room is sage and cream, a soft watercolour winter village will sit better than a bright red pattern. If you already have deep reds, greens or brass in the room, the red and gold pieces will look right at home.
Which frames suit festive prints?
If you're swapping into existing frames, the decision is made for you, and that's fine. Most festive prints sit happily in black, white or wood. If you're buying framed, think about the room in December:
- Light wood suits snowy watercolours and Scandi-style rooms, and keeps everything soft and pale.
- Dark wood flatters deep reds, greens and gold, and feels traditional next to a real tree.
- Black gives typography and pattern prints a crisp edge.
- White makes snowy scenes look even brighter, which helps in a dark hallway.
Many Spade22 prints come framed in black, white, wood or dark wood, so you can choose the finish to suit the room. A pair of winter scenes in matching frames, such as the snowy mountain bakery village and the winter village train print, looks lovely either side of a fireplace or above a sideboard.
Can winter prints stay up after Christmas?
Yes, and that's a big reason I prefer them. Snowy landscapes, mountain towns and cosy cafe scenes are about winter rather than the 25th, so they can stay up through January and February. Save the overtly Christmas pieces, such as trees, presents and festive typography, for December, and leave the winter scenes up until the evenings get lighter.
Shop the look
For year-round scenes you can rotate with the seasons, browse the landscape prints collection and the watercolour prints collection. Prints start at £9.99.
Quick answers
How do I make Christmas wall art look classy?
Choose winter scenes, cosy interiors or elegant typography in a limited palette, and frame them in the same frames you use all year. Skip cartoon characters and novelty fonts.
Can I put Christmas prints in my existing frames?
Yes. Buy unframed festive prints in the same size as the print already in your frame, then slide them in front for December.
When should I put up Christmas wall art?
Most people swap in festive prints from late November or early December. Winter scenes can go up earlier and stay up through January.
What size Christmas print should I buy?
Match the frames you already have. A4, A3 and 50 x 70 cm are all common frame sizes.
Where is the best place for a Christmas print?
Above the sofa, on the mantelpiece or by the front door, where guests see it as soon as they arrive.
