Wall art above the bed is the single most common placement question we get in the studio, and the answer is mostly about getting the size right, hanging it at the right height, and picking a style that fits the room. The right wall art above a bed anchors the bedroom wall, gives the room a focal point, and ties the bedding and the wall together. The wrong wall art above a bed is too small, too high, or too loud, and the room feels off-balance. This guide covers the formula for choosing the right size wall art above a bed, how high to hang it, the most common style choices for bedroom walls, the mistakes most buyers make, and the questions we get asked most about above-bed art. Every example is a real piece from the uartshow collection, where every bedroom-friendly piece is hand-painted in oil on stretched canvas, in a palette and a scale that works above a bed. [TOP-STATEMENT] A painting above a bed should be roughly two-thirds the width of the headboard, no wider, and centered over the headboard not the bed. The Formula: How Big Should Wall Art Be Above a Bed? Two rules of thumb, depending on the bed size. For a queen bed (60 inches wide), the wall art above the bed should be 40 to 50 inches wide, hung with the bottom of the art 6 to 12 inches above the headboard. For a king bed (76 inches wide), the wall art should be 50 to 65 inches wide, hung the same way. The two-thirds rule also works. The width of the wall art should be about two thirds the width of the headboard, or two thirds the width of the bed if there is no headboard. Going larger than two thirds tends to feel crowded, going smaller tends to feel lost. The height of the wall art depends on the ceiling. A 16 to 24 inch tall piece works for an 8 foot ceiling, and a 24 to 36 inch tall piece works for a 9 to 10 foot ceiling. A single large piece, a triptych, or a diptych all work, and the choice depends on the wall. A modern abstract piece like Abstract Flow is a good example of a single piece that works above a queen or a king bed. The format is clean, the palette is restrained, and the painting does not compete with the bedding. How High to Hang Wall Art Above the Bed Three measurements matter. The first is the bottom of the art. The bottom of the wall art should be 6 to 12 inches above the top of the headboard. Six inches is for a tall headboard, twelve inches is for a low headboard or no headboard. The second is the center of the art. The center of the wall art should be 57 to 60 inches from the floor, which is the standard eye level for wall art. The third is the relationship to the bedding. The wall art should be hung so the eye reads the headboard, the wall art, and the rest of the wall as a single composition, not as three separate elements. Most buyers hang above-bed art too high. The right height is the height where the art feels like part of the bed, not a separate piece floating above the bed. 30 Wall Art Above Bed Ideas Most buyers land on one of five styles. The right one for your bedroom depends on the bedding, the wall, the ceiling height, and the kind of statement you want the piece to make. The five below are the formats we paint most often for above-bed art, with six ideas each. Modern Abstract 1. A single modern abstract above a queen bed. The cleanest format, with a single piece in a quiet palette, hung 6 to 12 inches above the headboard. 2. A modern abstract triptych above a king bed. Three vertical panels, hung side by side, with a continuous abstract form across the three panels. 3. A single large modern abstract on a wide wall. A 40 to 60 inch wide piece, hung 6 to 12 inches above a low headboard. 4. A modern abstract in a soft palette. Beige, soft grey, off-white. The format works in modern bedrooms where the goal is a quiet wall. 5. A modern abstract in a blue palette. A blue abstract piece like the mountain blue landscapes in the uartshow collection. The blue is calming, and the format works in any bedroom. 6. A modern abstract in a warm palette. Warm grey, soft terracotta, muted gold. The format works in bedrooms with warm wood furniture. Abstract Landscape 7. A textured mountain landscape above a queen bed. A mountain landscape like Blue Ridge Mountains is a good fit, and the format works in bedrooms where the goal is a quiet landscape wall. 8. A wide horizontal landscape above a king bed. A 50 to 60 inch wide piece in a horizontal orientation, hung above a low headboard. 9. A textured forest landscape above a queen bed. A forest landscape like Alpine Majesty is a good fit, and the format works in bedrooms with warm wood furniture. 10. A minimalist landscape above a low headboard. A quiet, restrained landscape in a soft palette, hung 8 to 12 inches above a low headboard. 