I’ve dragged my feet on this one for way too long. I have this blank wall in my living room and I have thought about filling it since moving almost a year and a half ago. It’s one of the last hold outs in my house and I just can’t seem to find the inspiration to get it done. The worst part is, it’s one of the first impressions in my home. When guests enter my foyer, the living room is immediately to the left and the first thing they see is my giant empty sofa wall.

There are probably a million reasons why it’s not finished, but the number one reason is that I’m picky. I don’t want to just throw something up on the wall to take up space. I love a personalized space and that’s why it’s important to have things around me that are meaningful as well as appealing. I’m also not one to change up my décor super often, so the things that I place above my sofa must have staying power because they’ll be there for a while. If you can relate, then this one will be a great dose of inspiration. Believe me, I’m ready to take my giant wall behind the sofa from blah to fantastic! Let’s get to it.

My aesthetic is simplicity so the designs that resonate with me are also simple. I like balance, soft colors and not a lot of fuss. That’s what I’m going to focus on here.

1. The Statement Mirror

Simple is the absolute best way to describe this option. Mirrors are wonderful for reflecting light in a room. They add in texture, shape and color. They can also make a room feel larger because they reflect space. A large floor mirror, for example, can really open up a space because it gives the illusion that there is a doorway or another room in a small space.

For this example, I like the idea of a round shape to play against all the rectangles in the room: the end tables and coffee table and TV console opposite. Layering in a different shape adds interest and breaks up repetitiveness.

My front windows are directly opposite the sofa wall, so for me, the round mirror is not the best option. I try not to place large mirrors directly across from windows. I much prefer them on perpendicular walls. My rule of thumb: only place mirrors opposite what you want to see because you will essentially be doubling the view.

2. One Large Piece of Art

Along the same line as the large mirror, a large piece of art that adds in color, texture and/or shape will go la long way to filling up a large blank wall.

I like to choose art that is more abstract because I think it pairs really well with most transitional, traditional, modern and eclectic rooms. Abstract lines don’t compete with a favorite style of décor. They support it in a subtle way by being non-representational.

A statement piece can be a beautiful focal point that introduces a new color or texture to the space as well. Here, I picked up the rose pink color of the art with the small quartz planter on the right hand side table.

One of my tried and true decorating principles is to pick an inspiration piece for a room and to design all the items that fill the space based on that inspiration piece. Picking art that provides a rich color palate can be the road map to a successful design because you can pull all kinds of inspiration from it.

3. Wall Gallery

I really love the look of a wall gallery. As I mentioned before, I love simplicity and balance, so my eye always goes to the structured compositions in wall galleries. I just like the line that having all the same size and shape things brings to a composition. It also reminds me of one large statement piece.

Now, if you prefer mixing shapes and sizes in asymmetrical ways, then I say have at it! For me, I prefer this type of gallery wall.

Black frames are timeless and I love to bring in touches of black throughout a room because they punctuate a space. What I mean by this is, black allows your eye to rest as you take in a space. The color black is like punctuation in a sentence. It allows you to tell a story visually, breaking up points of interest around the room.

Here, I flanked the pictures with two simple black and gold plant sconces to balance the sides of the sofa and to give the wall a bit more interest. It’s still simple but any chance I have to add in some more green, I’m going to take it.

4. 3 Large Pieces of Art

Along the same lines as the gallery wall, adding in a triptych, or set of 3 canvases, will help you fill in a large wall.

My advice would be to know the height of your ceiling. Since this grouping takes up more space horizontally, be careful about the amount of space from the top of the canvas to the ceiling. If you’re trying to minimize the focus of a super tall wall, anything long and horizontal will only emphasize the height.

Luckily, I have 8’ ceilings, pretty typical, so a long horizontal group like this will work.

You can easily play with the shape by introducing round, square, or pretty much any other shape as well. The grouping of 3 objects is another often used parameter in decorating. Odd numbers are interesting and appealing and grouping items in odd numbers will work in a number of applications from art to accessories.

5. Baskets

This type of wall art has been used off and on from decades. It’s a very Bohemian style that would go well with Boho and Scandinavian design. I love the texture of baskets and using them as art is a great way to outfit a large wall.

You can find so many types of baskets: colorful, textural, ethnic, you name it. If you are partial to a particular style of handwoven basket, you can find them at world markets, thrift stores, department stores, and the like.

