Urban chic is about capturing the pulse of the big city and translating it into a harmonious, sophisticated interior design. It’s the contrasts that make the style come alive: raw material honesty meets silky texture, graphic lines meet diffused light, and wall art ties it all together. When we at Artiley help clients find the right paintings for urban homes – from compact inner-city apartments to airy lofts – we see time and time again how a thoughtful urban motif gives a room direction without taking over.
What is urban chic?
The style is born in the borderland between industrial aesthetics and contemporary elegance. Think concrete, steel and glass – but also linen, wood and warm lighting. In art, this is often evident through reflections, rain-soaked streets, sharp verticals and bustling movement. A good example is Urban Reflections , a canvas painting that captures city life in the rain with a glint of light and rhythmic energy. We’ve seen it work just as well in a sober living room as in a minimalist hallway.
Color, material and texture
In urban chic, the palette is often graphite, jet black, muted grays and chalky white – but it thrives on warmth and metallic accents. Let a painting with cool gray and blue reflections land against a warmer beige wall, and let a linen lampshade or a walnut coffee table break up the austerity. Subtle touches of brass or brushed nickel in frames and fittings elevate the urban feel without being stark.
Our practical tip: choose no more than three materials that recur in the room – for example, concrete, black steel and natural wood. When the same material recurs around your wall art, a visual common thread is created, and the painting's motif feels integrated rather than tacked on.
Placement and proportions
Scale is crucial in urban motifs. A painting that is too small loses its power, one that is too large dominates. In a living room over a 200 cm sofa, a painting that is around 120–150 cm wide often works best. The height? Center the motif's center of gravity around 145 cm above the floor, so the work meets the natural level of the eye. If the painting has a clear horizon line, adjust it carefully to the upper edge of the sofa back to reinforce the room's lines.
A professional detail we often use during home visits: leaving 5–8 cm of air between the bottom edge of the painting and the furniture underneath. This creates a defined but relaxed relationship between object and art, which feels luxurious and intentional.
Lighting that enhances the rhythm
City motifs thrive on light. Directional spotlights, 2700–3000 K, placed at a 10–15 degree angle reduce glare and highlight brushstrokes and texture in the canvas. Since our canvas prints are matte, you rarely need glass, which makes the reflections in the motif feel real and soft. Dimmers provide flexibility: lower the light in the evening to add depth to dark areas and let metallic details in the room shimmer subtly.
Room by room
- Hallway: Let an urban canvas painting set the tone right away. Combine with a narrow black metal console and a linen cushion on the bench for warmth.
- Living room: Opt for a larger painting and capture the length of the room. A low media unit in wood or white lacquer gives the painting a mandate without competing for attention.
- Kitchen/dining area: Urban motifs in neutral tones make meals more atmospheric. Keep your distance from steam and splashes – 60 cm from water zones is a good rule of thumb.
- Bedroom: Choose softer urban motifs and black, thin frames. Let textiles in gray and sand carry the whole.
- Home office: Take advantage of the lines of the subject. Verticals provide focus, diagonals create forward movement and energy.
Curate without overloading
Urban chic thrives on layers, but not noise. Instead, build a calm wall with a main painting and a couple of smaller works in harmonious scales. A simple trick is to let the smaller works follow the direction of the motif. In Urban Reflections, the movements run vertically and downwards; therefore, complement with a smaller, soft graphic print that supports the flow rather than breaking it.
Art theory as an everyday tool
Two principles we often use in styling: figure–ground and rhythm. When the background is calm (a matte wall color without strong structure), the figure of the motif stands out more clearly. Rhythm is created by repeating color tones – pick up the gray-blue shades of the painting in a plaid or book spines to let the eye wander in the room without getting caught up. Anyone who wants to delve deeper into how urban motifs create atmosphere can read our in-depth Urban chic: Use urban motifs to create a modern atmosphere .
How do we use this in practice?
In client homes, we often see that a well-chosen urban painting doesn’t replace the basic idea of the interior design – it enhances it. We start with the room’s existing materials and colors, choose a canvas painting that ties into two of them, and fine-tune the lighting and lines. The result is an urban expression that feels natural, not choreographed.
Want to try it at home? Put up a strip of tape of the desired size on the wall and look from the position of the sofa in daylight and evening light. When the proportion feels right and the light interacts with the motif, then you know that the painting will live with the room – not just in it.