How To Decorate The Space Behind The Sofa

Looking for creative ways to decorate the space or wall behind a sofa, including its back? You’re in the right place!

Are you feeling stuck when trying to figure out how to decorate those large walls in your living room? Trust me; you are not alone as this is probably one of those areas most people struggle with; especially if they are trying to stick to a tight budget.

It’s especially challenging if you have a large wall with a TV, yikes!

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The empty space behind a sofa can be quite bothersome, let alone the wall behind your sofa or its back. But have you considered that this space or wall is premium real estate in your decor plan?

With smart ideas, you can decorate the space and wall behind the sofa, as well as its back to kill this decor gap.

How To Decorate The Space Behind The Sofa (And Large Livingroom Walls)

Whether you’re working with a tight budget or not, your aim is to make the wall design blend in with your existing décor. After all, who wants a focal point that screams, I don’t belong here?

I’m going to walk you through a few steps you can follow to ensure your design will be cohesive in your overall home style.

We’ll begin by finding a theme to occupy the real estate on your wall. Next, we will review some ideas so you could figure out which would work best for your personal taste, style, and budget.

Express Your Personality As You Decorate Your Walls

One tip that will help you choose what kind of artwork to display on your walls is to keep in mind that this is your opportunity to express your personality and be a little bit of a showoff. Therefore, you can highlight something you are particularly fond of, such as an animal, flowers, abstract colors, or a hobby.

This will be your theme for your large living wall.

Once you narrow down what you would like to express, aka your theme, it’s a matter of finding that expression in the right style that fits your décor.

Examples Of How To Display Wall Themes

For example, a musician could choose to communicate his love of music. That could be expressed by a minimalistic drawing of musical notes, an oil painting of his favorite musician, or it could be a more complex design as displayed below by displaying his favorite instruments.

Recently I discovered Canvas Vows, which is a company that uses software to turn your vocal sound waves into meaningful custom art.

Their creativity won me over as anyone can create something extraordinary yet simplistic.

The possibilities are endless since you can create split sound wave art where two people’s messages are displayed as pictured in the abstract black and white art, music, and my personal favorite – your baby’s heartbeat – just to name a few examples.

Not only will you create your own masterpiece, but it will also serve as a great conversation starter when guests arrive.

Imagine having your wedding song or sound waves of your spouse saying I love you on display in the form of art.

That’s pretty creative, to say the least!

Hopefully, you have begun thinking of some ideas for what theme you would want to display.

If you’re still stuck, just keep an open mind as you continue reading, and by the end of this post, you’ll have a clear direction.

How To Decorate The Space Behind The Sofa{+ Tips to Hide a Bad Back} — Courtesy: Space Joy App

But first, it’s important to ensure your furniture is arranged correctly because even the most beautiful rooms can fall short with poor furniture arrangements.

A general rule of thumb for arranging your living room: Start with the placement of the sofa or couch. It’s the most important furniture piece in the space. That way, you can build other furnishings and decor items around this centerpiece.

While arranging furniture in your living room, consider the flow of traffic, ensuring that people can easily get in and out of the seating grouping without having to awkwardly tango around the coffee table, for example.

Most importantly, choose a sofa or couch that is up to scale so it doesn’t overwhelm your space or float within a big room. Ideally, large pieces of furniture should be used in large living rooms and vice versa.

Also, avoid cramming in too many furnishings as they can quickly overrun a small living room, making it feel crowded and chaotic. Finish your decor with a proper rug, ensuring all legs (or at least the front legs) of your furniture, including the sofa, are on the area rug.

Now that you’re ready to decorate the awkward space or wall behind your sofa as well as its back, check out the sofa decor ideas below to help you get started:

How to Hide an Exposed Sofa Back

Homeowners want to create that “wow” factor from the moment guests reach the front door. And living rooms should make a great first impression!

A well-coordinated color palette, enough seating, and generally more functional furnishings all help create an inviting living room.

