Using Artwork to Create a Relaxing Bedroom Vibe

Bedrooms have a rather different job to most rooms in the house. While a kitchen needs to be practical and a living room might need to accommodate everything from family life to entertaining, a bedroom should ultimately help us switch off.

We tend to think about paint colours, bedding and lighting when creating a relaxing bedroom that brings a sense of calm, but what we put on the walls can have just as much influence. Artwork is often one of the last things chosen for a bedroom, yet the right piece can subtly change the atmosphere of the entire space.

So, rather than simply looking for something that matches the duvet cover, it can be worth asking a different question: how does this artwork make me feel?

Choose Artwork That Gives Your Eyes Somewhere to Rest

A relaxing bedroom doesn’t have to be completely neutral, but it helps if there aren’t too many things competing for attention.

Artwork with a simple composition, plenty of space and a clear focal point tends to feel easier on the eye than something extremely detailed or visually busy. This is one reason why landscapes, botanical photography and minimalist imagery work particularly well in bedrooms.

You don’t necessarily need muted colours either. Soft greens, blues and warm earthy shades are obvious choices, but even stronger colours can feel restful when they’re used within a simple image.

The important thing is the overall feeling rather than following strict rules about which colours are supposedly “calming”.

Look to Nature

There is something inherently restful about bringing elements of the natural world into a bedroom.

You might choose a hazy woodland, a quiet shoreline, delicate flowers or a wide landscape disappearing towards the horizon. These images provide a visual connection with places and experiences we naturally associate with slowing down.

Photography can be particularly effective here because it can capture moments that are almost impossible to recreate in another medium.

Photographer and co-founder of Fotoviva Art Prints, Jason Wickens, whose gallery includes a collection of photographic artwork specifically chosen for bedrooms, has spent years looking at how different subjects affect the feel of a room.

“You can actually feel the calming effect of some photographic art as soon as you see it. Delicate floral imagery can be incredibly relaxing, as can long-exposure seascapes where the movement of the water creates a wonderfully peaceful coastal atmosphere.

For a bedroom, I’d always choose an image you genuinely enjoy looking at rather than one you’ve picked simply because the colours match.”

Don’t Forget the Space Around the Artwork

When creating a peaceful room, what you don’t put on the wall can be just as important as what you do.

A collection of small pictures can look fantastic in the right setting, but a busy gallery wall isn’t necessarily the best solution for every bedroom. Sometimes one generously sized piece above the bed or opposite it creates a much calmer result.

Giving artwork some breathing space also makes the piece itself feel more significant. Instead of filling every available section of wall, allow some empty space around it.

Scale matters here too. Artwork that’s too small above a large bed can look slightly lost, while something with enough width to relate to the furniture beneath it tends to make the whole arrangement feel more balanced.

Panoramic prints are another option here.

Think About What You Can See From the Bed

We often choose artwork according to which wall has the most obvious empty space, but in a bedroom there’s another consideration: what will you actually see when you’re lying in bed?

Artwork opposite the bed can have just as much impact as a statement piece above the headboard. It’s one of the last things you’ll see at night and one of the first things you’ll notice in the morning.

That makes it a lovely position for an image that means something personally – perhaps a favourite landscape, somewhere you’ve travelled or simply a photograph that creates an immediate sense of calm.

Artwork above bedside furniture can work beautifully too, particularly as a pair. Just keep the arrangement relatively simple if relaxation is the aim.

Consider the Finish as Well as the Image

The way artwork is presented can change its character considerably.

Traditional framed prints can bring warmth and definition to a bedroom, particularly with a mount around the image to give it additional breathing space. Timber and darker frames can also be used to echo furniture or other materials elsewhere in the room.

Canvas has a softer, less formal appearance because there’s no glass or visible mount. That can work particularly well in relaxed contemporary bedrooms, and its non-reflective surface is useful in rooms receiving plenty of natural light.

For a more contemporary look, acrylic prints can bring additional depth and clarity to photographic images. Their glossy finish particularly suits images with strong detail or colour, although it’s worth considering reflections if the artwork will sit opposite a window or bright light source.

The important thing is to consider the artwork and its presentation together. The same peaceful coastal photograph can feel quite traditional in a mounted frame, more relaxed on canvas or distinctly contemporary when presented as an acrylic print.

You Don’t Have to Match Everything

Perhaps the easiest trap to fall into is trying to make the artwork match the bedroom perfectly.

If your walls are sage green, your bedding is cream and you’ve introduced touches of blush pink, you don’t need to find an image containing precisely those three colours.

Instead, look for a connection.

Picking up one subtle colour from the artwork elsewhere in the room is usually enough. It might be reflected in a cushion, lampshade, throw or even a small decorative object. These little repetitions help everything sit comfortably together without making the bedroom look overly coordinated.

And if you fall in love with a piece that doesn’t match anything at all? That isn’t necessarily a reason not to buy it. The most interesting rooms often contain something unexpected. Sometimes we can break the rules!

Create a Relaxing Bedroom That Feels Like Yours

There isn’t a single formula for creating a relaxing bedroom because what one person finds calming another might find rather dull.

For some of us, tranquillity means an almost monochrome interior with a single misty landscape. Someone else might feel happiest surrounded by flowers, warm colours and reminders of the countryside.

That’s why artwork can be such an important part of bedroom design. It’s an opportunity to introduce something personal into a room that should, more than anywhere else in the house, feel like your own space.

Ultimately, the best bedroom artwork isn’t necessarily the piece that follows the latest interior trend or perfectly matches the colour scheme. It’s the one that makes the room feel a little calmer, more personal and somewhere you genuinely look forward to retreating to at the end of the day.

Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will receive a very small commission if you click through and make a purchase. These links help to pay the editorial costs of writing a blog. For more information, please read my full affiliate disclosure here.

I also use Artificial Intelligence Image generators to create some of my images. These are to show you examples of my ideas and inspiration when I cannot produce the real images myself.