I need help with two focal walls in living room

wendyluwrites
wendyluwrites Posts: 2 ✭
in Design Questions

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So our living room has two focal walls that face each other. I've already decorated the wall on the right with a painting over a mantel.

I'm trying to decide what to do with the other wall. Maybe…

A picture gallery?

Some floating shelves?

Gold leaf wall art/decor, like this one?

I want the room to look balanced and not too cluttered, like the walls are competing with each other. I could just leave the wall blank, but it's a pretty big wall.

Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! And if you have any visual examples, all the better. Thanks so much xo

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Comments

  • BlairDonovan
    BlairDonovan Posts: 62

    Expert

    You could do a gallery wall above the couch with some smaller-scale framed art to balance out the larger piece above the mantel! Something like this:

    Untitled Image

    A mix of different frames could add some more color to the space in a very small way :)

  • DanielaAraya
    DanielaAraya Posts: 388 ✭

    Love @BlairDonovan's suggestion above! A few thoughts:

    • Playing with the gallery wall idea, what if you moved the art above the mantle to the wall behind your sofa and incorporated into the gallery wall? Suggesting this because I think you could have a lot of fun playing with layering on top of the mantle. Maybe a mirror leaning with some smaller pieces of artwork
    • What if you added some cordless wall sconces on each side of your sofa? It would give you a nice glow in the room in the evening. I love Pooky Lighting and their cordless fixtures — so many to choose from!
    • If you wanted to add more visual interest to the mantle itself and make it feel like it's own little moment, you could try adding peel and stick tile inside of it! It would make for such a fun backdrop for the books you have in there and it would allow you to play with another color if you wanted

    Some image examples to paint the picture for you:

    CleanShot 2024-09-26 at 11.12.21@2x.png
    pink.jpg
    wall sconce.jpg

  • wendyluwrites
    wendyluwrites Posts: 2 ✭

    Thank you both SO much!! The visuals are a huge help. I love the idea of a gallery wall with smaller frames.

    Yesss I am actually planning to add wall sconces! I haven't heard of Pooky — will definitely check out their fixtures :)

    Also I'm obsessed with the idea of adding peel-and-stick tile to the mantel…that hadn't even occurred to me. Super creative! A friend of mine suggested turning the blank wall into a neutral textured wall. Maybe I could do a neutral textured wall (with gallery art) and then use the same peel-and-stick for the mantel? Would that look nicely coordinated…or odd? I'm new to interior design, as you might be able to tell!

    Thank you again!

  • DanielaAraya
    DanielaAraya Posts: 388 ✭
    https://community.apartmenttherapy.com/discussion/comment/2318#Comment_2318

    Well the beauty of designing your home is that you can have all the fun learning and experimenting, so I say go for that textured wall! I can picture a beautiful limewash paint. If you don't want the walls to compete, you could go with a more neutral tone (it still shows the texture really well!). Here are some tips. Alternatively, I've seen people fake the limewash look with regular paint. You have options!

    Keep us posted on your updates 💛

  • DanielleBlundell
    DanielleBlundell Posts: 70

    Expert

    I'm team gallery wall for this area, too! I think it will help the air conditioner blend in, and I say why not add some objects to the mix as well? That may be a way to get a textured look if you don't want to try the limewash method just yet!

    Original_Crop.jpeg

  • CullenOrmond
    CullenOrmond Posts: 160

    Expert

    hi @wendyluwrites! I love everyone's suggestions above. if you wanted to add some texture, you might also consider adding some rental-friendly board and batten. I can't wait to see how the space turns out!

    Screenshot 2024-09-30 at 15.04.49.png

  • AdrienneBreaux
    AdrienneBreaux Posts: 71

    Expert

    I know a lot of people have already spoken up, but I think adding something with softness and texture could be really beautiful… from a selection of hanging baskets to a wall hanging or tapestry!

  • Zephy
    Zephy Posts: 28 ✭✭

    I read a great article once about styling a mantel. They said: Use 1 tall object, 1 horizontal object, and 1 sculptural object. The tall object should be tall enough to intersect with the bottom of a painting or mirror or whatever is hanging over the mantel; actually having the two things meet helps make the look.

    Maybe AT has an article on this subject?

  • MeganBakerDetloff
    MeganBakerDetloff Posts: 110

    Expert

    @wendyluwrites this is such a beautiful mantel!!! love the ideas above, but wanted to provide some resources on mantel styling we've published in the past in case you want to change it up seasonally:

    The 3-5-7 rule (as tested by our exec home director!)

    How to style a mantel with live plants

    19 inspiring mantel photos to sift through for ideas

    Please keep us updated on any changes you make! I can't wait to see how your space develops!

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