30 striking options on How to Decorate Tall Walls

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If you’ve got high ceilings, chances are you’ve asked yourself, how do I decorate tall walls, and today we’ve got at least 30+ options for how to decorate tall walls.

If you like this post you might also like 75+ ways to decorate a hallway, board and batten spacing walkthrough, and how to easily hang a gallery wall.

Hey guys! I’m Sarah from Interiors By Sarah Langtry, and I’m here today to help solve one of the biggest decorating dilemmas that plagues homeowners everywhere; what in the world to do with those tall walls?!

The Bekob team gets this question all the time over on Facebook (where you can ask your question for help from other readers, too!) so today I have some solutions for you.

Whether they are in a foyer, your family room, dining space or even a bedroom, those soaring ceilings look fantastic and create such an open, airy feeling to your home, but when it comes to decorating the adjacent walls, most people are left scratching their heads.

My job today is help give you some options to decorate tall walls, as well as tell you what NOT to do!

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30+ Ways to Decorate Tall Walls

Large Scale Art Or Groupings

One of the BIGGEST mistakes that people make when decorating tall walls is they get the scale all wrong. If the objects you are trying to hang on the large wall are too small, they will just get lost in the vast space and end up looking cluttered.

BIG walls require BIG, BOLD statement pieces, a true focal point, to really show them off, and you will see that repeated in many of the examples I am going to show you.

Large Art Grouping in Living Room:

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Gallery walls and oversized artworks are probably the most common solution to fill up those tall walls. A large grouping of art or photographs are a great way to fill up the space. Creating a grid of similar art like the image above will help the art work to work as one general statement piece.

Large Artwork Grid in Stairwell:

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Often stairwells have a large wall that can feel overwhelming to decorate. Creating that same large grid of artwork is a great way to fill the space. You could even center the art between two decorative wall sconces for added ambiance.

Full Wall Art Display Filling the Overall Space:

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This floor to ceiling art installation is a unique way to fill up a long skinny wall, especially because of the non-traditional frame shapes. The way all the pieces work together create a large scaled art piece are really interesting. It also helps that this particular wall is painted an accent color to really call out the art display.

Large Single Piece on Painted Accent Wall:

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A single, oversized piece of art also makes a bold statement. This particular piece of art is very direct but has such a great presence in the space and fits with the direct furnishings perfectly. Framing the art with a direct modern wall sconce also gives the wall more interest. Lastly, the contrasting dark color of the wall, helps the light colored art work really pop, and capture your eye.

Large Piece of Art in Foyer or Entry:

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This striking oversized painting adds both color and texture. Hung above this console table in the entry it is the well fitted piece to greet a guest. It helps the room feel colorful, and interesting without actually having any color anywhere else.

Collections

Having a collection of plates, woven baskets or things you prize can create a strong wall display. And you get the satisfaction of seeing your collection on display daily.

Collection of Plates in Large Organic Shaped Grouping:

Aa large grouping of plates is a fun display on the wall. The organic shape of this grouping means that you can add to it over time without having to worry about symmetry.

Mixtiles Photo Collection:

Bekob

An ever growing collection of my own is my family mixtile images, it has doubled in size since this photo and it makes me happy by bringing memories and candid photos to life.

Sculptural or Architectural Salvage Pieces:

If you like and aged layered collected feel in your home that incorporating salvaged pieces is a great way to add that ambiance.

Sculptural Art at the Scale of the Wall:

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Instead of an oversized painting, think outside the box and use other large scale pieces that act as art.

Architectural Salvage Over a Fireplace

(Traditional Home – link no longer available)

If you don’t have a place for an architectural piece like these antique doors, why not use them as tall wall decor. This design element adds depth and age to a new space, and definitely doesn’t feel cookie cutter.

Mirrors

Mirrors are a great alternative to hanging art. Try a large oversized mirror, or a grouping of smaller mirrors.

Large Floor Mirror Focal Piece in Entry

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In a tall confined space, you might benefit from a large mirror to help visually expand the width of a tall room.

Mirror Grouping; Repeated Design Accessories

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This rather quirky wall is direct in design, but by repeating the mirrors it gives the feel of bubbles in this nautical themed space. A witty and fun design, achieved very easily, with not a lot of extra detail.

Tapestries or Modern Textiles:

For a large scale impact tapestries, paintings, fabric hanging or even macramé are notable options.

Large Scale Tapestry

While it may feel like a tapestry or wall hangings would only work in a traditional space like this image above, don’t forget to consider modern textiles, tapestry, rug or fabric options. They can fill the wall easily, and still feel fresh and modern. Bonus, they can add a cozy feel and dampen sound.

Macramé Modern Art

Buy this handmade piece on Etsy.

You don’t have to be a creative genius to have striking art. This modern dip died macramé hanging, ads movement and interest to any tall spaces.

Hang A Rug

Makely

An affordable modern rug may be the well fitted modern tapestry equivalent. I love what Lindsay did with this rug.

Add Trim or Millwork

Adding trim or millwork to your wall is also a great way to break-up the vastness of those soaring, double height bare walls often found in foyers and great rooms.

Architectural Moldings Add Great Interest

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The millwork, tricks your eye into thinking there is something visually interesting filling the entire space even without art (and there is!).

