How to Decorate With Easy Over the Sofa Wall Decor Ideas

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Trying to figure out what to do with a blank wall in your living room?  These over the sofa wall decor ideas are easy while creating a beautiful focal point for your living space!

Blank walls, especially if they are big, can make any us feel a little “stuck” with our decor.  However, creating beautiful decor with the blank space over your sofa is worth it because that living room wall can become a statement piece for your living space.  In fact, the empty wall space over a sofa typically is the focal point of the living room.  Today, I’m sharing some easy over the sofa wall decor ideas that can help inspire your own feature wall in your living space.

Let’s turn that big blank wall into something amazing!  No matter if that empty space is a large wall or a small space, these over the sofa wall decor ideas can help you get started!

gorgeous Christmas gallery wall with French horns with gold frames and Christmas greenery to demonstrate over the sofa wall decor ideas
large basket with greenery stems on a white chippy mantel

How to decorate a wall above a sofa?

Today, we are going to look at some easy over the sofa wall decor ideas.  Here are 8 timeless styles and over the sofa wall decor ideas you can try as you turn the empty space in your living room into a beautiful feature wall for your living room decor.

gorgeous Thanksgiving wall with gourds, Christmas greenery, and gold candlesticks

How to Decorate With Easy Over the Sofa Wall Decor Ideas

Over the Sofa Wall Decor Ideas #1: Architectural Salvage

One of my very favorite ways to decorate a big blank wall is to start by giving it some character and layers.  If you like a vintage style, like I do, an empty wall space is the perfect opportunity to incorporate architectural salvage with your over the sofa wall decor ideas.  We will chat about accent walls and adding interesting texture in that way also.

However, architectural salvage is a great way to add interesting wall décor and interesting texture at the same time.  My personal style is a neutral color palette with a lot of layers, so I love adding architectural salvage, such as the chippy mantel and arched shutter doors, to the shiplap wall as the foundation for my couch decor.  With a neutral color palette for your foundation for over the sofa wall decor ideas, you can add a pop of color with decorative items and accent colors for different seasonal decorations too.

A few other different options of architectural salvage you could use with over the sofa wall decor ideas are:

  • Chippy barn vent
  • Old doors
  • Corbels as shelf brackets
  • Substantial door headers or trim pieces

There are so many creative ways to add your personal touch to a blank space with architectural salvage.  I think it comes down to being patient when looking for just the right pieces that fit the size and scale of the rest of your room while also being dramatic enough to be beautiful statement pieces for your home.

Another great thing about architectural salvage is that there are many different sizes available out there of all kinds of salvage pieces!  If you have a small living room, you can still add interesting textures with small pieces of architectural salvage to make your room feel like it has more character and visual interest.

If you have a larger living room or high ceilings, the first thing to do is make sure to choose architectural salvage pieces that are large enough to not get lost in the room.  It’s a perfect opportunity to invest in large, unique decorative pieces that make your living room space truly one of a kind!

vintage French salvage arch as part of a gallery wall in a living room

Over the Sofa Wall Decor Ideas #2: Accent Wall with Wood, Paint, or Wallpaper

​Accent walls are another beautiful way to add interesting texture and character to a room.  Whether you have a timeless, elegant living room or a casual, rustic style with a small room, there are countless ways to add stunning wall treatments as a backdrop to your over the sofa wall decor ideas.

Paint is always a great idea for a more budget-friendly accent wall.  One of my favorite things about paint is you can easily change your accent wall without having to repaint the entire room.  If you aren’t afraid of a bold look, you can really go all out with a pop of color and visual interest by painting an accent wall.  Since a couch is generally a main focal point of a living room, a beautiful paint color can be an amazing place to start with your over the sofa wall decor ideas.

There are many different kinds of ways to add an accent wall with wood as well.  Thought this is a more permanent kind of accent wall, it can have a timeless appeal that makes over the sofa wall decor ideas so easy.  Besides adding texture, the best part about my wood shiplap walls is that I can change my gallery wall and wall art often and not have to repair or repaint every time like I would need to do with a plain wall.

Adding wall paneling, such as shiplap (vertical or horizontal), crown moulding, trim, or bead board are all classic wood wall treatments that you can even install yourself with a little skill and the right tools!

Wallpaper is another beautiful option for an accent wall.  Even though wallpaper kind of took a backseat in the home interior designer world for awhile, it is back in full force.  I certainly cannot argue because it can be a truly beautiful way to add a personal touch to a living room space.  Also, beautiful wallpaper is both gorgeous wall art and an interesting backdrop for over the sofa wall decor all at the same time!

For example, an elegant wallpaper is art on its own while also perfectly accenting a beautiful, oversized mirror with sconces flanking each side.

Christmas greenery on a chippy white mantel with a large gray frame with gold French horns

Over the Sofa Wall Decor Ideas #3: Gallery Wall

How to create a gallery wall behind a sofa?

There are many different ways to style a gallery wall for over the sofa wall decor ideas.  In fact, I have tried so many different ways of creating gallery walls for my own over the sofa wall decor ideas in our family room!

A big blank space over the sofa is a great place to find creative ways to style a gallery wall.  I especially love that I can add a lot more layers and 3D elements with a gallery wall concept.

As with any home decorating, there are countless ways to set up a gallery wall.  You may choose a very symmetrical style for a gallery wall with matching family photos in large frames, styled in a grid pattern.  The frames and family photos work together to create a beautiful, big piece of art for over the sofa wall decor ideas!

