Choosing Bedroom Art

Art can evoke powerful emotions, which means it can also have the power to either help you sleep or make it more difficult. In this post we are going to help give you some tips and tricks on how to find peaceful art that will look beautiful in your bedroom, while also help you feel relaxed and ready for rest.

Like many things, art can be very subjective. However, there are a few tips that can help you choose pieces that you love that will also be great for a room for sleeping. Keep reading our guide to bedroom art to make sure your peaces evoke serene and peaceful dreams.

Best Bedroom Color Palettes

One thing is certain, color choices matter. It may seem obvious to some, but less to others. But, less vibrant and more neutral color tones do a better job of creating a relaxing environment. While bolder and brighter colors will set the tone to activate your brain instead of help it unwind. Which is why choosing the right color palette for your bedroom art is important.

Colors To Embrace:

In general we suggest choosing colors that make you feel comfortable and at ease. Of course this will vary on the shades from person to person. However, in general soft colors often found in nature tend to be some of the most relaxing.

You should also of course consider the colors you already have in your bedroom. Are your walls a soft blue or a cool neutral tone? Then choose a color that goes well and work together with what you have and already sleep comfortably in.

Although if you are choosing to redecorate or you have a new bedroom and you’re starting from fresh. Then choosing your art first, this can help yo determine your wall and bedding colors along with your general feel of your bedroom.

• Light and Dark Blue
• Soft Yellows & Creams
• Natural Greens
• Warm Oranges & Rust
• Gentle Soft Pinks

Colors To Avoid:

Dark colors tend to be depressing and overbearing. This can stifle energy and set a negative tone in your room. While overly striking or vibrant colors can be too energizing and simulating, making it difficult to fall asleep. Of course this is only a general rule of thumb.

If there is a piece of art that you adore and it features bright purple in it, it might still be calming enough for you personally to have in your bedroom. Although this is purely a guideline to use in case you are not entirely sure what is going to evoke a feeling of calm for you.

• Bright Purple
• Dark Grey, Black, and Brown
• Bright Red and Orange
• Neon Shades Of Any Color

You may also like the post: Best Bedroom Colors For Sleep

Best & Worst Bedroom Art Styles

Another area to consider is the style of art to put in your bedroom. Though something may use a more neutral or natural color palette the actual art itself could still be unsettling. Navigating away from certain styles could help your sleep as well. While embracing pieces of art that induce a sense of calm and serenity are much more preferred when when it comes to creating a zen space.

Styles of Art To Avoid In Your Bedroom:

A piece of art can be a complete masterpiece and still be a poor choice for a bedroom setting. Some people adore art that challenges them or brings up strong emotional reactions. Unless these emotional reactions are something you want to dwell on as you fall asleep and dream, then these may not be the best art pieces to put into your bedroom. While inspiring art can be fantastic to wake up to and start your day, make sure it is also something that will help you fall asleep as well.

Sharp angles and stark contrasts can be visually overstimulating to fall asleep with. Use these in spaces of your home where you want to feel challenged or inspired. (Great for an office) Sharp angles can be aggressive and energizing, which is why we do not suggest using them in your bedroom.

Another potential art subject to avoid are portraits. This is not a hard and fast rule, if you have a portrait that you adore that brings your peace and relaxation. Then that piece of art or photograph may be a great choice to use in your bedroom. However, if you feel you are being watched by a painting as you fall asleep, that is no way to get a good nights rest.

• Overly Stimulating Pieces
• Portraits
• Challenging or Evokes Negative Emotions
• Sharp Angles
• High Contrast Geometric Pieces

Best Art For Your Sleep:

Nature scenes are not only an incredibly popular choice for artists to create, they are also a great option for your bedroom. Many art pieces that draw from nature, include many of the elements that we as humans find relaxing. Of course there are always the exceptions.

For instance the painting Ships in The Stormy Sea, 1866 – Ivan Aivazovsky. This painting features soft blues and greens, it is set in nature, and yet the subject matter is stressful and it evokes a feeling of distress. Which is why at the end of the day we suggest following your gut and how a piece of art makes you feel personally.

• Calming Nature Scenes
• Soft Textures and Flowing Curves
• Any Art That Brings You Peace & Relaxation

Art Therapy & Sleep

Whether you are making it, or simply observing it, art can be incredibly therapeutic. So much so that therapists and councilors have been using art as a form of therapy for many years. It has become increasingly popular and can treat a great number of situations, insomnia and nightmares being one of them.

Not only could art therapy generally help you to relax and let go of stress. It can even be used with a therapist to help work through trauma among other things that might be the source of your lack of sleep.

Bedroom Art & Feng Shui 

If you’ve never heard of Feng Shui than you may want to look into it more here. However, in brief it is a way of making sure your room is balanced with nature for an optimal sense of well being. This is even applicable to your bedroom art. Below are a few tidbits on how to incorporate this into the pieces you choose as well as how to best display them.

Harmony in Pairs:

Feng Shui is all about making sure your home has good flow and energy. Of course it gets a bit more detailed and complex than that. However that is the purpose of Feng Shui for many people here in the United States. For the bedroom, Feng Shui often encourages couples to use art that features equal pairs of something.

Whether it is two apples, or trees, or what have you. You can also have two pieces of identical art or sculptures hanging by your nightstands and so on. This is supposed to help bring balance and harmony for two people.

Keep Things Simple:

Your bedroom should be your zen space of relaxation. Try not to go overboard on creating a full wall of pictures and art. While this is a fun trend to have a portrait wall covered from ceiling to floor with a collection of images, this is very bust and over stimulating for a bedroom.

Clutter can block the flow of energy to keep energy moving, allow for blank space. This will also make the energy of the pieces of art you do bring into your bedroom more powerful.

North Facing Wall:

The wall in your bedroom that is North facing in Feng Shui represents your work life. It is suggested to use art that features a wealth of flowing water. This is because water is a life source and it is said doing so will improve your work success. While not everyone takes Feng Shui in such a literal manner, water scenes in art often are admired for their beauty and tranquility. Which makes them fabulous additions to a bedroom.

Another post you may like is: Our Guide To Bedroom Feng Shui

Choosing Bedroom Art Final Thoughts

While taste in art is purely subjective, we hope these general guidelines help you to find a piece of art that not only speaks to you as an individual, but that also helps you to find art that will make it easy to relax and fall asleep. As any art lover knows, different artists and pieces of work can have the power to move you and evoke strong emotions. We hope that the art you choose helps you to feel calm, peaceful, and relaxed. All so you can have better sleep and wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and ready to start your day.

If you have a question for us, send us a message through our Contact Us page! We would love to answer and questions or share any advice we can.