People have decorated the places they sleep with stars for as long as there have been ceilings. Ancient tombs and temples were painted with constellations. Medieval chapels had vaults of gold stars on blue. A night sky over a bed is one of the oldest ideas in decoration, and it has lasted because it suits what a bedroom is for.
Celestial designs are reported to be the most searched style of wall tapestry, and a tapestry is the easiest way to put a sky on a bedroom wall. Here is how to choose one.
Why the night sky suits a bedroom
- It is dark. A room for sleep wants low brightness. A night sky is mostly deep blue and black.
- It is cool-coloured. Blues and violets are calming.
- It has no action. Nothing is happening. There is no story to follow and no face looking at you.
- It has depth. A sky reads as infinitely far away, which makes a small bedroom feel larger.
- It is the right subject. You are lying down in the dark. A picture of the night belongs there.
Why a tapestry is the right format
- Scale. A sky should be big. A tapestry gives you up to 88 × 104 inches for under $90, which no canvas can match at the price.
- Softness. Fabric suits a bedroom. It adds texture and takes a little echo out of the room.
- No glass. Nothing to reflect a lamp or a phone screen.
- No nails. It hangs from removable hooks, behind the bed, as a headboard.
- Safe above a bed. It is light. Nothing heavy is hanging over your head.
Choosing by mood
Still and restful
Star Valley is a night landscape: a rocky valley with waterfalls, mountains beyond, and a green and teal aurora unfurling in a dark sky. It is deep blue almost throughout. It has the calm of a landscape and the wonder of the northern lights, and it is one of the most restful pieces we make.
Starlight City shows a city on a curved horizon under a vast starry sky, with a ringed moon above. All in blue. The city gives it a human note without disturbing the quiet. See our closer look.
Dreamy
Astronaut in the Clouds shows an astronaut's helmet with blue sky and white cloud where the face should be, spilling upward into the stars. It is a picture of a mind drifting, which suits a bedroom rather well.
Dramatic
Purple Pink Wormhole is a spiral of purple and pink light turning around a black centre. It is bolder than the others and still dark overall. The circular form is steady and easy to look at. It suits a room with purple lighting. See our closer look.
Black Hole is the same kind of form in silver and white on black, for a room with no colour scheme to match.
Warm
Hand of the Stars has a violet hand reaching up through starlight, against a sky that runs from deep red to indigo. It is the warmest of the celestial pieces.
With a figure
Scanline Spaceman is an astronaut floating among the stars, with a retro glitch effect. A single drifting figure is a peaceful thing to look at.
Choosing by colour
- Blue room, grey room, white room: Star Valley or Starlight City.
- Purple or pink accents: Purple Pink Wormhole or Hand of the Stars.
- Neutral, minimal room: Black Hole.
- Green accents or plants: Star Valley, for its green aurora.
Take a colour from the tapestry and repeat it in the bedding or a cushion. A blue sky above blue-grey sheets looks planned.
What to avoid above a bed
- Very bright or busy designs. High contrast and lots of detail keep the eye awake.
- Strong reds and oranges over a large area. They are stimulating colours.
- Faces that stare. Some people sleep fine under them. Many don't.
If you love a lively piece, put it on a side wall and keep the wall you face from bed calm. See bedroom wall art that still lets you wind down.
Size
- Twin bed: 50 × 60 inches, landscape.
- Full or queen: 68 × 80, landscape.
- King, or a whole wall: 88 × 104, landscape.
A sky that is slightly wider than the bed looks best. See the tapestry size guide. Note that these designs are made as tall, portrait images, so check the product photos to see how each is cropped in landscape before you choose.
Where to hang it
- Behind the bed, as a headboard. The most common and usually the best.
- On the wall opposite the bed, so you see it as you fall asleep.
- On the ceiling, as a canopy. A sky overhead is the original idea. Use the lightest fixings, and keep it away from light fittings. See using a tapestry as a canopy.
Lighting it
A dark tapestry disappears in a dark room, which is fine when you are asleep. For the evening:
- Warm white fairy lights along the top edge look like a row of extra stars.
- An LED strip behind, set low in blue or violet, gives the sky a halo.
- Put the lights on a timer so they switch off after you are asleep.
See tapestries with fairy lights and LED strips for methods and safety.
Care
Steam the creases out before hanging, and wash it now and then in cold water. A tapestry above a bed collects dust. See how to wash a tapestry and how to hang one without nails.
Browse every design in the tapestries collection. Each is made to order, so allow 2 to 7 business days for production before it ships.