11. A textured blue landscape above a coastal-themed bed. A blue mountain landscape or a coastal landscape, hung above a bed with blue or white bedding. 12. A wide coastal landscape above a king bed. A 50 to 65 inch wide coastal piece, hung 6 to 10 inches above a low headboard. Coastal and Minimalist 13. A white wabi-sabi piece above a queen bed. A quiet white piece like Aegean Calm is a good fit, and the format works in bedrooms with white or soft beige bedding. 14. A minimalist abstract above a low headboard. A single piece in a soft palette, hung 10 to 12 inches above the headboard. 15. A coastal triptych above a king bed. Three coastal panels, hung side by side, with a continuous horizon line. 16. A soft beige abstract above a queen bed. A single piece in a beige or off-white palette, hung 6 to 8 inches above a tall headboard. 17. A minimalist landscape above a king bed. A single piece in a quiet palette, hung above a low headboard with the eye-level rule. 18. A single white textured piece above a tall headboard. A single white piece in a soft palette, hung 6 to 8 inches above a tall headboard. Landscape and Nature 19. A textured mountain landscape above a queen bed. A mountain landscape with heavy impasto, hung above a tall headboard. 20. A forest landscape above a king bed. A wide forest landscape, hung above a low headboard. 21. A sky landscape above a queen bed. A soft sky landscape, hung above a tall headboard. 22. A wide panoramic landscape above a king bed. A 50 to 65 inch wide landscape, hung 6 to 10 inches above a low headboard. 23. A textured river landscape above a queen bed. A river landscape with palette knife work, hung above a tall headboard. 24. A coastal landscape above a king bed. A wide coastal piece, hung 6 to 10 inches above a low headboard. Boho and Figurative 25. A textured abstract portrait above a queen bed. A portrait piece like The Gaze is a good fit, and the format works in bedrooms where the goal is a single figurative statement. 26. A boho abstract above a king bed. A wide abstract in warm tones, hung above a low headboard. 27. A textured figurative landscape above a queen bed. A landscape with figurative elements, hung above a tall headboard. 28. A single warm-toned abstract above a queen bed. A single piece in warm tones, hung 6 to 8 inches above a tall headboard. 29. A wide boho landscape above a king bed. A 50 to 65 inch wide piece, hung 6 to 10 inches above a low headboard. 30. A textured figurative piece above a tall headboard. A single piece in a warm palette, hung 6 to 8 inches above a tall headboard. Common Mistakes to Avoid Three mistakes come up most often. The first is hanging the art too high. Most buyers hang above-bed art 8 to 12 inches above where it should be. The right height is the height where the art feels like part of the bed, not a separate piece floating above it. The second is choosing art that is too small. A 16x20 piece above a king bed looks lost. The right size is two thirds the width of the headboard or the bed. The third is choosing art that is too loud. A bedroom is a calm room, and the wall art should support the calm. A piece that is too saturated and high-contrast above a bed tends to feel out of place, and the room does not feel restful. A textured impasto piece like Cosmic Burst is a good fit for a louder bedroom, but the format works best when the rest of the room is neutral. What Real Decorators Are Saying The most upvoted post in r/malelivingspace this year is titled "26(M) My girlfriend hates my room." The single piece of advice that gets repeated in the replies is to hang one large piece of wall art above the bed rather than leave the wall empty or scatter small frames. The thread is a useful reality check for anyone on the fence about putting art over the bed. The full discussion is in r/malelivingspace: 26(M) My girlfriend hates my room.Wall Art Above Bed FAQ What size wall art should I get above a queen bed?A queen bed is 60 inches wide, and the wall art above it should be 40 to 50 inches wide, hung 6 to 12 inches above the top of the headboard. The two-thirds rule also works. The art should be about two thirds the width of the headboard or the bed if there is no headboard. What size wall art should I get above a king bed?A king bed is 76 inches wide, and the wall art above it should be 50 to 65 inches wide, hung 6 to 12 inches above the top of the headboard. The two-thirds rule also works for king beds. A wide triptych or a wide single piece is a common choice. How high should I hang wall art above the bed?The bottom of the wall art should be 6 to 12 inches