birchivy

Author: birchivy Studio

  • Why we make every piece to order

    We could hold a warehouse of ready-made prints and ship same-day. We choose not to — and here’s why it matters for what ends up on your wall.

    Made for you, not for stock

    When you order, we print or hand-finish your piece specifically for you, on museum-grade archival materials, and frame it by hand in our studio. Nothing has been sitting in a box for months under fluorescent lights.

    Better materials, less waste

    Making to order means we never over-produce, never pulp unsold stock, and can use the good stuff — acid-free papers, archival pigments, solid wood — on every single piece. It’s slower, and it’s worth it.

    You see it before it ships

    For framed orders, we send you a photograph of your finished piece for approval before it leaves us. It’s a small thing that removes all the doubt of buying art online.

    The trade-off — and our promise

    The only cost is a few days’ patience: allow 3–5 days in the studio before your piece ships. In return you get something built to be lived with for decades — backed by free insured delivery and a 90-day guarantee.

  • Styling art, room by room

    The same piece can whisper in one room and sing in another. A quick guide to placing art where it works hardest.

    The living room

    This is your statement wall. Go large above the sofa, or build a gallery wall that grows over time. Landscapes and abstracts give the eye somewhere to travel and make a room feel calm and expansive.

    The bedroom

    Choose restful work — soft botanicals, muted horizons, quiet abstracts. Hang a single generous piece above the bed rather than a busy cluster, and keep the palette gentle so the room stays a place to switch off.

    The hallway & stairs

    Narrow spaces love a rhythm. A series of related pieces — same frame, same family of colours — turns a corridor into a considered moment instead of a thoroughfare.

    The dining room & kitchen

    These rooms can take more colour and energy. A bold botanical or a characterful abstract gives dinners and mornings a lift. Just keep pieces a sensible distance from splashes and steam.

  • Oak, walnut or black: choosing the right frame

    The frame is the quietest decision you’ll make — and one of the most important. Here’s how to choose between our three hardwood finishes.

    Natural Oak — light, warm, versatile

    Our most popular choice for a reason. Natural oak brings warmth without weight, and sits beautifully against white walls, pale plaster and Scandinavian or japandi interiors. It lets the artwork lead.

    Walnut — rich, characterful, grounding

    Walnut’s deeper grain adds gravity and a sense of heritage. It’s wonderful with mid-century furniture, warmer paint colours and richer palettes — and it makes botanical and landscape work feel especially considered.

    Black — graphic, modern, confident

    A black frame draws a crisp line around the work and pushes it forward. It’s the editorial choice for abstract and monochrome pieces, and for gallery walls where you want consistency and contrast.

    Still unsure?

    When in doubt, match the frame to the warmest wood already in the room — or choose oak, which flatters almost everything. And remember: every framed piece arrives ready to hang, with the hanging kit included.

  • How to choose art for a room you’ll love

    A blank wall is full of possibility — and a little intimidating. Here’s how we think about choosing a piece you’ll still love in ten years.

    Start with the feeling, not the colour

    The best art doesn’t “match the sofa” — it sets a mood. Before you think about palette, decide how you want the room to feel: calm and restorative, warm and characterful, bold and energising. Choose work that creates that feeling and the colours tend to look after themselves.

    Get the scale right

    The most common mistake is going too small. As a rule, a single piece above a sofa or bed should span roughly two-thirds of the furniture’s width. When in doubt, size up — a generous piece reads as confident and considered; a small one can look lost.

    Give it room to breathe

    Hang the centre of your piece at roughly eye level — about 145–150cm from the floor — and resist the urge to crowd it. A little negative space around a work is what makes it feel like art rather than decoration.

    Trust your eye

    Rules help, but the piece you keep coming back to is the right one. That’s why every birchivy order comes with 90 days to live with it — so you can see it on your own wall, in your own light, with no risk.