Above the bed

You walk into the bedroom and fall in love with the installation above the bed. You are in a rental that appears to be in a safe area; no earthquakes, storms, floods or tornadoes. As you begin your bedtime routine, you begin to reassess the installation and wonder if it is really safe.

After surviving one major earthquake barely escaping the art above my headboard from crashing on me, I began to evaluate what I placed above headboards. I see multiple types of creative installations above vacation rental and boutique hotel beds. In fact, art above a low-profile headboard against a generous wall is the initial, valid concept. However, there are several types of art and decor that can injure your guests and create liability for you:

What Not to Hang ·
~Framed glass art. Once that art drops, glass shatters everywhere. The last place that you want your guests to deal with is glass on their faces and/or bodies. The horror of being immobilized is a memory no one wants to retain.
~Mirrors.
~3D objects, especially heavy objects. I recently saw photos of an attractive vacation rental with an installation of peaked birds above a headboard. I’m sure you can imagine that a sharp, wooden bird peak. can rival the damage of shattered glass.
~Bookshelf with books and objects.
~Potted plants.
~Pendant lights or chandeliers directly above a pillow.

What to Hang
There are safer types of lightweight objects to consider hanging above a headboard such as: ·
~Woven Textiles
~Tapestries.
~Canvas art.
~Soft Baskets.
~Wallpaper.

My suggestion is to position the headboard a few inches from the wall so that these pieces sit slightly behind the headboard, just in case of an unexpected event. A strategic art plan does not need to suffocate creativity. However, being mindful of placements can mean everything for the guest experience.

Photo: Spacejoy