Decorating Large Walls – 10 Blank Wall Solutions

You guys know I’m always on the hunt for great wall art ideas. I feel as though in a rental, especially if you don’t paint, wall art is crucial to making it feel like home. One of the biggest challenges can be decorating those large blank walls. You know the ones, where your 11×14 family portrait looks like the size of a post it. Here’s what it comes down to – scale. Decorating large walls is really all about scale. If you have a huge blank wall, it won’t look right if you put a few 8×10 picture frames up. You will have to go big, and by big I mean oversized. And by oversized, I mean the perfect size. Here are some of the best large wall decor ideas for living rooms.

How to Decorate Large Walls

Think of a large living room wall as a blank canvas. It can feel daunting to be confronted with such a large empty space but with some inspiration and the willingness to DIY, you’re sure to find the perfect way to use that wall space for good! From large wall art to wallpaper accent walls, there are many ways to add decor to large empty walls. 

Check out these 10 large wall decor ideas for living room walls and more

Wallpaper Accent Wall

A wallpaper accent wall is an effective way to decorate a big wall. With moderate effort, you can fill an entire large wall with a design you love. Wallpaper is a great option for renters and homeowners alike as there are permanent and temporary installation options. I’ve used removable wallpaper as an accent wall as well as permanent wallpaper using this wallpaper hack. Wallpaper is great for an accent wall because it uses less paper (less cost) than if you were to paper an entire space. It’s also a great alternative to painting a room because it can be temporary and removal is much easier than having to repaint!

Large-Scale Art

I’m a big fan of large-scale art for filling large walls. There are dozens of ideas for large scale art including several easy DIY ideas. 

Framed Wallpaper, Gift Wrap, or Fabric

Framed wrapping paper for above the sofa

You can simply frame large swatches of your favorite wallpaper, gift wrap, or fabric. One affordable idea for large-scale art is to frame some printed design that you love. Gift wrap is a very budget-friendly option for creating a large piece of art but framing swatches of quality wallpaper or fabric is another great affordable way to use a more expensive design without having to spend a bunch of cash.

I recommend using poster frames to frame large-scale artwork. You can increase the impact by hanging multiple pieces together, think of two or three framed pieces side by side.

Framed Poker Card Posters

Oversized artwork is another way you can create an impact on a large wall. You can create your own oversized art in many ways but one is by printing large-scale images of things that are typically not large. These playing cards are so fun. You can DIY this project by having them printed at a scale of 24×36 or larger and framing them as posters.

Another one of my favorite large wall decor ideas for a living room is an oversized abstract piece of art. Large-scale artwork can be super expensive and if you don’t have the budget to spend a bunch on art, you can make your own. I made my own large-scale abstract art with tons of texture by creating a canvas from a drop cloth and painting my own abstract piece of art on it.

Typography Art

Oversized Typography

Typography Art is another affordable way to add large wall art to your space. There are many free options out there or you can create your own in Canva and have it printed on the size of a poster. Society6 also offers a lot of typography art that a variety of sizes.

Oversized Geometric Art

I made this oversized geometric art in a set of three using plywood, frog tape, and gold paint. I created this in collaboration with The Home Depot and sadly the tutorial is no longer available but essentially you’ll just buy three plywood boards, tape off the geometric pattern that you want and then paint in the color that you want. I used gold paint.

Tapestry Wall Hangings

Tapestries make beautiful wall art. You can use vintage tapestries or modern printed ones that you can find anywhere. Tapestries usually have unique colors and designs and are a great way to inject style into your home decor. Some alternatives to tapestries are to hang rugs and blankets or throws as you see above. This huge wall hanging is just a IKEA rug. You can find very inexpensive pieces that can make a huge impact on a large blank wall.

Print Giant Photographs

Blow Up and Frame Your Travel Photography

A unique and personal way to fill up blank walls is by hanging large prints of your own photos or photos of places are things that are meaningful to you. Think of using meaningful images that bring you joy maybe from a recent vacation or a photo of a place that you really love. You can even turn this into a themed gallery wall and print several photos of places that you’ve visited and love to put a really personal spin on the typical gallery wall.

Hang a Large Map

If you love geography or just maps in general, this is a fun one. You can hang large maps on the wall to fill a blank wall. You can try your hand at a DIY rustic framed map like the one above or, if you can find an old school pull down map (like the ones we used to have in classrooms as kids) that’s even better!

DIY Huge Wall Art

If you’re artistic you may want to try this very inexpensive DIY. Create giant wall art with minimal supplies. Just a few bucks and you can create something this high impact.

Framed Shower Curtain as Large Scale Art

This absolutely genius idea of creating a canvas from a shower curtain to create a very unique statement piece will surely be a focal point for any room.

Sure, blank walls are a challenge but with these ideas you will fill up those blank walls with gorgeous, meaningful art that won’t break the bank.

You’ll also love these decorating tips:

Decorating Small Living Spaces

Temporary Wall Treatments