apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I think that you can hang heavier items over the bed, but you need to make sure that if there's glass used in the framing it's tempered glass and won't shatter if broken. Also, you can get earthquake-specific hangers. They look like boxes with a slit and you feed the string on the back of the frame into the slit and if there's an earthquake it is prevented from falling off the wall. Of course in a bad enough earthquake, everything might fall, including the wall....Just make sure you have a professional hang the art, so that it won't fall on you regardless of an earthquake....

earthquake hook link:
http://www.safetystore.com/eqpicthang.asp

I would recommend buying 3 canvases and paint them yourself in a colors(s) that you really like. you could definitely do that for <$200.

I agree with the DIY suggestion however if that's not your thing, then eBay has tons of "art" that looks just like your example. A framed canvas (no glass) is not going to do much damage to your noggin in an earthquake.

What about a Marimekko wall hanging? Their Fokus pattern in red (http://store.txtlart.com/fokus.html)looks a lot like the example that you gave, and the hanging frame is lightweight. I've had great experiences with the kind people at Textile Arts. They sell hanging kits, fabrics, and will give you some good advice on putting it all together.

b&b, i had the same idea, only slightly cheaper: CB2 has marimekko wall hangings for around 50 bucks (not including the hardware):

http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=587&f=3458

I make wall hangings by taking a cool piece of fabric (Marimekko, something retro and graphic, somothing in a color I love with a subtle pattern, etc.) then just staple-gunning it around a lightweight art-store canvas.

They look great, are super-cheap and easy, and won't give you a concussion if the Big One hits ...

I've also used "The Rasturbator" (http://homokaasu.org/rasterbator/download.gas) to create giant digitized images that I then just print out in 8x11-inch pieces on my home printer, piece back together, and tape up on the wall. It's fun, it's free (except for all the paper and printer ink you'll burn through), and you can create "Rasterbated" images big enough to cover an entire wall. Check it out -- it's sort of addictive.

Best,

Leah

Ikea surprisingly sells some interesting and light-weight pieces where you stretch the canvas around the wood frame yourself at home. The have some oversized options too.

My husband also has a fear that anything hanging over the bed will fall on him, so I painted directly on the wall.

I bought a bunch of different colors of paint samples (the 1 or 2 oz ones) and made a grid over the bed with painters' tape. (A laser level really helped.) Then I painted the squares different colors and removed the tape. It took quite a bit of touching-up, to get the lines straight, but I am happy with the end result.

You could also wrap fabric around something REALLY lightweight, like Styrofoam. There's no way that could hurt you, even if the corner hit your noggin.

psssst....

http://cgi.ebay.com/FABRIC-WALL-HANGING-LUMIMARJA-RED-MARIMEKKO_W0QQitemZ180075098751QQihZ008QQcategoryZ78866QQtcZphotoQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Fiber Art! I am a fiber artist making soft wall hangings in a variety of subjects. Do a search on Google "fiber art" and your town to find a gallery or online source. Antique quilts are nice too. I recommend a curtain rod with curtain rings with clips to hang quilts or wallhangings on the wall. ;-)

Thanks everyone!! Such great ideas!! Now all I have to do is choose...hrmmm... =)

There's a great new site with lots of beautiful images available printed on fabric. You can choose a variety of lightweight hanging options right there on the site: http://www.anandasoup.com/store