Calming Paintings for an Apartment or Dorm

Light, softly colored paintings that lower the volume of a room. For a rental or a dorm, a painting should print at home, frame cheaply and survive a move. Here are 57 paintings for an apartment or dorm, each light in tone and soft in color, with works by Vincent van Gogh, Georges Seurat and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

All 584 paintings for an apartment or dorm

Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat (obverse: The Potato Peeler), Vincent van Gogh 36 × 48 in portrait print (91 × 122 cm), centered 63¼ in from the floor, 8 in above the desk. Drawn to scale on a 12 × 8 ft wall.

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Showing 1 to 48 of 57 calming paintings

Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat (obverse: The Potato Peeler), Vincent van Gogh, 1887, oil on canvas

Vincent van Gogh Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat (obverse: The Potato Peeler), 1887 The Met

Small painting of woman in pink and black sitting on park bench.

William Merritt Chase A City Park, c. 1887 Art Institute of Chicago

A sand-colored riverbank stretches in front of us to meet an arched bridge that spans a pale blue river to our right in this horizontal landscape painting. The scene is loosely painted so many details are indistinct.

Camille Corot Bridge on the Saône River at Mâcon, 1834 National Gallery of Art

In saturated, vivid tones of mint green, marigold orange, dandelion yellow, sky blue, and rose pink, a long building stretches away from us along a walkway.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Dance Hall Bellevue [obverse], 1909/1910 National Gallery of Art

The White Bridge, John Henry Twachtman, after 1895, oil on canvas

John Henry Twachtman The White Bridge, after 1895 Art Institute of Chicago

A square white tile, rotated 90 degrees, crossed by black lines intersecting at 90-degree angles. A few of the shapes thus formed—some partial squares, some rectangles—are colored in a single shade of yellow, blue, black, or red.

Piet Mondrian Lozenge Composition with Yellow, Black, Blue, Red, and Gray, 1921 Art Institute of Chicago

Variations in Violet and Grey—Market Place, Dieppe, James McNeill Whistler, 1885, gouache and watercolor on off-white wove paper, mounted on academy board

James McNeill Whistler Variations in Violet and Grey—Market Place, Dieppe, 1885 The Met

Gardanne, Paul Cézanne, 1885–86, oil on canvas

Paul Cézanne Gardanne, 1885–86 The Met

This horizontal landscape painting shows a cluster of tan and rust-brown buildings set on a tiny island at the center of a wide brownish-gray river.

Camille Corot The Island and Bridge of San Bartolomeo, Rome, 1825/1828 National Gallery of Art

A row of spire-like structures of different heights is silhouetted in azure blue against a soft pink, yellow, peach, and lavender-purple sunset and reflected in a rippling river in this nearly square landscape painting.

Claude Monet The Houses of Parliament, Sunset, 1903 National Gallery of Art

We look across a river at a long, flat bridge that runs parallel to a hazy, city skyline in the distance in this horizontal painting.

Camille Pissarro Charing Cross Bridge, London, 1890 National Gallery of Art

Painting of a performance inside a circus ring. A man wearing a suit holds a whip in his hand and looks towards a woman with red hair riding a gray horse and wearing a green dress.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Equestrienne (At the Cirque Fernando), 1887–88 Art Institute of Chicago

Street, Tangier, John Singer Sargent, 1895, watercolor, gouache, and graphite on off-white wove paper

John Singer Sargent Street, Tangier, 1895 The Met

A six-story, narrow building stands alone in an otherwise unoccupied lot under the deck of a high bridge, with a river and cityscape in the background in this horizontal painting.

George Bellows The Lone Tenement, 1909 National Gallery of Art

Shoes, Vincent van Gogh, 1888, oil on canvas

Vincent van Gogh Shoes, 1888 The Met

This horizontal, rectangular painting is created entirely with dots and touches of sky and royal blue, butter and sunshine yellow, and spring green.

Georges Seurat Seascape (Gravelines), 1890 National Gallery of Art

We look down onto a plaza with a sliver of a tall building rising along the left edge of the painting, a row of verdant, green trees to our right, and a row of buildings enclosing the space in the distance in this nearly square landscape…

Camille Pissarro Place du Carrousel, Paris, 1900 National Gallery of Art

An arched bridge faintly materializes in a haze of soft turquoise blue and mint green in this horizontal landscape painting. The bridge has four arches under a flat deck, and it extends off each side of the canvas.

Claude Monet Waterloo Bridge, London, at Dusk, 1904 National Gallery of Art

The painting depicts a coastal scene. A rocky shore in warm tones of orange, brown, red, and purple is closest to us, with two boats and a simple structure visible near the center of the painting.

Henri-Edmond Cross Calanque des Antibois, 1891/1892 National Gallery of Art

Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue, Piet Mondrian, 1927, oil on canvas

Piet Mondrian Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue, 1927 Cleveland Museum of Art

A profusion of white roses bursting from the neck of a tan jug almost fills the height of this horizontal still life painting.

Vincent van Gogh Roses, 1890 National Gallery of Art

Painting of bedroom, blue walls, green window, tan bed, red bedding.

Vincent van Gogh The Bedroom, 1889 Art Institute of Chicago

We look across a river at a bridge that spans the center of this horizontal landscape, which is painted entirely with broad, visible brushstrokes in pastel colors.

