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home decor
Best Art Size for Above a Queen Bed
07
Jun
Jun
I get asked a lot, a lot, about what the best art size is for above a queen bed.
There’s no real hard and fast law, and if you don’t do it quite right the picture police won’t be showing up at your house in the middle of the night demanding you fix it.
But, life is easier when you have a guide, so let’s get you started so you can figure out what works best in your house, above your bed.
The rule of thumb is that your finished art hanging above any piece of furniture should be 60-80% the width of said furniture. Since a queen size bed is 60 inches wide, that leaves you with something 36-48 inches wide. Frame and all.
I’ve put together some mock-ups so you can get a sense of what that really looks like.
Best Framed Art Size for Above a Queen Bed
16 x 20 print // 20 x 24 frame
24 x 30 print // 32 x 40 frame
40 x 50 print // 50 x 60 frame
The best bet here is a 24 x 30 inch photograph in a 32 x 40 frame.
A 16 x 20 print in a 20 x 24 frame is way too small on it’s own (though you could consider pairing it up with another piece), and a 40 x 50 print in a 50 x 60 frame is too big (though you may be able to pull it off if you’ve got a nice high ceiling).
Plan
Really you’re best to take your own measurements, since some headboards are wider than others, and do your own calculations. Download your art size worksheet at the bottom of this article so you can keep track of what will work best for you.
I’m a planner and a researcher by nature. So whenever I’m thinking about hanging anything on my wall, I get out my painter’s tape and make rectangles that are about the size and position of where I want my art to go. Then I live with it for a couple days and adjust if needed.
Favourite Beach Art for Above the Bed
Favourite Landscape Prints for Above the Bed
Favourite Travel Photograph for Above the Bed
Favourite Abstract Art for Above the Bed
Multiple Pieces of Art // Gallery Walls
Above a bed is the perfect place to hang multiple pieces of art. If I’m not doing one large piece of art, I like to go with two or three smaller pieces all lined up in a row. It’s a good strategy, especially if you don’t have super high ceilings (or if you’ve fallen in love with a few vertical photographs). In this case treat all of your artwork as one big piece, and keep the outer width of the whole thing between 36-48 inches.
Now get out your tape measure and painter’s tape, and start experimenting!
Got a double bed that you’re looking to hang art over? Get ideas from my post here >
And if you’ve got a king size bed, there’s more ideas over here >
Figured out which size you need? Head on over to my shop and pick out your favourite horizontal or vertical photographs.
Shown with In the Morning Sunlight I was Free >
What style of window treatment is best in a bedroom. Window 6’ wide 3’ high 45” from floor to bottom of window 13” top of window to ceiling.
Hi Shirley, Great question! I’m really not sure. I’m an artist, not an interior designer. Did you try Pinterest? In our bedroom I have a set of dark wood-slat blinds (though next time I’d probably opt for a black-out roller blind for maximum darkness) and a set of plain white curtains.
Hi. I wouldlike yo buy a large framed print 160x 120cm for my queen bed. Could i make it balanced with edside tables. Or its just too big?
Hi Natasha, Are those the dimensions of the frame or the print? Either way, that’s pretty big. Likely wider than your bed, depending on your headboard. The numbers in the article are meant to be a starting point for a typical bed and room, your best bet is to use painter’s tape and mask off the area to see how it will look. Good luck!
Maybe above your bed isn’t the best place for this framed print? Have you considered hanging it beside your bed? Or at the foot? That way you’ll be able to see it while you’re drifting off to sleep.
I have a long back wall against which my bed sits and it is not perfectly centered. My walls are 9ft but the right wall has a bulkhead abutting on the back reducing that corner to 8 ft. Headboard is 41″ high. The two black and whites I want to hang are. 42″ h 32″ w. I don’t want to hang only one over center of my headboard as the wall would look to bare. I really want to position the two pieces on either side of the bed still centering them 57″ from the floor which means the bottom will hang exactly 36 inches from the floor. My bed is low profile so this works. Do you think I’m heading to a disaster? I just want someone to say it will work. I like being different from the mainstream anyhow 🙂 Putting holes in my walls has always been a big fear of mine and I just painted everything a gorgeous pepper black grey. I don’t forsee ever hanging anything above the headboard with this arrangement.