above the top of the headboard. Six inches for a tall headboard, twelve inches for a low headboard or no headboard. The center of the wall art should be 57 to 60 inches from the floor, which is the standard eye level for wall art. Can I hang a triptych above a bed?Yes. A triptych above a queen or a king bed is a common format, and the three panels work well hung side by side with a 2 to 3 inch gap. The total width of the three panels plus the gaps should be 40 to 50 inches for a queen bed, and 50 to 65 inches for a king bed. What style of wall art works above a bed?Modern abstract and abstract landscape formats are the most common. Coastal and minimalist formats also work well in the right bedroom, and boho pieces work in a more layered room. The right style depends on the bedding, the wall, the ceiling height, and the rest of the room. A quiet abstract or landscape is the most common choice, and the format tends to last in the room for years. Should wall art above the bed match the bedding?Not exactly match, but the wall art and the bedding should be in the same color family. A blue abstract above a bed with blue and white bedding works. A warm abstract above a bed with warm-toned bedding works. The wall art does not need to be a perfect color match, but it should be in the same family. The eye reads the wall art and the bedding as a single composition, and the colors should support that. Shop uartshow Wall Art for Bedroom Every wall art piece in the uartshow collection is hand-painted in our studio, on stretched canvas, in oil. The bedroom-friendly pieces are organized by style, and the modern abstract and abstract landscape formats, along with the coastal pieces, the minimalist pieces, and the boho pieces, are all painted by the same small team. A modern abstract like Abstract Flow, a textured mountain landscape like Blue Ridge Mountains, a wabi-sabi white piece like Aegean Calm, a forest landscape like Alpine Majesty, a textured portrait like The Gaze, and a textured impasto piece like Cosmic Burst are all part of the same collection, and they all work above a bed. The bedroom collection is one of the most flexible in the studio, and the right piece for a specific bedroom depends on the bedding, the wall, the ceiling, and the rest of the room. Browse the full bedroom wall art collection at uartshow.
Wall art above the bed is the single most common placement question we get in the studio, and the answer is mostly about getting the size right, hanging it at the right height, and picking a style that fits the room. The right wall art above a bed anchors the bedroom wall, gives the room a focal point, and ties the bedding and the wall together. The wrong wall art above a bed is too small, too high, or too loud, and the room feels off-balance. This guide covers the formula for choosing the right size wall art above a bed, how high to hang it, the most common style choices for bedroom walls, the mistakes most buyers make, and the questions we get asked most about above-bed art. Every example is a real piece from the uartshow collection, where every bedroom-friendly piece is hand-painted in oil on stretched canvas, in a palette and a scale that works above a bed. [TOP-STATEMENT] A painting above a bed should be roughly two-thirds the width of the headboard, no wider, and centered over the headboard not the bed. The Formula: How Big Should Wall Art Be Above a Bed? Two rules of thumb, depending on the bed size. For a queen bed (60 inches wide), the wall art above the bed should be 40 to 50 inches wide, hung with the bottom of the art 6 to 12 inches above the headboard. For a king bed (76 inches wide), the wall art should be 50 to 65 inches wide, hung the same way. The two-thirds rule also works. The width of the wall art should be about two thirds the width of the headboard, or two thirds the width of the bed if there is no headboard. Going larger than two thirds tends to feel crowded, going smaller tends to feel lost. The height of the wall art depends on the ceiling. A 16 to 24 inch tall piece works for an 8 foot ceiling, and a 24 to 36 inch tall piece works for a 9 to 10 foot ceiling. A single large piece, a triptych, or a diptych all work, and the choice depends on the wall. A modern abstract piece like Abstract Flow is a good example of a single piece that works above a queen or a king bed. The format is clean, the palette is restrained, and the painting does not compete with the bedding. How High to Hang Wall Art Above the Bed Three measurements matter. The first is the bottom of the art. The bottom of the wall art should be 6 to 12 inches above the top of the headboard. Six inches is for a tall