This past October we moved into our beautiful 2,100 square foot home. Me being the interiors guru of the family, I was energized by the opportunity of a clean slate. It was like staring at a blank canvas and I wanted to splash some fine oil paints on it! So what was the problem? Compared to our 600 square foot apartment, it felt like the canvas was the size of a football field and my brush smaller than a needle point. Okay, so that’s a little dramatic. But, the walls of our 20’ x 58’ living room presented walls with an especially wild design challenge. I think we overcame it. I’ll let you judge for yourselves! Below are a few tips for how to decorate a large wall that we used in our home.
Accentuate with Dramatic Lighting
Source: @mvwetter
One of the best decisions we made was installing a dramatic West Elm chandelier above our dining table. In addition to adding the lighting fixture, we painted the walls a bright color. Staring at the chandelier head on, the unique lines pop against the golden background of the walls. (Glidden’s Fool’s Gold). It’s a great way to say, “I know that wall is blank. I did it on purpose. This chandelier is bomb.”.
Tip: Choose a chandelier with bold, sprawling and unique lines. Painting the background wall isn’t necessary but can further exaggerate the lighting fixture you choose.
Go Big with Your Artwork
Source: @mvwetter
After we settled on a floating sectional layout in our living, we reached the dilemma of a bland beige wall behind it. I was super unsure about how to treat that space but knew that it needed something beautiful but the opposite of busy. Fun story – around that same time, a coworker of mine told me that he painted on the side. What did he paint? Beautiful abstract wall art on massive canvases. I immediately scooped up two of them (well, actually four) for the living room and stuck them side-by-side on the wall behind our sectional.
Tip: Over scale artwork is a great way to decorate a large wall without making the space seem too busy. Blurred-line abstract art is also also a great way for keeping it dramatic and subtle. Don’t be afraid to place two or more side-by-side if you need the extra length.
Add Busy with a Touch of Uniformity
Source: Instagram @keely.mann
While large artwork worked super well for our living room walls, there was another area of our home that needed a little more pizazz. Our entryway was too minimalistic for our taste and so we decided to go with a gallery wall. The important thing here was to add a lot of frames but with a unifying trait. I scooped up some great wooden frames from Homegoods with the common theme being their Indian-inspired design.
Tip: Gallery arrangements are a super fun and trendy way to decorate a large wall. Maintaining one trait or theme between all of the frames helps give a wall flow and uniformity.
Add a Touch of Greenery
Source: Instagram @rusticwhite
Another great way to accent a large wall is with greenery. Tall, wide plants such as a Fiddle Leaf Fig are great ways to fill a large wall or an empty corner. We have two Fiddle Leaf Figs in our home that offer a fun and organic pop of color, making the walls transition more fluidly, especially in the corners.
Tip: Ask your local nursery which plants might work best for the space you are wanting to accent. There are a number of low-light options available if you are looking for a plant to put in the middle of your room.
There are a million and five ways to decorate a large wall. A lot of them depend on the function you are seeking, the look you are going for and how bold you are feeling with your design. There’s always the option of a crazy wallpaper to make a real design statement. I haven’t gotten there yet but it could be next!
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