How to Decorate Above Your Bed
We often get asked, “how do I know what size art to hang over my bed?” It’s such a common question we decided we’d share our answer here! Giving you our guide for the right size art to hang over a queen, king, or twin-sized bed. As they say, size isn’t the only thing that matters. Selecting the right type of art or decor to go above your bed can make as much of a difference aesthetically as the size can, so we’ll dive into that too.
P.S. - I’m also answering the question… Should I put art behind a 4 poster bed?
What Size Are Should You Place Over A Bed
When choosing art to go above your headboard there are a few “design rules” - which are more like guidelines than actual rules (guess the movie reference?) you should follow. First, you’ll want to select art that takes up 50 - 80% of the width of the headboard. However, playing with undersized art can be a fun design challenge! When doing so be sure to balance out the small art with oversized table lamps. Watch our reel on how to select the right size art for above your bed here!
One of the common mistakes we see when hanging art above the bed is hanging it too high above the headboard. You want the bottom of your art to be only 4 - 6” above your headboard. Any higher and it might look like your art is floating towards the ceiling.
If your headboard is bell-shaped or otherwise curved where the middle of the headboard is at a higher point than the other two sides of the headboard, consider going with a set of art rather than one singular piece. This will help it look balanced. We prefer splitting the center and doing two pieces of art on either side of the “peak” or middle hump.
Best Size Art for Over a Queen Size Bed
When selecting art for over your queen size bed remember our design rules. You want the art to be about 50 - 80% of the width of a headboard. Queen size headboards are about 64” wide while a full is about 58”. That means you want your art to be between about 30” and 50” for a queen bed, and 28” - 48” for a full bed. The possibilities are endless when playing with these proportions. You can do a set or grouping of 2-3 smaller items or opt for a larger centerpiece.
In general, we like landscape-oriented art for over queen beds as opposed to portrait or square art. The exception to this rule being if you have tall detailed ceilings you’d like to show off. In this case, square or portrait-oriented art will likely draw your eye up versus grounding it. Giving you that dramatic moment you’re likely looking for in your design.
Best Size Art for Over a King Size Bed
When selecting art for over your king-size bed remember our design rules. You want the art to be about 50 - 80% of the width of a headboard. King size headboards are about 80” wide. Which means you want your art to be between about 40” and 64” for a king bed. That’s some large art! King size beds art gives you the most room to play. You can group art and decor into pairs of 2, 3, or even 4 items.
When it comes to canvas size however you need to pay careful attention to ceiling height! As your art gets wider it typically gets taller too. Be sure the top of your art is hanging at least 18” from the top of your walls when working with oversized canvas prints. Dodging art size issues is one of the reasons we’ve become a big fan of the ultrawide art print the 22” x 55” art as shown below. This keeps things low-profile while still filling the scale of the bed appropriately. Regardless of the art you choose, you’ve got a lot of wiggle room to play around.
Best Size Art for Over a Twin Bed
Twin size beds can be so fun to decorate over! Especially when you’re working with two in one room. If you are working with two twin beds in one room consider symmetry as a top priority when choosing art over the two beds, making sure they are both the same size but not the exact same print. This will add a little personalization while keeping balance. When selecting the art for over your twin-size bed we’ll once again remember our design rules. You want the art to be about 50 - 80% of the width of a headboard. Twin size headboards are tiny at only 42” wide. Which means you want your art to be between about 22” and 33” for a twin bed.
Twin beds are my favorite ones to “break the rules” going slightly oversized or undersized with my art. Since twin-size beds are most likely located in kids’ bedrooms, it’s safe to say these spaces are likely more playful and imaginative. Going undersize with your art - like a single 11 x 14 would work over a twin size bed especially if there is a decorative background like wallpaper or these twin beds are a part of bunk beds. The art in these spaces doesn’t have to be the “star of the show’ and work as hard as art does over queen or king-size beds. So, if you were looking for permission to break the rules - you just got it!
What Should You Hang Above Your Bed?
Ahh, the age-old question, and perhaps the reason you clicked on this blog post in the first place - What should I hang above my bed? In short, we recommend some combination of one of these four things: mirror, textured objects, canvas print, or framed art.
Mirrors - Adding an accent mirror above the bed is a great way to bounce light around a dark room. Choosing a circle-shaped mirror will help soften the space and will draw the eye more than a rectangle or square mirror. If you do choose a mirror - go bold! This isn’t the spot for a simple, minimalist framed mirror like you might put in an entryway. Rather, go with a mirror that has a lot of detailing and texture.
Textured Object - This is where you have a lot of options! This could be a set or single woven basket, a tapestry, plates, three-dimensional objects, and more. Basically, this is all about putting something with dimension and shape above the bed. The slight 3D effect gives off a curated look and can have objects that are all the same or of varying sizes. Play around until you get it just right!
Canvas Print - Ah the go-to. This is our standard barrier and for good reason. The canvas print gives you just that - a canvas to add as much pattern, color, or set the scene for your space. Being on a canvas also adds a slight bit of dimension which adds a touch of sophistication to your space.
Framed Art - The real magic of framed art is not in the art print but in the frame. Your frame can help connect various wood, color, or metal tones in your space to balance them out. It can also add detailing that can add texture and style - think wood grain, vintage detail, or patina detail. I particularly love using art prints that are interchangeable!
Hanging Art Above a Four Poster Bed
Four-poster beds are currently very much “on trend” these statement furniture pieces become the focal point in any bedroom, and rightfully so! Given their size and stature, it’s easy to understand why people wonder if they should even add art behind their four-poster bed. In short, the answer is yes! Unless you have a headboard with the four-poster bed that extends 2/3rds above the bed, my answer is yes.
What’s so nice about four-poster beds, especially those with a canopy top, is they’ve already done a lot of the hard work for you. Providing a built-in “frame” for your art to exist within. Now, the same rules apply as before your art should be between 50 - 80% of the width of the headboard. In general, I really like to work with sets versus one singular piece of art behind four-poster beds and tend to like undersized art rather than competing with the bed for scale. You may also want to consider not doing art directly behind the bed and opting for a large portrait-oriented piece of art above your nightstands on either side of the bed. This will still balance out the scale of the bed but gives you the freedom to not put anything directly behind it.
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