Items on a shelf could be a hazard to anyone sleeping beneath it. The shelf itself could fall. I don’t even like pictures hung over the bed for that reason.

A picture correctly hung is perfectly safe unless you live in a quake zone.

I agree no shelves above a bed and really if you want help always post pics.

Because I have spent a lot of time in California, I don’t like things hung over the bed. Because I spent three decades in the glass business, I had much experience with broken pictures someone “thought” were hung “correctly “.

Living in California nobody hangs anything over a bed. A heavy picture framed could kill you

Uh, Californian, here! Pictures are perfectly safe if you install the artwork using cleats instead of regular picture hangers. They look like this:

I live in San Francisco, and we've had several 3.0 to 4.0 earthquakes while this system was in place. It didn't budge. Now, if we're talking the "big one", I think there might be bigger problems than whether the art stays on the wall. ;-)

We just had a 4.5 3 days ago centered 10 miles away

We have little shakers several times a year and occasionally something falls over in the fridge (there was that time in '64 when the town was destroyed) and we have a canvas with a light wood frame above the bed and it's fine but I wouldn't hang anything heavy or with glass and definitely not a floating shelf.

Luckily I live in Oklahoma, but I understand what you all are saying. I appreciate the advice.

I have a quilt rack with a quilt on it over my bed. It has a shelf. 20+ years NOTHING has ever fallen off. As far as size...there are various ways to approach it. Sort of depends on your head board.