Maybe some nice textiles? That way if they fall on you, it's like playing fort.

There are earthquake safe methods of hanging artwork. Some museums screw frames into the wall with L brackets and then paint over the hardware. But if he doesn't like the idea try Vinyl Decals, a Mural or even a patterned Wallpaper.

Wall decals, decorative or trompe l'oeil murals, etc...

You can buy earthquake hangers which are more secure, and use museum putty.

There is no such thing as "earthquake safe hanging methods" for over the bed or other resting place. This phrase is used when the object is to protect the artwork.

Imagine yourself, in the wee morning hours, awakened by rumbling, crashing noises, perhaps cars wrecking outside your window on the street; glass shattering. Inside your apartment your bookshelves are falling over, and then, a big, heavy, textile (like a rug, or in my case an antique quilt), landing on your face and smothering you. Disoriented, you scramble with the quilt and can't get free for a few seconds. Now imagine a big, heavy mirror in place of the quilt...

Earthquakes can and do happen. Building foundations, storey location, and age of the wall all contribute to the soundness of the hanging as well as the severity of the quake. Play it safe and hang very lightweight textiles or draw/paint on the wall or do nothing.

Better move outdoors, the ceiling can collapse on him... BTW, I have nothing on the wall over my bed and since my couch floats in the room, there is nothing over it either. And I live in Florida.

As far as the bedroom, what about a taller, prettier headboard?

I used to have this wall sculpture made out of palm fronds. It was stained dark so it had more visual weight than what it really weighed. It provided the wall with a unique texture and it was also big enough to fill the space. I think something with basket weaving can create the same effect.

Also, resin materials can also be lighter than wood or metal yet look like those two materials. Let's not forget it's cheaper too. I would also avoid using glass. Maybe plexiglass would be better if you're picky about something like that.

i used museum wax to stick some stuff to the top of a painting (deep frame) so it wouldn't fall off in an earthquake. the next earthquake the whole picture fell off the wall (and the picture was very securely fixed...)
in the last year we've had 3 major earthquakes and i've seen some crazy stuff happen. painting directly on the wall seems the best option, followed by a firmly fixed textile... it seems a shame to live your life in fear, but if it is your reality (like it now is mine) the best you can do is be prepared.

Are you in a seismic zone now? Just because your hubby grew up in an earthquake mecca, doesn't mean all regions are prone to tremors. If you aren't in a high risk zone, something like museum wax will help to secure any loose items - on walls or on shelves. If you are in California, however, this won't help with quakes over about 5.3. In that case, maybe you can use posters or art prints without frames. You could use decorative trim to create a frame directly on the wall and paint an accent colour in the middle, or try wall decals.

I'll ask the obvious question. Where do you live now? Even though many, many areas can experience earthquakes, unless you are in an earthquake-prone area (like Southern California), you are unlikely to experience an earthquake so significant something falling off the wall could kill you.

We had an earthquake in DC a few months ago. One figurine fell off the shelf and broke. That's it.

Even with earthquake hangers, do not hang anything with glass or anything heavy over or near the bed. I personally have a very small quilt hanging there. Also, keep the bed away from windows. Like others have said, stick with textiles or decals.

I second the idea of textiles. I have some hand-made embroidered textile squares that I got in Spain hung over my bed right now. They are actually meant to be covers for throw pillows, so they are square and make a nice geometric arrangement together.

I find this pretty hysterical - I live in SoCal and had a poster over my bed as a kid when the Northridge earthquake hit. It was the biggest earthquake we've had in 20 years, and because we used proper mounting techniques it stayed there while I slept through the quake.

Tell your man to sack up! Drill into the wall to mount the hooks and you'll be fine.

My boyfriend and I agree about the over the bed art. We have a 35x45 black and white photo printed on very heavy paper and hung stretched between 4 small hooks attatched by black plastic binder clips. Because of the flexibility of the paper and the lightweight attachment methods there's nothing that would knock us out. :P I also have a small Shanna Murray wall decal that says You Are my Sunshine above my boy's head.

Painted canvas doesn't weigh that much itself, it's the frame that gets heavy. There's some really great stretched canvas paintings out there that speak volumes without the frame, and some wonderful fabric arts as well. I'm jealous of your predicament right now because you get to go shopping!

Regardless of hanging methods and whether they're sturdy enough to weather an earthquake, if her husband doesn't feel comfortable with something over the bed, why hang something heavy there? Home -- especially the bedroom -- should feel safe.

I have an African batik that I framed out in a simple wood frame with no glass that weighs practically nothing. No fear of earthquakes (although I'm told we get them on occasion here in St. Louis) but something like that might solve the problem and still feel finished. Best of luck in your quest!

I've lived in SoCal my whole life really and I'm also wary of putting anything over the bed that has any real weight or glass involved.

While it's completely true that in a big enough quake, things can fly off shelves and hit you in the head just as easily, having a painting or large frame jump off its anchors during a quake is the last thing a person needs. I don't fault this way of thinking at all, unlike some others here.

I think textiles or wall art, or even strategically placed wallpaper or baskets can be a good alternative to an over the bed frame or bulky piece of art.

Really? Look, everybody decorates around your 'problem' in California, so it can't be that intractable.

Personally, I favor nothing over the bed and unframed painted canvas over the couch. A canvas isn't going to give you a concussion, which is the main thing.

I find the eye-rolling over your husband's 'quirk' a little hard to swallow, sorry. Life lessons from things like earthquakes aren't sheddable; people from tornado country hate high winds, and earthquake people get jumpy in tunnels and under heavy art...even if they are living in Kansas now. It's a generalization, but for a reason.

'Sack up' indeed!

I live in Ohio & don't hang anything with significant weight over my bed. Earthquakes aren't a large concern here but it just seems like bad energy, to me.

I've used fabric wall hangings, fabric placemats, bamboo placemats, table runners, & constructed "headboards" with foamboard and fabric. You could also use contact paper on the wall, even creating a design in lieu of buying a wall decal. There's lots of possibilities.

Printers in California now can print photos on light piece of board, called gator board it is made especially for people ho want to hang something above them in California. The company is in Costa mesa California.

I've lived in Los Angeles since I was four years old. I won't put anything heavy over my bed either. I also push things away from the corners of tables and shelves. Once you've come into a room that's been destroyed after an earthquake, your relationship with objects completely changes.

I've lived in CA all my life (still do!)

But it depends on where you live now...but in general, I don't think it's a good idea to have anything hanging above your heads that's heavy enough to kill/injure you should it fall on you.

Small framed pictures are probably as much as I would do, but as people have suggested, poster-board-mounted images or textiles seem like a good idea, maybe those canvas-mounted paintings that aren't too heavy.

Paper and wire lamps with LED as light source are as light as they come. You can even hang them right on top of your head.