I · Baudelaire
Hymne à la beauté
The poem from Les Fleurs du mal that questions beauty itself: does it come from heaven or from the abyss? For a living room that owns its elegance.
30x40, 40x50, 50x70 cm
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Decor guide
Poetry on the wall High-end wall art
What sets an exceptional print apart from mere decoration, where to hang it, how high, and which poems to choose for a home that feels like you.
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The statement piece
L'Invitation au voyage, by Baudelaire
The whole poem, its three stanzas and its refrain, set in a single centered column beneath the poet's name. Plenty of white around the text, as on the page of a fine edition, printed on thick matte eco-friendly paper.
- 30x40 cm12x16 in
- 40x50 cm16x20 in
- 50x70 cm20x28 in
Printed and shipped from a studio near you: most orders arrive in 5 business days.
Why has poetry become high-end wall art?
Because a poetry print does two things at once. It is a graphic composition designed for an interior, and it is a literary text, a poem, a line or a quote, that says something. A decorative frame fills a wall; a poem inhabits it. You reread it in passing, you quote it to a friend, it becomes a daily reminder of what matters to you.
That is also what makes it high-end: a line by Victor Hugo or Baudelaire does not go out of style with the color of the year. Hanging a poem means choosing to live with words that count, in a space that looks like no one but you. Pinterest has even flagged it as a trend under the name poetcore.
Là, tout n'est qu'ordre et beauté,Charles Baudelaire · L'Invitation au voyage · Les Fleurs du mal
Luxe, calme et volupté.
There, all is order and beauty,
luxury, calm and delight.
What sets a high-end print apart?
Four measurements, to check before buying and when hanging.
170
grams per square meter, at minimum
A thick matte eco-friendly paper, uncoated, that does not shine under the lamp or ripple in the frame. The text reads as on the page of a book, without glare.
300
DPI on every size, even the largest
That is the resolution we require of the print file, from 30x40 to 50x70 cm. Up close, every letter stays sharp: that is where a cheap poster gives itself away.
57
inches from the floor to the center of the print
About 145 cm, the usual gallery benchmark, for a room where people move around standing. Measure to the center of the work, not to the hook; in a living room where you mostly sit, you can go a little lower.
2/3
of the width of the furniture below it
Above a sofa or a console, the print looks right when it covers about two thirds of its width, with 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm) of air between the furniture and the bottom of the frame.
How do you make it the focal point of a room?
Framed and hung alone on a clear wall, a poetry print naturally becomes the center of the room. Nothing around it, or almost: a lamp, a console, a stack of books. Chaque homme dans sa nuit s'en va vers sa lumière (every man in his night goes toward his light), Victor Hugo's line, lends itself especially well: its large spaced letters read from the entryway, and the restraint of the composition gives the living room or study real presence without ever weighing it down.
In this role, choose the 50x70 cm (20x28 in): it is the size that holds a wall alone.
How do you work it into a wall of frames?
Poetry prints fit very well into a group: with photographs, drawings or color blocks, they bring the text that a wall of frames often lacks. On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur (one sees clearly only with the heart), Saint-Exupéry's line, is recognized at a glance and gives the wall its emotional depth.
The secret of a successful wall lies in the gap between frames, always the same. Our guide to arranging a gallery wall gives the method step by step.
And on a shelf or a console?
Simply leaned against the wall, with no drilling, a small print adds a discreet literary note. It is the styling of interiors that favor subtlety: a 30x40 cm tucked behind a vase, a candle, two stacked books.
Il faut s'aimer, Victor Hugo's line on its yellow and white stripes, is made for this: "Il faut s'aimer, et puis il faut se le dire, et puis il faut se l'écrire." (We must love each other, and then we must say it, and then we must write it.) It comes in 30x40 cm (12x16 in).
Which poems should you choose for a high-end interior?
Texts you know by heart or would like to learn, set like book pages.
II · Baudelaire
Correspondances
"Les parfums, les couleurs et les sons se répondent." (Scents, colors and sounds answer one another.) The sonnet of the mingled senses, ideal in a library or a reading nook.
30x40, 40x50, 50x70 cm
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III · Victor Hugo
Demain, dès l'aube
Twelve lines every French schoolchild once learned, rediscovered as an adult. A restrained, deeply moving piece for a bedroom or a study.
30x40, 40x50, 50x70 cm
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IV · Victor Hugo, draftsman
The Eddystone Lighthouse
The poet also drew: a lighthouse in the storm, in ink and brown wash, signed 1866. A rare piece, for anyone who wants to surprise.
One size
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Why does a poem gain from being shown in a large format?
Because a text is read up close and looked at from afar. At 50x70 cm, the poem keeps its margins, its white space, its breathing; from the other end of the room, it becomes a shape, a light column on the wall. Step closer, and it becomes a page again.
L'Invitation au voyage, with its short stanzas and its refrain that returns three times, is made for this. The full text and what it tells are in our article L'Invitation au voyage, the full text.
Heure d'été edition
Food for eyes & soul.
See the literary printsFrequently asked questions
What is high-end wall art?
A work made to last: a subject that does not go out of style, a careful composition, thick matte paper and a print that stays sharp even in a large format. A poetry print belongs to it, because a great text depends on no trend.
How high should you hang a print?
The usual benchmark places the center of the print about 57 in (145 cm) from the floor. Above a piece of furniture, leave 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm) between the top of the furniture and the bottom of the frame instead.
What size print should go above a sofa?
A print, or a set, covering about two thirds of the width of the sofa. For a single piece, the 50x70 cm (20x28 in) is the size that holds the wall.
What paper are Heure d'été prints printed on?
On a thick matte eco-friendly paper of 170 g/m², FSC-certified, from a file of at least 300 DPI on every size.
Which poem should you choose as a gift?
A text the person already knows or that resembles them: Demain, dès l'aube for a loved one, L'Invitation au voyage for a couple, Il faut s'aimer for a wedding. A poetry print is a gift idea that stays on the wall, for Christmas as for a birthday.
A poem on the wall is a sentence you choose to hear every day. Choose it well: it will become, a little, the voice of the house.
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