However, one of the biggest mistakes that tend to destroy a beautiful living is a piece of exposed furniture back, especially, a sofa back.

If the first thing you see when you walk into a living room is a plain or ugly sofa back, then rethink your furniture arrangement to avoid this bad first impression.

Some of the ways to hide an exposed sofa back include:

1. Tucking your sofa or chair with a bad back into a corner, or wall.

2. Consider reupholstering

In this case, cover the chair back in an eye-catching patterned fabric.

How to Decorate the Wall Behind a Sofa

The wall behind a sofa is an opportunity to create a focal point that stands out! Do away with black walls that look boring and try these wall decor ideas to spruce up this surface:

1. Add Wallpaper

A bare wall behind the sofa can leave the room feeling bland and boring. Good thing, wallpaper is the perfect option to create a focal point in the room, all while adding a finishing touch to the room’s style.

Just make sure to create a cohesive color palette by ensuring at least one of the colors on your wallpaper match your sofa color.

You May Also Like: 15 Creative Ideas To Decorate With Wallpaper

2. A Statement Piece of Art

Decorating with oversized pieces of art is all the rage, and for good reason – such pieces are immediately eye-catching and impressive. Choose an art piece that appeals to you to create that ‘WOW’ factor!

3. Create a Gallery Wall

A gallery wall outfitted with framed pieces of different shapes, sizes, and subjects is for sure a gorgeous, dynamic addition to your home’s main living area.

Feel free to use this wall behind your sofa as a canvas to display your collection of visual art – think prints, photographs, and paintings.

When it comes to choosing art pieces, don’t shy away from bold colors and patterns – even mismatched pieces can look beautiful together in the finished spread.

4. Install Floating Shelves

Wall shelves give you both organization and style, without taking up square footage. Open, floating shelves, in particular, are a decorating one-and-done.

With an array of designs for floating shelves, you can always purchase or DIY one that appeals to you. Then, enjoy enough room for books, a succulent or two, and anything else you’d like to display.

5. Hang a Statement Mirror

It’s definitely worth investing in a standout mirror for this wall space. So versatile and stunning, a sunburst mirror, in particular, is an amazing accent piece for your living room.

Try a statement mirror above your living room sofa or couch for a fearless statement. Just remember to hang it securely to any wall with industrial hangers on the back.

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6. Hang an Oversize Wall Clock

Combine form and function by installing a decorative, oversize wall clock in the center of a large wall, a few inches above your sofa.

The general rule of thumb is to hang your clock at eye level. Note that if your living room has a lot of open space or a tall ceiling, you may want to hang the clock slightly higher to draw eyes from all areas of the room.

7. Choose Metal Wall Accents

Tired of that blank wall dragging down your well-arranged living room decor?

Then add a metallic accent piece in beautifully crafted shapes as it is a great way to transform any ho-hum wall into an eye-catching accent.

8. Use Multiple Canvases

Multiple-canvas wall art can help break up large, empty wall space above your sofa without overwhelming your living room. Even though only one image is usually on display on the canvases, the eye is still naturally drawn from panel to panel.

You May Also Like: 15 Ways To Decorate Your Walls- No Painting Needed!

9. Fresh Window Treatments

By now, you know how to fix a black wall behind your sofa. These are amazing ideas, especially if your sofa reclines to the wall.

In some cases though, your sofa could be in front of a window. Since windows are a great focal point in a room, fresh window treatments like curtains, blinds, and shades used should be both decorative and functional.

When deciding on your window treatments, remember that you have an outdoor view to be appreciated. So get some beautiful white sheers and curtains to always switch up according to seasons.

Blinds are another great way to dress up the windows behind your sofa. Roller blinds are particularly great as they reveal a beautiful view every time they are rolled up.

How to Decorate the Space Behind a Sofa

In other cases, there might be space behind your sofa and you might be wondering how to decorate this space. First off, we love the floating sofa decorating style because it makes it easy to clean the space behind the sofa for sure!

If your furniture floats within the room, we share the best ideas for what to do with the space behind your sofa.

