How Should You Decorate Your Walls?

So, you’ve spent your time planning the perfect furniture layout for your new room, hunting down the just right sofa upholstered in that great performance fabric, refinishing the beautiful vintage coffee table and steaming your luxurious new pinch pleat drapery. Your room *should* be done, but it just isn’t right. What’s wrong? Your walls are bare and you are out of design steam, left with no idea what to hang.

This is a problem that I see frequently when meeting new clients. They’ve created a great space but need help with the little finishing touches that elevate a room from “pretty” to “magazine worthy.” Sometimes a space calls for something small, like a beautifully framed art print, but a different space may call for an oversized and grand mural.

Here are a few ideas that will help you put the icing on top of that beautifully designed cake room that you’ve worked so hard on:

1. An obvious and traditional choice would be an image that you love.

Choosing the right image can be tough. Consider some of your favorite memories - is there a place, object or person that stands out to you? Could you find a painting or print inspired by that memory? Once you know what you are looking for it is much easier to eliminate the art that you aren’t, therefore making the selection process much easier.

When you’ve found the perfect image, it is time to decide how to present it. If it is an original painting I suggest speaking to the artist. How do they envision the work being displayed? They will probably give you some ideas for a great jumping-off point. If it is a print, you have many options. You can have it printed on countless materials, from paper to fabric to glass or metal. The size of projects like this can vary greatly too, but I frequently get asked about large-scale, affordable art. If you need an oversized piece, consider finding a downloadable print online and having it printed on framed canvas or another fabric at a local print shop.

2. Another classic choice is a mirror.

Mirrors come in endless varieties of shapes, sizes and frame materials so no matter what style you’re working towards, there is one out there for you. The magic of a good mirror is that it makes the space it’s in feel larger and brighter. If you are adding a mirror to a room for purely aesthetic purposes consider a vintage distressed mirror or adding a decorative piece to it, such as a wreath. No matter what, when you add a mirror to a room pay attention to what that mirror will reflect. Make sure the view that you’re doubling is worth seeing twice!

3. You might consider wallpaper or a mural.

Just like mirrors, there are countless options for wallpapers. Not all that long ago it felt like if you wanted a wallpaper accent wall you just selected a traditional wallpaper in a pattern that you liked and covered a single wall with it. I’m seeing more and more mural options coming onto the market lately. These special pieces are usually applied just like wallpaper, but they are designed and custom cut for a single wall. This is a great way to add art on a huge scale to your space. Just select the image you want, lay the panels out in order and start hanging!

Of course, there are other options for wall art such as architectural pieces or shelves, but custom art, mirrors and murals are the first 3 that I consider while designing a client’s space. What do you think? Which of these do you have in your home? Do you have any other awesome ideas for walls? Comment below and tell me all about it!