If you have been wondering what size wall art above bed frames and headboards actually looks right, you are not alone — it is the question we are asked most at Printcasso. Too small and the artwork floats awkwardly in a sea of blank plasterboard; too large and it looms over you while you sleep. The good news is that getting it right comes down to two simple measurements: the width of your bed and the height of your ceiling. Below is the guide we use in our own studio, written for Australian bed sizes and measured in centimetres, so you can buy once and hang with confidence.
The two-thirds rule (in cm, for Australian bed sizes)
The most reliable starting point is the two-thirds rule: your artwork — or your combined arrangement of artworks — should span roughly two-thirds of the width of your bed. A little more is fine; much less starts to look undersized. Because Australian mattress sizes are standardised, the maths is easy. A queen mattress is about 153cm wide, so two-thirds lands at roughly 100cm of artwork width. That can be one wide canvas, or a matching pair of prints hung side by side with a small gap between them.
Measure the bed, not the bedhead. Upholstered bedheads often extend 10–20cm wider than the mattress, and art sized to an oversized bedhead can crowd bedside lamps and pendants.
Size chart: what size wall art above bed sizes from single to king
Here is the two-thirds rule applied to each standard Australian bed size:
| Bed size | Mattress width | Ideal artwork span | What works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | 92cm | 60–75cm | One vertical piece, or a small pair |
| King single | 107cm | 70–85cm | One piece, portrait or square |
| Double | 138cm | 90–110cm | One horizontal piece or a pair |
| Queen | 153cm | 100–125cm | One wide canvas, or a pair of 50–60cm pieces |
| King | 183cm | 120–150cm | One large horizontal canvas, or a generous pair |
Our canvas sizes run from 30x45cm up to 122x162cm, and art prints start at A4 (21x29.7cm) and go up from there, so there is a footprint to suit every bed on this chart — the exact size options for each artwork are listed on its product page.
How high to hang art above a headboard
Aim for a gap of about 15–25cm between the top of your headboard and the bottom edge of the artwork. Closer than 15cm feels cramped; more than 30cm and the art visually detaches from the bed and reads as a separate object. If you have no headboard at all, fall back on the gallery rule of thumb: the centre of the artwork should sit at about 152cm from the floor. In rooms with low 2.4m ceilings, err toward the lower end of the gap so you keep clear air above the frame.
One large piece vs a matching pair
Both work — they just do different jobs. A single large horizontal artwork is calm and hotel-like, and it suits wide beds best; browse our horizontal wall art if that is the look you are after. A matching pair adds gentle rhythm and symmetry, which is lovely between two bedside lamps. Hang pairs with a 5–8cm gap and treat the outer edges as your total span for the two-thirds rule. Square formats are particularly forgiving in pairs — two square canvas prints above a queen bed is one of the easiest arrangements to get right, because the symmetry does the styling for you.
Canvas or framed print above a bed?
Above a bed, weight and depth matter as much as looks. Canvas is light for its size, sits close to the wall, and needs no glass — a practical comfort directly above a pillow. Ours come in stretched and floating-frame styles, hand-framed in Australia, and arrive ready to hang. Framed art-paper prints, available unframed or framed in oak, black or white, give you a crisper, more classic look and let you echo other timber or black accents in the room. For a soft, restful scheme, something like our Maya I Canvas brings colour without sharpness — well suited to the muted light of a bedroom.
Ready-to-hang picks for the bedroom
Every piece we make is printed and hand-framed in Australia and arrives ready to hang, so the gap between opening the box and standing back to admire your wall is about ten minutes. If you are starting from scratch, our bedroom wall art collection gathers the artworks we think suit the quieter mood of a sleep space, and the bedroom canvas collection narrows it to canvas only. Orders ship free Australia-wide with tracking.
Frequently asked questions
What size art for above a queen bed?
Aim for a total artwork span of roughly 100–125cm — two-thirds of the 153cm queen mattress width. One wide canvas or a pair of medium pieces both achieve it.
How high should I hang art above the bed?
Leave 15–25cm between the top of the headboard and the bottom of the artwork. With no headboard, centre the artwork at about 152cm from the floor.
Should art be wider than the bed?
No — keep the artwork narrower than the mattress. Art wider than the bed makes the bed look small and unbalances the wall. Two-thirds of the bed width is the sweet spot.
Is a pair of prints better than one large piece above a bed?
A pair suits symmetrical rooms with matching bedsides; one large piece feels calmer and more contemporary. Both work if the total span follows the two-thirds rule.
Ready to find the right piece? Start with our bedroom wall art collection — every artwork is an original design by Australian artist Rimmy Gurm, hand-framed here in Australia, and delivered free with tracking anywhere in the country.
