I have an unsightly empty space above the bed because I’m so paranoid that a huge heavy picture is going to fall on my guests one day. (I don’t hang large pictures above my kids’ beds either.) Am I being totally unreasonable?
No, I’m exactly the same. I had an artwork mounted in a card mat over the bed for a while but it became scruffy so now I go for the minimal approach - nothing above the headboard. 
I suppose a textile wall hanging could work well.
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I have nothing but the wall color. In some rooms, making that wall the “accent” color would be a nice way to spruce things up, if it needs painting anyhow.
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This is something I have to think about in a country prone to earthquakes.
What about a lightweight canvas?
I went to an art exhibition, took 3 catalogues home, cut them up and stuck a collage on the wall. So it’s just paper and sticky tape, it looks better than an empty wall, it was totally free and it won’t hurt anyone in case of an earthquake.
Paper and sticky tape? Can you post a picture of what you mean?
I’m imaging my bedroom as a teenager with the walls covered in band posters. Not a look I’d go for now 
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I should take my picture down… 
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I once had a full-size cinema billboard poster for “Slaughterhouse-5” on the wall above my bed - one night it detached and fell on me - took years off my life! I loved the motto on the poster - “One morning Billy Pilgrim woke up, took a look at the world and found it redundant”.
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In college, fellow students would buy lovely fabrics and stretch it over a wooden frame using furniture staples. You can then screw a metal bracket to the back of the frame, and then attach to the wall. It was actually fairly attractive. With a bit more skill, one could trim the whole thing out in a trim that “matches” the architecture of the home. My guess is that such a project would cost in the neighborhood of $20 in materials, plus your time to build the thing.
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We hang real art - framed watercolors that my partner Sally paints. I use real, professional grade picture hangers, not some crappy nail poked through the sheetrock. Nothing falls.
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Hmm,
I’ve got a large bookcase mounted on the wall above my bed (not by me). It will probably come loose and kill me one day. At least my obituary will be more interesting than the average.
I don’t have any decorations in my guest room. I’ve thought of adding some, but I’ve never been a big decorator of places. Maybe some nice prints would improve the look of the place. I think having a print come loose from the wall would startle some guests, but hopefully would not be harmful. Though it really would be better to put it in a frame, and a frame falling on someone could possibly hurt them.
Speaking about mounting…
Sidebar: I expect some of you have wall-mounted modern LED/LCD TVs in guest rooms or in common areas. Aren’t you afraid that these may fall on guests? They’re a lot heavier than a painting.
I would seriously consider moving your bed or the bookcase.
We don’t want to read a headline that says: Brilliant Mumbai Scholar Predicts Own Demise and is Flattened by Mounted Bookcase.
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I would, but there isn’t a lot of space in this room. But I appreciate the thought.
Please take into account that we are priced cheaply (due to location and shared bathroom). I wanted to have something cheap and easy that would look better than just a off-white wall. We are also in a rental apartment, where we might move out any day, so I didn’t want to do any accent wall painting.
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I had a hi res photograph printed onto a shower curtain, then built a lightweight frame to mount it on. It weighs next to nothing and makes a fantastic headboard for the bed, as well as a conversation piece.
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That looks great! Not at all what I had in mind. I’m so not creative. The best ideas always seem to be the simplest but I can never think them up myself
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I made this for over my couch, could easily work over a bed! Yarn, giant stick, 2 bottles of wine, and 6 hours of my life I will never get back
Great idea and looks good too!
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That looks good Guthend!
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