In this New York City apartment, designers Alan Tanksley and Adrian Gilbey of Alan Tanskley, Inc. placed a favorite painting at the head of the bed, above a headboard that was selected to blend into the wall's paint color. "This was the perfect spot for the painting," says Tanksley, "because the scale was perfect, the color against the wall was very dramatic and the placement at the far end of the room — beyond the bed — created a long view, which gave the painting importance." What's more, says Tanksley, "the architecture and decoration of the room was primarily comprised of furniture having straight lines and hard edges, with the exception of the leather and bronze console table at the foot to the bed. The organic feeling to the painting was a great foil to these lines."
Hanging a painting above the bed works best in a room with ample footboard space (and is ideal in a room like this one, where the bed's head is directly opposite the room's entrance), so that you can really see — and enjoy — the painting. "Look for artwork that's big and bold," says Tanksley. "Small-scale work or images will be impossible to view over the distance of a bed. And keep both the artwork and the frame very simple," he advises. "There's already plenty to see with the art, the bedding and the pillows."
Once you've found the perfect painting, hang it high enough so the pillows (or your head) don't rest against it. Make sure the painting is lit properly, and it will serve as a beautiful focal point — what Tanksley likes to call a "visual destination" — in your room.
Photo by Jeff McNamara, courtesy of Metropolitan Home magazine
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