Remember, the ultimate goal of decorating this space is to disguise the back of the sofa or couch. Now you’re ready! Use these easy ideas to stylishly decorate the space behind your sofa:

1. Add a Console Table

Adding a console table is perhaps the most obvious idea to conceal the back of your sofa whilst filling up this awkward space. It also allows for extra storage in your living room.

When choosing a console table, it is important to realize that the length of your console table largely depends upon the size of your sofa. Choose one that doesn’t extend beyond your seat and also, one that’s not too high.

Too high consoles will come up over most sofas and couches meaning when you sit, you’re likely to hit your head on it when sitting back.

You also want to get a console table with at least two shelves because the bottom shelf makes for such a good storage surface that does much in the way of hiding the back of your sofa. Use the top shelf to display cute vignettes or a pretty pair of lamps as well.

2. Try a Bench

Benches are some of the most versatile furniture pieces for the home as they can provide extra seating whilst making for a great decorative accent. If you have a lower-style sofa, you might want to try a bench instead.

Storage benches like ottomans and chest benches double as additional storage space in your living room so you can completely hide your clutter and also, provide a comfortable place to sit.

Accent benches can also act as additional seating, a place to rest books or throws or add character that enforces your décor style.

3. Bring in a Shelving Unit

If a wall is behind your sofa, you can consider bringing in a shelving unit that also brings order to any space by providing extra storage in your living room as well.

Feel free to decorate your shelves with photo frames, books, cute tiny plants, and other decor items as well to rein in some charm.

Keep the design minimalistic so that it does not consume the grandeur of the sofa or couch but adds to it.

4. Or a Behind-Sofa Cabinet

With a storage cabinet, you won’t be seeing clutter around your living room for a while. It also offers a convenient spot to tuck away anything from seasonal clothes and spare linens to canned food and coffee cups.

5. Install a Bookwall

If you have piles and piles of books around the house, then having a bookshelf might not be that practical. Consider installing a built-in bookcase to the wall behind your living room sofa.

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6. Display Houseplants

Plants add life, movement, and natural texture to any room. They also inject life into the living room whilst cleaning the air to encourage a sense of calm and provide a connection to the outdoors.

As excellent decor options for empty corners or unused spaces, display your houseplants behind a sofa.

For a clean, simple look, use a single large plant in a floor planter, or multiple pots of trailing ivy on a tiered plant stand in wrought iron, wood, or marble.

7. Or a Statement Floor Lamp

Amazing Ideas For Home Organization In Every Room — Courtesy: Yana’s Decor

Floor lamps are a great option for stylishly brightening up up a dark corner in your living room thanks to their portability and low impact installation.

Put a floor lamp behind your sofa — one featuring an overhead design would be ideal for task lighting as well. It will also illuminate your favorite accent chair or sofa. Give it an artistic accompaniment like a sleek shelving unit or a guitar leaning against the wall for an edgy ambiance.

8. Set up a Dining Area

In an open kitchen-living room, your dining will most likely find a spot in between your kitchen area and living room.

Set up your dining table a distance beyond your sofa to cleverly mask the odd space behind your sofa and still, show continuity to the furniture.

Ideas To Decorate A Large Living Room Wall Like A Pro

Go for the big one! So, you’re probably thinking going this route will be your most expensive option.

However, it’s usually less costly for several reasons.

First, it’s a one-and-done type of scenario; one large piece can take up the entire empty wall space. You can probably leave the rest of the wall as is, and you may even get away with decorating less overall.

Extra-large art creates a dramatic focal point.

Second, there are several ways you can create your own large-scale art to decorate a large living room wall, which is relatively inexpensive and doesn’t require too much skill.

So, you’re probably thinking… ‘name at least one.’ Ahhhh, I can name a few ways you can accomplish this!

Blow Up a Photograph

If you do not have any high-resolution photos or rather not use personal photography to decorate your large living wall, as shown below, no worries.

