DIY inspo [driftwood wall hanging]

I need to do some convincing, and I'm hoping the internets will help me out. 

Who needs convincing: D, of course, dramatic decor destroyer extraordinaire.

What he needs convincing of: how cool a piece of driftwood on our wall would be.

Here's the sitch: we have a huge and wonderful piece of art that used to live over our bed, like so:

But it turns out this piece of art doesn't work well over our bed anymore, as one side of the bed is up against the wall. However, it is perfect over our $20 campaign dresser:

That leaves our above-bed area blank, and it's driving us crazy. I'm not ready to commit to full-on gallery wall craziness, because it's a ton of work AND inhibits the free movement of furniture. Case in point, how dumb does this look without a dresser under it??

So, I think I should be allowed to hang my beautiful piece of driftwood, found on the grassy area next to the tidal basin in our beloved D.C., on the wall. Like the image below from this post...minus the functional hooks.

Here's another example, except I only have one...now I feel inadequate.

I'll admit mine isn't as uniquely shaped, but I here's some more inspiration.

I think an industrial hook (or even a big ol' nail!) in the wall, some bleached string, and a piece of wood could make a statement that's both modern and rustic, interesting but with a thin enough footprint to not be distracting.

Plus, as my roommate points out, this is a wonderful tool of self-defense, especially considering all the nights I sleep alone while D studies. Win win!