headboard, twelve inches is for a low headboard or no headboard. The second is the center of the art. The center of the wall art should be 57 to 60 inches from the floor, which is the standard eye level for wall art. The third is the relationship to the bedding. The wall art should be hung so the eye reads the headboard, the wall art, and the rest of the wall as a single composition, not as three separate elements. Most buyers hang above-bed art too high. The right height is the height where the art feels like part of the bed, not a separate piece floating above the bed. 30 Wall Art Above Bed Ideas Most buyers land on one of five styles. The right one for your bedroom depends on the bedding, the wall, the ceiling height, and the kind of statement you want the piece to make. The five below are the formats we paint most often for above-bed art, with six ideas each. Modern Abstract 1. A single modern abstract above a queen bed. The cleanest format, with a single piece in a quiet palette, hung 6 to 12 inches above the headboard. 2. A modern abstract triptych above a king bed. Three vertical panels, hung side by side, with a continuous abstract form across the three panels. 3. A single large modern abstract on a wide wall. A 40 to 60 inch wide piece, hung 6 to 12 inches above a low headboard. 4. A modern abstract in a soft palette. Beige, soft grey, off-white. The format works in modern bedrooms where the goal is a quiet wall. 5. A modern abstract in a blue palette. A blue abstract piece like the mountain blue landscapes in the uartshow collection. The blue is calming, and the format works in any bedroom. 6. A modern abstract in a warm palette. Warm grey, soft terracotta, muted gold. The format works in bedrooms with warm wood furniture. Abstract Landscape 7. A textured mountain landscape above a queen bed. A mountain landscape like Blue Ridge Mountains is a good fit, and the format works in bedrooms where the goal is a quiet landscape wall. 8. A wide horizontal landscape above a king bed. A 50 to 60 inch wide piece in a horizontal orientation, hung above a low headboard. 9. A textured forest landscape above a queen bed. A forest landscape like Alpine Majesty is a good fit, and the format works in bedrooms with warm wood furniture. 10. A minimalist landscape above a low headboard. A quiet, restrained landscape in a soft palette, hung 8 to 12 inches above a low headboard. 11. A textured blue landscape above a coastal-themed bed. A blue mountain landscape or a coastal landscape, hung above a bed with blue or white bedding. 12. A wide coastal landscape above a king bed. A 50 to 65 inch wide coastal piece, hung 6 to 10 inches above a low headboard. Coastal and Minimalist 13. A white wabi-sabi piece above a queen bed. A quiet white piece like Aegean Calm is a good fit, and the format works in bedrooms with white or soft beige bedding. 14. A minimalist abstract above a low headboard. A single piece in a soft palette, hung 10 to 12 inches above the headboard. 15. A coastal triptych above a king bed. Three coastal panels, hung side by side, with a continuous horizon line. 16. A soft beige abstract above a queen bed. A single piece in a beige or off-white palette, hung 6 to 8 inches above a tall headboard. 17. A minimalist landscape above a king bed. A single piece in a quiet palette, hung above a low headboard with the eye-level rule. 18. A single white textured piece above a tall headboard. A single white piece in a soft palette, hung 6 to 8 inches above a tall headboard. Landscape and Nature 19. A textured mountain landscape above a queen bed. A mountain landscape with heavy impasto, hung above a tall headboard. 20. A forest landscape above a king bed. A wide forest landscape, hung above a low headboard. 21. A sky landscape above a queen bed. A soft sky landscape, hung above a tall headboard. 22. A wide panoramic landscape above a king bed. A 50 to 65 inch wide landscape, hung 6 to 10 inches above a low headboard. 23. A textured river landscape above a queen bed. A river landscape with palette knife work, hung above a tall headboard. 24. A coastal landscape above a king bed. A wide coastal piece, hung 6 to 10 inches above a low headboard. Boho and Figurative 25. A textured abstract portrait above a queen bed. A portrait piece like The Gaze is a good fit, and the format works in bedrooms where the goal is a single figurative statement. 26. A boho abstract above a king bed. A wide abstract in warm tones, hung above a low headboard. 27. A textured figurative landscape above a queen bed. A landscape with figurative elements, hung above a tall headboard. 28. A single warm-toned abstract above a queen bed. A single piece in warm tones, hung 6 to 8 inches above a tall headboard. 