Paintings for the Bedroom

What makes a painting restful

Three things, and none of them is the subject. The first is contrast: a canvas with a narrow range between its lightest and darkest values reads as calm, while a strong black and white contrast reads as awake. The second is the number of focal points. One flower, one pond, one field: the eye settles. A crowd scene keeps it moving. The third is colour temperature. Cool greens, blues and greys sit back on the wall, while a hot red comes forward and will still be doing it at two in the morning.

That is why floral and Impressionist subjects dominate bedroom art everywhere, and why a battle scene or a dark old master portrait, however good, belongs somewhere else in the house. If you want one rule to choose by: pick the piece you could look at for ten minutes without finding anything new in it.

Size, height and the wall behind the bed

The wall above a headboard is the one place in the house where a painting can be too high. Measure from the top of the headboard, leave a hand's width of wall, and hang from there, which usually puts the centre of the image a little lower than the 57 to 60 inches you would use elsewhere. Width should be roughly two thirds of the bed width for a single canvas, or a set of two or three that together cover that span.

For a minimalist bedroom, one large canvas in a plain frame is the whole decoration and nothing else is needed on those walls. For a smaller or a rented space, two medium canvases either side of the bed at bedside table height look deliberate and leave the main wall free. Do not hang a heavy framed piece directly above a pillow if the wall is plasterboard: find the stud, or move the painting to the wall opposite, where you will actually see it from the bed.

Before you order a bedroom painting

What kind of painting is best for a bedroom? A calm one. Florals, gardens, water and soft Impressionist landscapes, in a colour that complements something already there. Low contrast and one focal point is the formula.

How high should a painting hang above the bed? Leave a hand's width of wall above the headboard and hang from there. That is usually slightly lower than eye level, because you look at this wall from a bed rather than standing up.

Can I order a set of two or three for the bedroom walls? Yes. Order them in the same size and frame model and they will read as one piece. Two canvases either side of the bed is the arrangement that works in a small room.