I recently had a consultation with a repeat client. She moved into a new home and since a lot of her furnishings would not work in her new home, she is starting with all new furnishings. How fun is that?!!
She has a wall that is part of an open concept dining/living area that she did not know what to do with. This is very common in open concept homes, there are usually large walls where the homeowner isn’t exactly sure what they should do with a wall so it remains bare. A big, empty wall is a no-no in my book ;).
There are a few different options we have to fill a wall. I’ll start with the most simple and cost effective ones and work my way up to the more expensive options. ( As a side note, I usually do the opposite when I am proposing something like this to my husband LOL! He usually feels better about the middle priced item, which is usually the one I want. Shhh, don’t tell him my secret 😉
I feel most homeowners get overwhelmed with options then they stay stuck and unsure of how to proceed. Whether you are planning to sell your home or you want decorate your home to stay, hopefully you will find these tips helpful!
Adding Trim
An easy DIY solution for a large wall is to add some trim to create architectural interest. Here are a few examples of homes I have staged where trim was added to a wall:
I love how the extra inset trim beefed up this wall
This is a very simple DIY project that could be done in a weekend
Bookcases
If custom built ins are not an option because of the $$$ factor, stand alone bookshelves are a great way to fill a wall and display books, photos and accessories! This is from a home I worked on about 5 years ago. My client loved the farmhouse look and wanted to incorporate it to cozy up her home. Before, it was just an awkward empty wall:
I love how the tall shelves filled the space and all of the texture make the room feel warmer!
This is from a staging I did a few years ago (the home sold in 48 hours – yay!!)
If you want to use bookshelves in your home, here are some shelving units that I absolutely love:
Console table with lamps and artwork
A look that I always love is a console table with lamps and artwork above. If you look on the right side of this room I staged, you can see how I did just that in this home.
Here is another example of how I did this in another client’s home:
To recreate this look in your home, here are some combinations of tables, lamps and artwork that I highly recommend:
Custom built-ins
This is the most expensive option, however I do have a post coming soon that will explain how to do this on a budget. But, I love built-ins, they definitely take the decor in a home up a few notches! And buyers LOVE built-ins! I think you will always see a good return on investment if you are selling your home in the future! Here is a home I staged that had beautiful built-ins in the study, it’s always fun to decorate shelves!
I hope this helps give you some ideas for what to do with an empty wall! If you would like for me to look at your space and give you a specific plan for your home, I do offer e-consultations, book yours today!