Here’s your solution – purchase a high-resolution digital file of your choice.

Most digital files can be purchased for $8-15 dollars and printed on the substrate of your choice.

To print a photo on Canvas, I would recommend trying CanvasPop.

Create a Series

One of my responsibilities when working on commercial projects was trying to figure out wall décor for large wall spaces. Some of the hallways went on forever 15, 25, and 45 feet.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot the commercial developers usually wanted the designs to “go together” even when the building had multiple floors. Yes, it was stressful, but the more complex the project, the happier I was to be a part of it.

It was during this time that I learned that creating a series would be the only way to accomplish this.

Now, in residential projects, I view this trick as a way to save serious dough.

Plus, if you own a digital file, you can split or crop the file.

Turn The Entire Wall Into Art

How about this…nope, it’s not wallpaper! These murals will take your large uninteresting living room wall to a piece of art.

Minted has teamed up with independent artists to feature their work on removable wall murals. Yes, removable!

These murals are printed on panels of premium matte woven material and come in various sizes.

They are easy to install and remove, which makes them an excellent choice for renters. No wallpaper installation experience is required.

Cost-Saving Ways To Decorate A Large Living Room Wall

#1 Group Mirrors Together

When a room already has too many patterns, and overall you feel that the room is well-decorated mirrors are my go-to. By applying a little creativity, you can design your own wall by grouping the same mirror together.

If you plan to use many identical mirrors, my advice would be to avoid fancy frames as this could detract from its simplistic beauty.

Further, if you feel you need to elevate the design a bit, you could consider antiquing the mirrors.

#2 Iron Fencing

The image below is just an example of how something ordinary can become artistic when appropriately used.

The principle would apply to an antique door or another piece of furniture that would be considered for a different use.

#3 Using Wallpaper Or Fabric

You can hang a tapestry, but REALLY, we could do better than that – a lot better!

The image below gives you an idea of what can be accomplished by applying wallpaper or fabric to a large surface.

To accomplish affordability, I would recommend using MDF board purchased at your local Home Depot. Fabric can be applied with an adhesive spray.

For extra security, you can use a staple gun to secure the fabric in the back of the board.

If you plan on wallpapering an entire wall you’ll want to reference this resource Types of Wallpaper, Cost to Install, and Pros and Cons.

# 4 Wall Molding

If you have an enormous wall and would like to decrease the empty space that you intend to display art, consider using molding as shown. This also helps draw the eyes to the focal point of the room.

#5 Create A Display Of Frames

There are some DIY projects that have little room for error and I believe this DIY home project definitely qualifies as such.

#6 Display Gallery Photos On A Ledge

Super simple and very chic. The art light added above adds a little complexity to the design. I

#7 Designs, Maps or Large Posters

The possibilities are endless so I’ll just post one photo to inspire you.

Display a map in your living room — Photo credit @ Stayloom

Should You Decorate Your Large Living Room Wall If Your TV Lives There?

Now, let’s be realistic. Sometimes our floor plans are against us.

Unfortunately, traditional homes don’t provide us with many options and they also challenge interior designers to show off their skills when trying to incorporate function.

However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t decorate the only large living room wall because we intend to hang our TV there.

I wanted to provide a little inspiration if this is your struggle.

In Conclusion

Hopefully, by now, you have some clear direction on how to decorate your large living room wall. Below is a recap of the process you should follow in order to achieve a show-stopping design.

There are a few different ways to go about decorating a large wall. If you want to create a focal point, you could hang a large piece of art or a mirror. If you want to add some texture and interest, you could use wallpaper or fabric.

You could also install shelves or cabinets to provide storage and display space. Whatever you choose, be sure to measure the wall accurately and plan out your design before starting to avoid any mistakes.

We hope you feel confident decorating your large living room walls, and filling the space behind your sofa.

Try these ideas and add spark to your living room.

To Decorate A Large Living Room Wall

Figure out what theme you would like to display.
Measure out the wall space you need to work within.
Review ideas within your budget.

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