Claude Monet Waterloo Bridge, London, at Sunset, 1904 National Gallery of Art

Green hills roll back to a turquoise-blue sea in this almost square painting. The scene is built with layers of small dots in lavender, lilac, cool blue, warm green, yellow, and peach.

Georges Seurat Seascape at Port-en-Bessin, Normandy, 1888 National Gallery of Art

This horizontal landscape is painted with dots and dashes in fresh green, shimmering blue, amethyst purple, shell pink, pale yellow, and cream white against the brown wood of the panel, which is visible throughout.

Georges Seurat Study for "La Grande Jatte", 1884/1885 National Gallery of Art

Shown from about the knees up, a young woman sits in a chair angled to our right but she turns her face to look at us in this loosely painted, vertical portrait.

Vincent van Gogh La Mousmé, 1888 National Gallery of Art

Rue Eugène Moussoir at Moret: Winter, Alfred Sisley, 1891, oil on canvas

Alfred Sisley Rue Eugène Moussoir at Moret: Winter, 1891 The Met

Abstract line composition of black lines at right angles forming quadrants including a gray square at upper left and a gray rectangle and red rectangle at lower right, against a white background.

Piet Mondrian Composition (No. 1) Gray-Red, 1935 Art Institute of Chicago

This painting depicts a landscape with several haystacks in the center, arranged in a line that cuts diagonally across a green field from left to right.

Georges Seurat Haystacks, c. 1882 National Gallery of Art

A Monumental Portrait of a Monkey, India, c. 1705–1710, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

India A Monumental Portrait of a Monkey, c. 1705–1710 Art Institute of Chicago

Mäda Primavesi (1903–2000), Gustav Klimt, 1912–13, oil on canvas

Gustav Klimt Mäda Primavesi (1903–2000), 1912–13 The Met

Mount Sainte-Victoire, Paul Cézanne, c. 1904, oil on fabric

Paul Cézanne Mount Sainte-Victoire, c. 1904 Cleveland Museum of Art

Painted entirely with small dots of pure color mostly in slate and azure blue, olive green, and cream white, this scene shows a sandy beach stretching to a lighthouse at the center and a four-story building to our right in this horizontal…

Georges Seurat The Lighthouse at Honfleur, 1886 National Gallery of Art

The Streetwalker, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, ca. 1890–91, oil on cardboard

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec The Streetwalker, ca. 1890–91 The Met

Sketch for The Copley Family, John Singleton Copley, 1776, oil on canvas

John Singleton Copley Sketch for The Copley Family, 1776 National Gallery of Art

We look across an ochre-yellow field to a band of pearl-white buildings under an azure-blue sky in this horizontal landscape painting. Flecks of red in the lower right corner could be flowers.

Odilon Redon Breton Village, c. 1890 National Gallery of Art

In this painting, thick, overlapping strokes of paint create the blurred image of people standing and sitting on grass. In the center, two people in pink and dark purple appear to sit on the green ground, facing the left.

Georges Seurat Study of Figures for "La Grande Jatte", 1884/1885 National Gallery of Art

Grapes, Lemons, Pears, and Apples, Vincent van Gogh, 1887, oil on canvas

Vincent van Gogh Grapes, Lemons, Pears, and Apples, 1887 Art Institute of Chicago

This painting depicts a coastal scene overlooking a quiet shore. At the bottom of the painting, an open sandy expanse leads to blue waters.

Odilon Redon Village by the Sea in Brittany, c. 1880 National Gallery of Art

In shades of mint, laurel, and eucalyptus green, the head and shoulders of a chubby baby fill this vertical portrait painting.

Vincent van Gogh Roulin's Baby, 1888 National Gallery of Art

Shown from the knees up, a pale-skinned woman wearing a floppy, canary-yellow hat and a long white dress stands in a field of spring green in this vertical painting. Brushstrokes and loose dabs of paint are visible throughout.

Vincent van Gogh Girl in White, 1890 National Gallery of Art

This painting shows two women seated on yellow-gold chairs in a room. The woman on the left appears young, with short brown hair and light skin.

Édouard Vuillard Women Sewing, c. 1912 National Gallery of Art

George Moore (1852–1933) at the Café, Édouard Manet, 1878 or 1879, oil on canvas

Édouard Manet George Moore (1852–1933) at the Café, 1878 or 1879 The Met

The Sofa, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, ca. 1894–96, oil on cardboard

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec The Sofa, ca. 1894–96 The Met

Two loosely painted people stand side by side in a field as they rake with their backs to us in this horizontal painting. The brushstrokes are soft and textured, and the details are loosely rendered, giving the scene a hazy appearance.

Georges Seurat Haymakers at Montfermeil, c. 1882 National Gallery of Art

Shown from the hips up, a pale-skinned young woman wearing a white dress sits smiling gently at us in this vertical portrait painting. Blended strokes of pearl white, cool green, and muted blue create an overall soft, almost blurred look.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Madame Henriot, c. 1876 National Gallery of Art

Three women stand on or next to a ladder picking olives in an orchard in this horizontal landscape painting. The women, trees, ground, and sky are all painted with long, parallel brushstrokes that curve and swirl over the canvas.

Vincent van Gogh The Olive Orchard, 1889 National Gallery of Art

Fruits of the Midi, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1881, oil on canvas

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Fruits of the Midi, 1881 Art Institute of Chicago

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Staircase 360 shared
Hallway & Entryway 319 shared
Living Room 83 shared
Dining Room 80 shared

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Rooms that share paintings