The bedroom is the most important room in the house for art, and the one where most people get it wrong. Not because they choose badly. Because they apply the same logic they use in every other room.

What the bedroom needs from art

The bedroom's primary function is restoration. Good bedroom art supports that function. The first question to ask about any painting is not is it beautiful. It is what does it do to me when I look at it? Does it settle something? Does it quiet the room?

A painting that energises or excites is the wrong painting for a bedroom. Not because it is not good art. Because it is art for a different kind of room. For guidance on what works in living rooms instead, read my post on abstract wall art for living rooms.

What works: colour and feeling

Soft blues and greens are the most consistently effective for bedrooms. For a full guide to this palette, read my post on blue and green wall art. Purple in its softer lavender and mauve registers is also one of the best colours for bedrooms. For guidance on using purple, read my post on how to use purple without it feeling cold.

What does not work

Strong reds and oranges raise the heart rate. Very dark paintings can make a bedroom feel heavy in rooms with limited light. Highly geometric or graphic art tends to feel restless. For more on what the feeling of a room should be before you choose art for it, read my post on what your home says about how you want to feel.

Scale in bedroom settings

Art for the bedroom can be smaller than art for the living room. For all sizing guidance, read my room by room size guide. For smaller formats that work as intimate bedroom pieces, read my post on small wall art ideas.

Paintings from my collection for bedroom settings

MIST in deep turquoise and soft green is made for bedrooms. LOLITE in calming lavender and soft blue is the most restful painting in the collection. POSSIBILITIES in soft smoky pink is ideal for warmth and gentleness. RECESS in sage and neutral tones is quietly present without demanding attention. Once you have chosen, read my guide on how to hang a painting to get it up perfectly.

Find the right painting for your bedroom here. I cannot wait to see you there.