Millwork for Visual Interest Without Art:

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Raised Panel Moldings:

Katrina Weeks Design; Photograph Bekob

This wall leading up to the second floor has all the interest and no need for art. The sconces are the well fitted accessory to the striking raised panel millwork.

Stained Wood Accent Wall:

This stair wall has so much interest with the stained wood wall of striking millwork.

Picture Frame Trim:

This strong Entry has vivid picture frame trim work that is direct in design, but really gives the walls in this tall space a lot of interest.

Art Ledges

I think we’ve all seen those old homes with libraries, you can create that feel in a modern room with built in bookcases, ledges and shelves.

Ledge Shelves Displaying Smaller Layered Art

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If you don’t have a grouping of similar art but still want the look of a gallery then maybe ledges would help to bring the otherwise disparate grouping together into one collection.

Custom Shelving Fit Around Each Art Piece

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Floating shelves are also a great way to display your art collection. Even if you are a first-time, these direct shelves could easily be created with stock lumber.

Bookshelves or Built-ins

If you are a book lover, consider adding some custom library shelves and make that open space functional!

Built In Bookcases:

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Filling up a wall with a library of books might just be a personal dream, but seeing how others make it work is so inspiring.

Built In Bookcases Around Fireplace:

This Living room only has one piece of art but the combinations of trim work and built in surrounding the fireplace keeps the space interesting.

Mixed Display of Bookshelves and Art:

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Floating Shelves Display:

These direct floating shelves are an straightforward Handmade project, or readily available to buy. The direct repeated shelf with décor accessories, look great on a contrasting wall.

Contrast and Texture

Incorporating different painting techniques, wallpaper or texture is a great way to add visual interest without worrying about individual art pieces.

Framed Wallpaper As Art

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Here, panels of trim are filled with grasscloth wallpaper. Printed wallpaper would also look great and create the feel of an art piece.

Textured Brick Walls

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If the walls themselves have interest, via texture like these industrial styled painted brick walls. The texture itself, may be enough to make the walls interesting without art.

Textured Plaster

The warmth of this plaster finish adds texture and interest to these tall rooms without the need for art.

Painted Wood Plank Look

This wall has no art, but the horizontal panel lines help to add texture and interest to the wall. It helps that it is painted a contrasting color. Additionally it has an interesting roof line that brings your eye up.

Contrasting Color Scheme to Create Visual Interest

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Choosing two highly contrasting colors creates interest in the space without having to add much to your walls! Above the diagonal stair wall painted a contrasting color, from the back wall creates a dynamic visual.

Contrasting Top and Bottom Half of Wall

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Here, the tall wall has been broken up into two spaces. Visually it feels less tall and the elegance of the trim work on the bottom of the wall is strong. The wall above the trim work is painted dark, and recedes slightly feeling different enough to not need any special attention.

Paint

The most affordable and straightforward way to change the look or feel of a room is always paint.

Accent Walls:

Love them or hate them, accent walls have their place, especially when drawing the eye to an interesting roof line in these wall bedrooms.

Painted Half of Wall Without Moldings:

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If you love the look of trim, but don’t have the modest-cost to do so, try faking it by painting only half the wall!

Tall Half Wall Paint Version

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This tall wall is rather sparsely decorated. By painting the wall two colors, the large space has a visual break, and the space feels more intimate. It also helps keep the small scale art from swimming on the wall, it feels grounded instead.

Murals or Wallpaper

Wallpapers have come a long way. They are easily customizable and straightforward to both install or remove.

Bold Colors in Non Traditional Pattern

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Color is a very effective and straightforward way to add drama to those big walls without spending a ton of money. Try a BOLD and graphic mural! If creating the art work seems overwhelming try a wallpaper mural.

Large Scale Furniture Pieces

If you have tall walls, this is a great opportunity to feature a large than life piece of furniture.

Large Furniture:

M.E Beck Designs for Bekob

Properly scaling the furniture to fit with tall walls will help the space feel less overwhelmingly large.

Distract!

And lastly, a great way to sole the big empty wall syndrome is to distract the eye AWAY from the wall by adding dramatic floor to ceiling curtains, or an oversized light fixture.

Tall Full Length Draperies

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Not decorating the walls, but calling attention to other details by distracting the eye might just be the well fitted solution, like the tall draperies and interesting fireplace detail in the image above.

Large Lighting Fixture and Draperies

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The windows in this space are interesting enough to steal the show, but the added draperies and lighting help to also distract from such a tall space.

Ceiling Beams:

This tall room has no art, but it is full of visual interest and the interesting wood beams on the ceiling draw your eye up, without the room feeling too large.

Interesting Ceiling Finishes:

This interesting wood slat ceiling, brings the eye up and visually adds both texture and color, keeping the room from feeling boring without art on the walls.

I hope I have inspired you to go BIG and BOLD and finally show off those tall open walls in your home! Many of the options I gave you can be combined together as well. Take a look at the last photo above. It has trim, contrasting paint, dramatic drapes, oversized art and even a oversized light fixture. The well fitted example of how to balance those soaring ceilings and walls.

Thanks to Cassity and the Bekob team for having me today! I’d love for you to come and visit me over at my blog, where I also try and solve many other common Design Dilemmas.

xo Sarah

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