How to Decorate a Large Wall

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Large walls can be intimidating to decorate, but they don’t have to be. Stop staring at your large bare wall and do something about it! Today I’m sharing twelve ways to decorate a large wall once and for all!

For months I glared at the large wall in our family room above our sofa and struggled to know what to do. It sat empty for far too long and something needed to be done about it. Do you struggle to decorate a large wall or walls? Rest easy because I have some solutions for you.

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decorate a large wall in Family room with large art above sofa, fiddle leaf tree next to a window.

Depending on the size and layout of your home you may have several large walls or a just a few. Here are twelve different ways to fill the wall that is void of decor and reflect your personality and style. 



Use Large-Scale Art to Decorate a Large Wall

A large art piece might come to mind first when you think about filling in a large wall. Art that is oversized is unexpected. It catches the attention of all who cross its path and is perfect for a large wall. As a bonus, your oversized painting will add depth and easily fill in the space with one large piece. One and done! I like that.

Close up of large scale art hanging on wall.

You can purchase a large art piece, which can be costly, or you could DIY a large piece of art. We chose to DIY our large-scale art to go above our sofa since everything I looked at was well over the budget. If you have a large wall this DIY project will take you a few hours to put together and you can read all about how we did it all for under $100!

Family room with white fireplace and two large windows, with a sofa and a fiddle leaf tree and upholstered ottoman

Rug |  Ottoman  | Pillow | Chair | Mantle | Vase | Mirror |  Sofas  | Ceiling Fan Glass Jar | Lamp | Wood Tray | Candlesticks | Plant

Gallery Wall (Grid Style)

Gallery walls never seem to go out of style like hardwood floors and marble countertops; they have been around a long time and are timeless. It is important to note there are different style gallery walls and you may prefer one over the other.

Let’s first cover a grid style gallery wall. A gallery wall is a great way to decorate a large wall and fill in the space. A gallery wall brings in the feeling of an art gallery that is mixed with your personal decor style. Pick out your favorite prints that reflect your style and start creating.

decorate a large wall  with a Grid gallery wall hanging above piano
Vintage cane bench against wall and two black frame art hanging on wall above

I like to use frames with large mats and select prints that share a cohesive color scheme or prints that are black and white. Keep it unified and it will look great.

Did you know you can also change the art to match the season, update family photos or black and white photos of your recent trip; these are all wonderful benefits of a gallery wall.

Lay out all your pieces on a flat surface to get an idea of how the finished product will look before you hang all the frames to ensure there is unity.

Gallery Wall (Eclectic Style)

An eclectic gallery wall brings together many different types of artwork into one cohesive space to fill a large wall. Artwork with different styles and sizes can be used to create this type of gallery. You can have all unified art pieces or they can be a varied collection.

I have not personally created an eclectic style gallery wall, but they are lovely and showcase a home owners unique personality.

Eclectic gallery wall hanging above fireplace

Source: Architectural Digest

To build your gallery wall it’s best to place your biggest pieces first, and build around them. By placing your larger piece just off-center, but still towards the middle, it ensure your eye travels around the gallery wall instead of the focus being right smack dab in the middle. Place your second largest piece diagonal from the largest one and then keep building.

Use a variety of different size frames and once again, lay out the gallery on the floor and play around with placement before you decide to hang it on the wall.

Use a Mirror to Decorate a Large Wall

A mirror is perfect for filling up a large wall as they come in all shapes and styles. When we moved from our house in Virginia, and I began to pack up the wall decor, I counted 11 wall mirrors I had used all over the house. And that didn’t even include the bathroom mirrors. That’s a lot, but it proves they can be used to fill in space and I had a lot of wall space in that house.

Mirrors create a sense of space even if the space is small. A mirror can make it seem like there is an entire wall of windows or open doorways as they reflect light and make spaces seem brighter.

This large gorgeous floor mirror is on my wish list for our master bedroom. I just love it and have drooled over it for some time, but it’s not quite in the budget just yet. Maybe once we renovate things first then this mirror dream might become reality.

Make a large tall floor mirror a statement piece in a room that has large ceilings. This could be a bedroom or a living room. The bigger the better so that the mirror is the center of attention and looks intentional.

white brick fireplace with arched gold mirror and vintage painting propped on a wooden mantel

Candle sticks | Mirror | Mantel | Rug | Large Jar | Vase

Wallpaper

Wallpaper is a fantastic way to fill in a large wall. With all the textures, patterns, and colors you can select something that reflects your homes decor Wallpaper can also make a room feel more cozy and finished and I love how wallpaper is strong enough on its own to be all you need to complete an entire wall sans anything else.