For this example, I decided to go with all round baskets. I chose 9, anther odd number, to complete my idea. The composition is a bit more random with the different sizes grouped together. It would not make a lot of sense to line each one up by size because it would look very contrived. It’s much better to have them spaced randomly so they can provide a more interesting composition.

Tip: Lay the baskets on the floor in front of the sofa and tweak the arrangement until you save a layout you like That way, you’re not sticking them up on the wall and moving them around. That’s a pain and if you can avoid making too many holes in the wall, that’s the best route.

6. Floating Shelves

Shelves add dimension and interest to the wall. They also give you the opportunity to style and layer items creating depth.

The nice thing about shelving is that you can change out the décor to suit the time of year and to coordinate with accent colors in the room.

The one thing I would caution with shelves is to hang them high enough so that you don’t hit your head on them when sitting on the sofa. There’s nothing worse than trying to settle in for movie night only to bop your head on a shelf. Worse would be to knock stuff off on top of that.

I like the idea of having two shelves offset a tad because it’s so much more interesting than having both shelves one on top of the other. This way, you can add in taller items on the bottom shelf for more layers and dimension.

7. Sofa table and Art

By now you know I’m a big fan of balance, and this appeals to me for that reason.

I like the idea of using a narrow sofa table behind to bring the sofa off the wall.

This gives you the opportunity to add some physical depth. I love to flank a large piece of art with a couple of lamps because that reinforces the balance of the composition. Filling in with a few other items, books, pottery plants, etc. will add in the personal touches.

If you’re partial to this arrangement, I would suggest knowing the actual dimensions of your space, so you know how much room you have to work with.

This is especially important in small rooms, or skinny rooms like mine.

A deep sofa table would bump the sofa further into the room which could make the space feel smaller. I’m a big fan of pulling your furniture off the wall in any size room but be careful not to overpower the space with furniture that just won’t fit properly.

Conclusion:

1 One Large Piece of Art

2 The Statement Mirror

3 Wall Gallery

4 3 Large Pieces of Art

5 Baskets

6 Floating Shelves

7 Sofa Table and Art

There they are: my 7 ways to style a large sofa wall. Clearly, I have to get to work pulling this together and I’ll be posting the reveal in my weekly newsletter, so sign up now if you don’t want to miss it!

I’d love to know which one of these ideas was your favorite. Leave me a comment below and tell me what you think. Do you have another idea that I didn’t include? Tell me all about it!

Speaking of my newsletter, I’d love for you to join me there. I send it out on Saturday morning and it’s always packed with inspiration, tips, behind the scenes looks at what I’ve got going on, musings, recipes – yep, I love food so I share that too!

Until next week, keep your dreams big for your small space!

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What to Read Next:

HOW TO ACCESSORIZE YOUR HOME LIKE A PRO

There are a many tricks that designers use when accessorizing spaces and all of us have our favorites. That’s because most of these tricks, or techniques – if you want to be fancy – really work in a number of situations. Here’s a list of my favorite tips for accessorizing your home like a pro. I subtitled this piece 10 Tips For Decorating Your Home From Scratch because these techniques can apply to accessorizing a new home – from scratch – or they can also apply to a quick seasonal or holiday makeover too.

How To Accessorize Your Home Like A Pro Tip 1: Create A Story

What I mean by this is curate the things that you have. You don’t have to have a cohesive visual narrative. Sometimes it’s more interesting to have a story that relates with color or proportion and not necessarily with subject matter. Play with items that create a vignette or interesting moment.

How To Accessorize Your Home Like A Pro Tip 2: Go Monochromatic Or Repeat Patterns, Shapes, And Textures

When you concentrate a group of accessories by replicating or repeating a color, texture or pattern, you create a sense of drama and that can make for a very interesting grouping. If you have a collection of all white pottery and lot’s of open shelves, create a monochromatic display by grouping them together. This picture does this nicely by limiting the number of items to each shelf. When you spread out your collection like this you can really make for a story that pops.

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Michael is Principal designer and blogger at Michael Helwig Interiors in beautiful Buffalo, New York. Since 2011, he’s a space planning expert, offering online interior e-design services for folks living in small homes, or for those with awkward and tricky layouts. He’s a frequent expert contributor to many National media publications and news outlets on topics related to decorating, interior design, diy projects, and more. Michael happily shares his experience to help folks avoid expensive mistakes and decorating disappointments. You can follow him on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook @interiorsmh.