How high to hang a picture above a bed?
15–25 cm (6–10 in) from the headboard's top to the frame's bottom edge
Hang a picture with its bottom edge 15–25 cm (6–10 in) above the headboard: 130 cm (51 in) from the floor over a headboard 110 cm (43 in) high. For a frame 100 × 60 cm the hook goes 180 cm (71 in) from the floor, and at 67% of a bed 150 cm (59 in) wide the picture is wide enough to sit over it alone.
Measure from the top of the headboard, not from the mattress or the pillows. A bed with no headboard still has a line to measure from: the top of the pillows when they stand against the wall.
Above a bed the centre of the picture often ends up higher than it would on an open wall. That is expected. Keep the gap to the headboard and let the centre fall where it falls. Use a fixing that holds the frame at two points, so it cannot swing or lift off.
Worked out for A frame 100 × 60 cm (39 × 24 in) over a bed whose headboard is 110 cm (43 in) high and 150 cm (59 in) wide, with a 20 cm (8 in) gap above the headboard and the hanging wire pulled tight 10 cm (4 in) below the frame's top edge. Change the numbers
The working
- Bottom edge: 110 cm furniture + 20 cm gap = 130 cm (designers use 15–25 cm).
- Top edge: 130 + 60 = 190 cm.
- Hook: 190 − 10 cm hanger drop = 180 cm.
The hanger drop is the distance from the frame’s top edge down to the wire pulled tight, or to the D-ring.
The rules, and their sources
Gap above a sofa or sideboard
A rule designers use: leave 15–25 cm between the top of the sofa or sideboard and the bottom of the frame (6–10 in).
A rule designers use Sources: Architectural Digest, How to hang a picture (checked 24 October 2026); Hunker (Hordos, 7 Feb 2010), The right size picture over a couch (checked 24 October 2026).
Art about two thirds of the furniture
A rule designers use: art over a sofa or sideboard is about two thirds of its width (60–75%).
A rule designers use Sources: Hunker (Hordos, 7 Feb 2010), The right size picture over a couch (checked 24 October 2026); Apartment Therapy, Art sizing rules over a sofa (checked 15 October 2026).
Other headboard heights
The same frame, 20 cm (8 in) above headboards from low to tall.
| Headboard | Bottom edge | Hook from the floor |
|---|---|---|
| 90 cm (35 in) | 110 cm (43 in) | 160 cm (63 in) |
| 100 cm (39 in) | 120 cm (47 in) | 170 cm (67 in) |
| 110 cm (43 in) this page | 130 cm (51 in) | 180 cm (71 in) |
| 120 cm (47 in) | 140 cm (55 in) | 190 cm (75 in) |
| 130 cm (51 in) | 150 cm (59 in) | 200 cm (79 in) |
Change the numbers
Your sizes will differ. The picture hanging height calculator opens with these numbers filled in: change any of them and the answer, the working and the drawing follow.
Editorial notes
Worked out by the Snuug team on 12 November 2026 with the same code as the picture hanging height calculator, so the two cannot disagree. Every rule cites its source, with the date we last checked it. A rule designers use is a convention, not a study.