Blue and white wall paper on wall with two white spindles beds and window in between the beds.

Source: Serena & Lily

Wall Moulding

I LOVE trim and millwork in a home. It just adds so much character and warmth. I do love board and batten and it’s a great way to fill in a large wall. We installed board and batten in our powder room in our Virginia home and I loved it. You could do this in an entire room or on just an accent wall behind a bed or single dining room wall.

White board and batten in bathroom with sink and gold round mirror and navy blue walls
White board and batten and navy blue walls above with white sink cabinet and gold round mirror

Mirror | Frames | Soap | Faucet |Vanity

Incorporate a Large Tapestry

I love that these days there are so many easy options now for finding artwork. When we made our large DIY art piece for the family room we used a large tapestry from Society 6, but you could also just easily frame a tapestry. They come in a variety of sizes and you could purchase a large frame from:

Frame-it-Easy creates custom size frames and are made in the America. I used them to create a frame for a 34×40 tapestry I ordered and used in our bedroom on top of our dresser.

decorate a large wall with dark dresser in bedroom with framed art propped on dresser with jar of green stems

Greenery | Large Jar | Dresser | Vase | Chair

Printed Digital Downloads

There are many options online for digital art. You can download one and print it yourself or have it sent to you already printed and ready to frame based on the shop you purchase from. Juniper Print Shop is great for digital prints printed in the size you select and they also offer their prints as a digital download too so you can print them yourself and save a little bit.

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If you want to print a large download I recommend using Staple’s Engineer Prints or FedEx Architecture Print service. Place the order online and either pick it up or have it delivered but you can only print as large as a 36×48.

Other Sources for Large Art Prints:

Use a Piece of Furniture to Decorate a Large Wall

If you have a large piece of furniture it can be used to fill in a large wall. A cabinet, bookcase, dresser, armoire or credenza can be used to create a focal point and fill in wall space.

Home office with large armoire, desk and artwork on each side of armoire

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In our dining room and my husband’s office large walls were covered easily with a large piece of furniture and surrounding wall space were coordinated with smaller pieces of art.

Layer Furniture and Frames

Layering furniture, art, decor and lamps is probably one of my favorite ways to fill in a large wall. Do you have a console table, dresser or buffet but the wall above is empty? This is the perfect place to layer mirrors, art, lamps and decor and you fill in an empty wall, but by having that low piece of furniture you add storage space as well.

Place your furniture on the wall and follow up with a mirror or large print then add a lamp, prop up a smaller piece of art, a vase with greenery, baskets on the floor or under a console table, etc. Think in layers to fill in the space and you will have a decorated wall in no time! Play around with it. Rome wasn’t built in a day – decor takes time.

blue vase with greenery on top of a dresser in a bedroom
mirror hanging above dark wood dresser with greenery and artwork propped at base of mirror.

Install a Mural to Decorate a Large Wall

This is not something I have tried but I have seen this done and it can be lovely. You could hire someone to paint a mural (or do it yourself) to fill in a large wall in a nursery, game room, play room, basement family room or any space you chose.

You can do any type of mural you wan or select one of your own photos to have a mural created. Murals are usually priced based on how many feet you need; although some shops have them in pre-determined sizes already and you select the size you want based on what they offer.

There are some great resources on line and here are a few options; by no means an exhaustive list.

Mount Your Television

You could easily fill in a large wall by mounting your television. There is a great option for a framed television that displays artwork so it looks like a piece of art when not in use. We have one and I love it and plan to purchase another. You can put any style artwork you chose. Create your own or purchase digital art from places like: Juniper Print Shop and various stores on Etsy.

black vintage buffet with tv on wall

Final Thoughts on How to Decorate a Large Wall

The most important thing to remember when filling in a large wall is that you don’t need to use just one idea. If you have several large walls in your home you should vary it up; for example, you don’t want several gallery walls on the same floor, or large-scale art on every large wall. Use several of these ideas to create visual interest around your home. Play around with different types of furniture and layers until the space feels finished and uniquely yours. If it’s not working, try something else! Design takes time and if you are impatient like me you want it done yesterday. I have to remember to enjoy the decorating journey.

Hope these twelve ideas were helpful to you and you will master those large walls with gorgeous decor in no time!

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How to Decorate a Large Wall

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