I tend to be more eclectic with my gallery wall decorating and use it as an opportunity to feature vintage collections and decorative items that are interesting to me.  I love collecting vintage art from thrift stores and flea markets to add seasonal color or style.

My other favorite thing to add to a gallery wall is some kind of basket or hanging piece, like THIS vintage style lavabo wall fountain, that can hold a seasonal arrangement.  I enjoy this more eclectic look as an easy way to feature some of my vintage decorations.  Plus, it’s fun to be the creative director of my home and switch things up for my over the sofa wall decor ideas!

If you are looking for vintage style art to use with over the sofa wall decor ideas in a gallery wall, check out THESE beautiful art prints.  They are super budget-friendly and I especially love combining them with pretty frames that I’ve picked up from thrift stores or flea markets!

Here are a few of my personal favorites and several that I own:

chippy white metal lavabo filled with summer greenery and coral
fall lavabo filled with gourds, dried greenery, and a fall gallery wall

How do you arrange art on a gallery wall?

  1. Pro Tip:  The lowest piece should be 5-8” above the sofa (note how the bottom of my chippy mantel is about this distance from the top of the sofa).
  2. Pro Tip: Space your art 2-3” apart from each other in each direction.  At times, I space mine a little further or closer depending on how many decorative items I want to fit on the gallery wall.  However, 2-3″ is a good rule of thumb.
  3. Pro Tip:  Lay out your gallery wall on the floor and play with it for awhile before you start hanging anything for over the sofa wall decor ideas!
  4. Pro Tip: Start with the bottom, most central pieces first and work your way out and up, both when you’re laying out your artwork and when you actually go to hang and install the pieces.

​Over on THIS blog post, I share more tips and ideas specifically for how to style and hang a vintage style gallery wall!

wooden arch window on a chippy white mantel with a bunch of straw hats hung on a gallery wall

Over the Sofa Wall Decor Ideas #4: Large Mirror

Honestly, you cannot go wrong in either a small room or a large living room with an oversized mirror.  I have seen tiny living room spaces with a gigantic mirror for over the sofa wall decor ideas.  The mirror made the room feel more expanded and helped bounce around the natural light for a brighter space.

​One of my favorite ways to use mirrors with my over the sofa wall decor ideas is by incorporating either a large mirror or a few smaller mirrors into a gallery wall.  I also think that flanking a mirror with beautiful sconces is a perfect way to add elegant style.

THESE sconces are what I enjoy in my bedroom space, not only for the classic style, but also for the convenience of the wireless style and remote control to brighten, dim, or simply turn it off.  They can also be set on a timer to add a cozy glow to your living room space only when you want them to!

Back to mirrors, though…there are countless options for mirrors too!  Since this is not a mirror that you probably need to see in to comb your hair, you get to have some fun with what mirror to choose.

You could also consider different shapes of mirrors, like a trio of tall rectangular mirrors or a single, oversized mirror with a round shape, just to name a few.

No matter what, a large mirror is almost always a great option to decorate a living room space as it makes the room feel light and bright by bouncing around the natural light that comes into the space.

large oval mirrors on each side of a fall mantel
gold candlesticks sitting in front of a mirror with the candlelight reflecting out of the mirror

Over the Sofa Wall Decor Ideas #5: Large Piece of Art

​Large pieces of art can be easy over the sofa wall decor ideas too.  While a gallery wall takes some creative brainpower, you can definitely still create a stunning focal point with a single, large piece of art hanging over the couch.

A beautiful piece of art is another great opportunity to make a statement with your personal style!

What is the rule for hanging art above couch?

To know how high to hang your art pieces for over the sofa wall decor ideas, you will want to think about hanging the decorative pieces low enough that you can enjoy it while you are sitting in the cozy living room but high enough to not make you feel crowded when you are sitting on the couch.

In general, the bottom of your decorative pieces should hang about 8″-10″ over the back of the couch.  This is a good compromise for most people between eye level whether standing or sitting.

gorgeous summer vintage art hanging as part of a gallery wall

How big should wall art be behind couch?

Even though you want your over the sofa wall decor ideas to make a statement, size and scale are still important.  I tend to lean toward larger and more oversized gallery wall styles for my over the sofa wall decor ideas.

However, the standard scale for an accent piece over the sofa is about half to two thirds the width of the couch.  

So, if you are working with a standard 84″ for the width of the sofa, your decorative pieces should have a width of about 42″-60″.

​At the same time, remember that the best way to decorate is ALWAYS with your personal style!  These decorating “rules” are simply guidelines to help you get started.  As I said, I break this “width rule” all the time in my own family room!

What makes this “breaking rule” work in our family room is that it is the only wall with decor.  The other wall is small and houses our Frame TV with a wireless picture light.  Otherwise, this room is open to other rooms in our home or features windows with a lot of natural light.

As a disclaimer, I would not recommend filling every wall of a room as full as I do for my over the sofa wall decor ideas!

Christmas living room featuring a French horn gallery wall, Christmas greenery, and large nutcrackers
large vintage art hung in gold frames in front of a large wooden horse on a chippy white mantel

As you can see, these over the sofa wall decor ideas aren’t even scratching the surface of the countless ways you can decorate over a couch.  However, these are some of my favorite over the sofa wall decor ideas that I have enjoyed in my own home.

Hopefully it sparks an idea or two that you can use to have fun creating your own over the sofa wall decor ideas in creative ways that help tell your own home story!

You can browse some ideas for wall decor HERE on my storefront too!

woven hats hanging above a wooden arch window on a chippy white mantel

I’d love for you to follow me on social media!  You can find my home decor inspiration on Instagram, Pinterestand Facebook!  

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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