I have recently retired from offering mood boards after making them for hundreds of clients for the past two and a half years. There just isn’t enough time these days and I would love to focus on other projects. In those two and a half years, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve hunted a lot. And I’ve peeked into a lot of homes and rooms. One question that I got over and over was, “What do I do with these huge bare walls?”
Big art ($$$) yes. Engineer prints–sure. A gallery wall–obviously. But here are a few other, less traditional, ideas that I’ve recommended over the years that can fill wall space, add a lot of interest and maybe even set you apart.
1. Bikes. This can be out of necessity, like maybe you live in a small apartment and need a place for your bike–might as well make it “art.” But even if you have all the space in the world, hanging your bike in a prominent place can look pretty cool.
2. Flags. The bigger. The better.
3. 3D quotes. We put together this large quote for the wall in the studio and the impact still gets me when I walk in the room. It’s completely customizable and personal, too.
4. Frame wallpaper. This one almost appears as a painted mural on the wall. Build a frame, or trim it out with wall moldings.
5. Hats. There are a million excellent examples of these are just two of my favorites. It feels so easy and chic–but probably skip displaying your baseball hat collection in the living room.
6. A giant clock. So this one isn’t totally out-of-the-box. But I’ve recommended this 50″clock at least a dozen times because 50 inches!? That’s huge for around $200.
7. Tapestries. I am committed to using a huge tapestry somewhere in our home and this bedroom inspiration has me even more sold/drooling over the idea. Urban Outfitters sells some tapestries and of course, scour ebay!
8. Anything. Ha! Random everyday found objects hung in a series, create a graphic focal point on an architecture-free wall. Also, could make for a fun game of I Spy. Is that a potato masher??
9. In the appropriate setting, oars (or surf boards, etc.) look so chic. Obviously coastal, but check out the more modern application on the right.
10. Lastly, photo ledges with smaller pictures lining an entire wall. Can you imagine the fun guests would have with this? The conversation? Something special there.
Do you have any out-of-the box things filling your walls? Ready to implement one of these? Or maybe you’re embracing bare walls, which can be a beautiful thing, too.
Image Sources: bike, flag 1, flag 2, wall quote, wallpaper, hats 1, hats 2, clock, tapestry 1, tapestry 2, random objects, oars 1, oars 2, photo ledge
Love the Giant clock. Too cool
Great post! I just moved into a house with a giant (two story) wall in the dining area. Now I have some ideas for how to fill it!
I love this! I have a two story wall where our stairs are and would love a flag — I really want a first aid one like Emily Henderson has since I’m a nurse and plan on getting a tattoo like that. i really like the bike one too :)
Great tips! I can’t get enough of the oversized clocks, personally. I filled up one blank wall in our bedroom with a wooden quilt ladder my grandpa handmade when I was a little girl– stripped limbs lashed together with leather. It has really added some visual interest.
We have a large wall to fill in our open living/dining room area…and two doorways right next to each other on the wall, so we figured a big barn door would fit the bill. We love it…it’s one of our favorite things!
http://retroranchrenovation.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-start-of-house-tour.html