Choosing the Ideal Art Size for Above Your Bed

In design and staging consultations, a common question that resurfaces often is about selecting the ideal art size to place over one’s bed.  This is actually a loaded question and one that does not have a simple or perfect answer.  There are a few variations to take into consideration…for example, the height of the ceiling, the headboard size, light fixture sizes, and the style of the room.  With that being said, this means that you have several options to consider.  Below is a list of general guidelines when selecting artwork.

Guidelines for Selecting the Ideal Sized Artwork for Above Your Bed

• When placing wall art above any piece of furniture, it should span between 60-80% of the width of the furniture piece; this includes beds. For larger beds, it may be more challenging to find a single piece large enough. Using multiple pieces of art is a viable option.
  • The Ideal Size for Art above an average King Headboard of 80” is between 48” to 64”
  • The Ideal Size for Art above an average Queen Headboard of 62” is between 37” to 50”
  • The Ideal Size for Art above an average Twin Headboard of 41” is between 25” to 33”
• When using multiple pieces, evaluate the total width plus spacing as a whole.  For example, if you hang two pieces and each piece of art is 24” wide plus they are separated by 6”, you have 54” width (24” art + 6” space + 24” art).
• Hanging art too high is a common mistake we often see in homes.  The ideal height for artwork is 6” above the top of the headboard.
• The open space above the art to the ceiling is another consideration to keep in mind, especially when working with large canvases.  It is ideal to leave a minimum of 18” between the top of the canvas and the ceiling.
• Larger lamps on the nightstands or hanging from the ceiling over a nightstand can assist in balancing smaller art combinations.
• For headboards with an arc or higher point in the middle, we recommend using two smaller pieces evenly spaced on either side of the arc.

How We Can Assist.

If you are preparing your home for sale or decorating to love where you live and need assistance in getting your artwork hung appropriately, POSH Home Staging & Redesign can assist you.  We offer Staging and Design Consultations to assist with this need and more.