A Practical Guide to Hanging Art Above the Bed and Fireplace

Getting the Proportions Right

Hanging pictures in an empty room often feels like a guessing game of heights and spacing, but certain spaces come with clear, practical boundaries. While other guides might cover the open expanse of a hallway or the blank wall behind a living-room sofa, this column focuses exclusively on the two walls with the strictest rules: above the bed and above the fireplace.

In these two locations, the furniture is the anchor, not standard eye level. Whether you are framing a view of a distant fell or a winding beck, the bed frame and the mantelpiece completely dictate the layout. By following a few specific rules of scale, you can ensure your chosen landscape feels balanced, secure, and properly integrated into the room.

Hanging Art Above the Bed

The bedroom wall is perhaps the most important space to get right. It is a place of rest, requiring visual balance and calm geometry. The primary rule here is one of width: above a bed, the art should span roughly two thirds of the headboard's width. This ratio prevents the arrangement from feeling top-heavy while ensuring the picture does not look isolated in a sea of plaster.

To put this into practice, consider standard bed dimensions. A standard UK double is 135cm wide, a king is 150cm, and a super king is 180cm. Therefore, a double bed wants about 90cm of art. This could be a single 90cm square piece, or a 30 x 91cm panoramic format. King and super king beds demand more coverage; they are best suited to a 51 x 152cm panoramic, or a pair of 70cm squares hung side by side to carry the width comfortably. One big piece always beats a small one here: a 40cm square over a double bed simply looks lost.

Because the furniture is the anchor, you must ignore normal eye-level rules when establishing the height. Hang the artwork 15-25cm above the headboard, never touching it. This provides a deliberate shadow gap that allows the headboard and the frame to read as distinct but related elements.

Safety is a critical consideration over a sleeping area. Never hang anything heavy on a single hook over where you sleep. Always use two fixings, properly anchored into the wall structure, to ensure the piece remains securely in place.

For the bedroom, subjects with a quiet atmosphere work best. A muted view of a tarn at dawn or the soft light on a high crag sets a restful tone. Consider the gentle tones of Misty Ridge Above Blue Valley, or the rich, grounding colours of Vibrant Ridges above the Tarn to anchor your sleeping space.

Dressing the Wall Above the Fireplace

Just as the bed dictates the bedroom, the hearth commands the living room. Above a fireplace, the mantel sets the width. The art should be about two thirds of the mantel's width, ensuring the chimney breast retains its structural presence. Hang the piece 10-20cm above the mantel shelf. Crucially, the art must be centred on the chimney breast itself, rather than attempting to centre it relative to the rest of the room.

Practicality plays a large role if the fireplace is functional. If the fire is used, you must keep the art clear of direct heat and smoke. This dictates your choice of finish. Framed prints are glazed, whereas canvases are not. A glazed framed print is much easier to keep clean over a working fire, as any soot or dust can be wiped from the glass. Conversely, a canvas is highly suited to a fireplace that is purely decorative or rarely lit.

A chimney breast can handle dramatic, crisp scenery. The bracing cold depicted in High Fell Walkers on a Snowy Ridge offers a brilliant visual contrast to the warmth of a hearth beneath it.

Which Size and Format for Which Wall

When selecting your piece, it helps to understand the exact dimensions and finishes available. If you choose to browse the collection for Large Wall Art, you will find options neatly divided into square and panoramic formats.

Square pieces are sold at 40cm, 70cm and 90cm widths. The unframed prints are a straightforward option, priced at £59.99 for the 40cm, £79.99 for the 70cm, and £99.99 for the 90cm size. If you prefer a glazed finish, framed prints cost £89.99, £129.99, and £199.99 respectively, with frames available in crisp black, white, or natural wood. For those wanting the texture of cloth, unframed canvases are £79.99, £119.99, and £169.99. Framed canvases sit in an elegant shadow gap without glazing, priced at £109.99, £159.99, and £209.99.

If you are filling the space above a super king bed, you will likely need a wider aspect ratio. The panoramic canvases are designed precisely for this. They are presented as a float-framed canvas at a 3:1 ratio (there is no unframed panoramic available). These come in two generous sizes: a 30 x 91cm version for £169.99, and a large 51 x 152cm piece for £259.99. The panoramic frames offer an expanded choice of six colours: black, white, natural wood, antique gold, antique silver, and brown.

Panoramic formats naturally lend themselves to wide horizon lines, mimicking the sweep of a long walk along the fells. For a bold, warm focal point, pieces such as Vibrant Sunset over Buttermere Valley or Sunset Radiance Over Wasdale Head work brilliantly to carry the eye across the full width of a broad headboard.

Ordering and Delivery

Furnishing a room requires planning, so it is useful to know the timeline for your chosen piece. Everything is made to order. It takes 2-5 working days to print the landscape, followed by 3-7 working days for UK delivery. If you select a framed piece, whether a glazed print or a float-framed canvas, it will arrive with the hanging fixings securely fitted to the back, ready to be mounted onto your well-anchored wall hooks. Should you be sending a view of a beloved force or valley to someone else, a gift message can be added at checkout.