Hi Jacqueline! I’m by no means a designer, I’m just an artist trying to help my collectors figure out which size art best fits their homes. I totally hear you about being afraid to put holes in your wall, sooo many people are. My best suggestion is to get painters tape and use it to mask of rectangles the same size as the art you’d like to hang, then see what you think of the positioning. Live with it a few days, move it around. Experiment. Have fun!
Help!! Will two 21″ W x 27″ framed (no mattes) signs be sufficient to hang over a arched headboard? If not, what size should I be looking for?
Hi Rita, I’m not a designer, but as an artist I typically suggest to my clients that they use low tack painter’s tape to make rectangles on their walls where they’d like to hang their art to see how the size will look. Give that a shot and see what you think.
Hi! My bed is 140cm wide and I’m looking for some art to put above my bed. I found some paintings on glass (no frame), but I can’t decide between a 120×50 and a 100×70 design that I found. Is 100 wide enough? Is 50 too flat?
Timon, your best bet is to use a low tack tape, like painters tape, to make a rectangle on your wall that’s the size of the piece you’re considering. Live with it for a day or two, then try the other size to see which you like better.
And if you’re looking for a custom size, definitely check out my shop!
Hi Jennifer! What is a good way to display a print to in your bathroom? With the steam and all I’m worried a canvas will get ruined and a framed will start to look yucky after some buildup or any hair product splatter or what have you. Any ideas?! Thank you!
Sorry for the late reply Michael! Your best bet for displaying prints in your bathroom is to talk to a professional framer. Typically I don’t recommend hanging expensive one-of-a-kind pieces in the bathroom, instead sticking to something a little less expensive and that is ultimately replaceable.
That said, my Mom has had one of my framed prints hanging in her bathroom for a few years now and it still looks great, save for the paper dust cover on the back needing to be replaced.
Talk to your local framer and see what they have to say. And come on back and let me know!
Does the same rule apply for round pieces? I’ve measure for a 26” painting above our queen and that seems big enough, but maybe not? My hesitation in going bigger is mainly the price jump so I can do it if it really makes a difference
Hi Anna! I’d say these numbers are more a rule of thumb, than a hard and fast rule. Though 26″ could be a little bit small for a queen size bed, check out the image for the 24×30 inch canvas, it will give you an idea.
Your absolute best bet, that I preach every time I can, is to get some low tack painter’s tape and make a 26 inch circle on the wall above your bed to see what you think. Circles are tough to do with tape, so you can try cutting out a 26 inch circle from newspaper and sticking it up there temporarily to see what you think of the size.
Happy decorating!
Greetings Jennifer!
i want to hang three identical photos above my twin size bed (the headboard is 58 inches) which is the best frame i could hang above my bed. thanks
Hi there! Love this article and your pictures with the queen bed. We have a king bed and are trying to decide if this original painting we like it’s too big. Of course because it’s an original, not easy to return. It’s 27×55 painting on canvas. Unframed. What it’s the perfect size for a king?
I’m so glad you liked my article Kelly! The same rule goes for a king bed, 60-80% of the width, that should put you in the 45-60 inch range so your painting should work. Mask it out with low tack painter’s tape just to be sure.
You can also check out my article about art size above a king size bed here > https://www.jennifersquires.ca/blog/ideal-art-size-above-king-bed/
Thank you for such a fast response! Reading your additional article next! Decorating is hard! Thankful for the many resources you provide 😊
Hello Jennifer I have a question to ask you. Would two horizontal canvas artwork in 24×36 be too big for a queen size bedroom? The artwork I’m interested in only has canvas art sizes in 12×16, 18×24, and 24×36. For regular prints they go from 8 x 10, 12 x 16, 16 x 24, and 24 x 36. However those prints would need to be framed afterwards.
Hi there! Based on the numbers, I’d say that yes, two 36 inch wide canvases are probably too big for above a queen size bed. A queen bed is 60″, so your art will be wider than the bed.
As a starting point, think about having the combined width, including the space between the two, approximately 36-48 inches. You can always try making rectangles on the wall with low-tack painter’s tape to see what you like. Try two 18×24″ rectangles with 2-4 inches between them to see what you think.