I find big walls difficult to decorate — and so many homes have them now! With the open floor plans and two-story rooms in newer houses, they are so much more common.
Now, I will say…sometimes I find it best to ignore a big wall, at least when it comes to two story, taller walls.
The super high walls in our old house bugged me for years, and at first I went high with the art. I quickly learned they don’t need to be accentuated…it’s obvious it’s a big wall. 😉 So I started bringing things back to people level and it felt SO much better.
You’ll be surprised at what that little bit of dimension does for a space. Even without any art, trim on the walls makes a big difference.
I plan to do that same treatment on the other stair walls eventually!
Planked or shiplap walls
The subtle lines of planked walls give just enough interest, but they aren’t overly busy.
The wood and stain gives a space so much warmth and texture!
Wainscoting molding boxes
This also makes a large wall not feel so vast, and creates a smaller spot on the wall for art or a mirror.
Wallpapered accents
Most of the time I find I don’t need to add any art at all — let the wallpaper be the star!
Huge DIY artwork
I incorporated my small office television into the middle of my massive bulletin board:
I love that board! I use it so much, it’s so nice to have a spot for fabric swatches, paint samples and inspiration pics.
Gallery art walls
Of course there’s always the old go-to — an art gallery wall. Tread lightly with this one because it can get busy quick! But if done well I think they can really fill a wall up nicely.
If you’re new here, I’m sure you can tell by now that I love symmetry. 🙂
This is SUCH an easy project and these simple ledges and photos fill up a space beautifully.
I used eight foot pine boards to make these long art shelves.
Now let’s see some of the beautiful spaces I’ve gathered for you! I love all of these ideas — you’ll find projects that fit in easily with both modern and traditional design aesthetics.
You don’t have to go crazy with it! One wall is plenty.
This cool idea gives the look of wallpaper, but it’s just vinyl cut outs:
Vinyl shapes on the wall make a big impact but they are very inexpensive and are easy to remove later.
This TV wall was inspired by our old planked fireplace wall:
I love how they brought the wall out a bit. It really makes the long wall much easier to deal with and creates a great focal point!
Look what you can do with wood, time and some patience!:
I love it! Such a unique take on an accent wall. It makes that wall the star but doesn’t overwhelm the room.
If you love a shiplap wall but don’t have the tools or know-how to hang it, you can try this faux shiplap look!:
I LOVED this dog art but figured there was no way I could do something like this on my own…until I read her tutorial. What a cool project!:
Now where am I going to hang giant art of our animals? 🙂
This is an idea I read about years back, and it has really taken off! Have you ever considered using a shower curtain as art?:
The Aspiring Home
SO fun, right?
This one is brilliant — did you know you can have any photo made into a shower curtain? And then make it into art?:
This is another pretty option — you can get VERY large art out of something like this (and make your own simple canvas frame to hang it:
And then there’s the tried and true gallery wall…I loved all of these simple and classic looks. This one made with vintage paper and handwritten letters is lovely:
This idea is a more organic design and you’ll save on the frames! I love that it looks like wallpaper:
I love the look of the simple, square IKEA frames around the TV:
Sticking with black and white architectural photos (that you could take yourself) adds a more modern look in a space:
So many great ideas, right? Whether it be a long hallway, a big wall in the living room or a tall staircase, these are wonderful examples of how to fill those big spaces.
Have you used any of these ideas in your home?