29. A wide boho landscape above a king bed. A 50 to 65 inch wide piece, hung 6 to 10 inches above a low headboard. 30. A textured figurative piece above a tall headboard. A single piece in a warm palette, hung 6 to 8 inches above a tall headboard. Common Mistakes to Avoid Three mistakes come up most often. The first is hanging the art too high. Most buyers hang above-bed art 8 to 12 inches above where it should be. The right height is the height where the art feels like part of the bed, not a separate piece floating above it. The second is choosing art that is too small. A 16x20 piece above a king bed looks lost. The right size is two thirds the width of the headboard or the bed. The third is choosing art that is too loud. A bedroom is a calm room, and the wall art should support the calm. A piece that is too saturated and high-contrast above a bed tends to feel out of place, and the room does not feel restful. A textured impasto piece like Cosmic Burst is a good fit for a louder bedroom, but the format works best when the rest of the room is neutral. What Real Decorators Are Saying The most upvoted post in r/malelivingspace this year is titled "26(M) My girlfriend hates my room." The single piece of advice that gets repeated in the replies is to hang one large piece of wall art above the bed rather than leave the wall empty or scatter small frames. The thread is a useful reality check for anyone on the fence about putting art over the bed. The full discussion is in r/malelivingspace: 26(M) My girlfriend hates my room.Wall Art Above Bed FAQ What size wall art should I get above a queen bed?A queen bed is 60 inches wide, and the wall art above it should be 40 to 50 inches wide, hung 6 to 12 inches above the top of the headboard. The two-thirds rule also works. The art should be about two thirds the width of the headboard or the bed if there is no headboard. What size wall art should I get above a king bed?A king bed is 76 inches wide, and the wall art above it should be 50 to 65 inches wide, hung 6 to 12 inches above the top of the headboard. The two-thirds rule also works for king beds. A wide triptych or a wide single piece is a common choice. How high should I hang wall art above the bed?The bottom of the wall art should be 6 to 12 inches above the top of the headboard. Six inches for a tall headboard, twelve inches for a low headboard or no headboard. The center of the wall art should be 57 to 60 inches from the floor, which is the standard eye level for wall art. Can I hang a triptych above a bed?Yes. A triptych above a queen or a king bed is a common format, and the three panels work well hung side by side with a 2 to 3 inch gap. The total width of the three panels plus the gaps should be 40 to 50 inches for a queen bed, and 50 to 65 inches for a king bed. What style of wall art works above a bed?Modern abstract and abstract landscape formats are the most common. Coastal and minimalist formats also work well in the right bedroom, and boho pieces work in a more layered room. The right style depends on the bedding, the wall, the ceiling height, and the rest of the room. A quiet abstract or landscape is the most common choice, and the format tends to last in the room for years. Should wall art above the bed match the bedding?Not exactly match, but the wall art and the bedding should be in the same color family. A blue abstract above a bed with blue and white bedding works. A warm abstract above a bed with warm-toned bedding works. The wall art does not need to be a perfect color match, but it should be in the same family. The eye reads the wall art and the bedding as a single composition, and the colors should support that. Shop uartshow Wall Art for Bedroom Every wall art piece in the uartshow collection is hand-painted in our studio, on stretched canvas, in oil. The bedroom-friendly pieces are organized by style, and the modern abstract and abstract landscape formats, along with the coastal pieces, the minimalist pieces, and the boho pieces, are all painted by the same small team. A modern abstract like Abstract Flow, a textured mountain landscape like Blue Ridge Mountains, a wabi-sabi white piece like Aegean Calm, a forest landscape like Alpine Majesty, a textured portrait like The Gaze, and a textured impasto piece like Cosmic Burst are all part of the same collection, and they all work above a bed. The bedroom collection is one of the most flexible in the studio, and the right piece for a specific bedroom depends on the bedding, the wall, the ceiling, and the rest of the room. Browse the full bedroom wall art collection at uartshow.
