Figuring out how to fill a big blank wall was one of the biggest questions I faced when moving into our new home. In fact, filling up an oversized empty wall I think is a problem lots of people are facing as we move more and more towards open floor plans.

A large blank wall in any home can feel cold and sparse. That’s not to say you need every wall in a room covered with something though. If you try to put something on every wall in your home, you may end up feeling claustrophobic and chaotic.

By just tackling the one massive empty wall, you can oftentimes create a warm and cozy vibe. The best part of covering your big blank wall? You can usually leave the other walls untouched since it fills out the room in itself!

How To Fill A Big Blank Wall: 9 Affordable Ideas To Fill Up An Empty Wall

If you caught our empty home tour, you probably noticed the massive room the front door opens into. It’s part dining room, part family room, part kitchen, and you guessed it: one giant blank wall. The previous owners had a couple of bookcases there, but it still felt a little empty so I had to come up with some other affordable ideas to fill up the empty wall.

Gallery Wall

We decided to start covering the big empty wall by putting a black and white canvas print of the ocean previously found in our master bedroom.  Now that our ceilings are lower, it felt a little overpowering above our headboard. As a result, I had nowhere else to put this piece I loved so much. Only problem: it felt like a tiny spec on this massive blank wall.

Obviously for my job, we take a lot of photos. I knew I wanted to do some sort of family photo gallery wall in our house, but wanted to keep it light on the eyes. We decided on a couple things for our gallery wall:

1. Convert any photos on this wall to black and white

We did this to create a cohesive vibe. There’s a lot going on in this room with the colorful baywindow and mosaic tiles on the kitchen wall. We wanted this wall to feel full, but calming. Since colored photos have different lighting and filters, we wanted things to match in order to reduce chaos.

2. Go big

Like I said, we wanted to fill in the big blank wall, but we also wanted it to feel calm. I knew for sure, I didn’t want to do a bunch of 4×6 and 5×7 photos all over the place. Aside from frames getting pricey, the idea immediately felt chaotic and cluttered. Instead, I decided to measure the height of the center ocean print, and keep things relative to it. Using Canva I mapped out what this would look like

We decided to go with custom prints from Photowall. We got them just a couple inches shorter than the main photo (ours measure 28×28 in) and we decided to go with these hanging frames to bring in the wood from the centerpiece frame, our table, and the console in that room. This way the centerpiece really stood out, but everything felt cohesive with black, white, and wood.

Garlands

Garlands are one of my favorite affordable ways to warm up an empty wall or just an awkward blank space on a large wall. As an added bonus, they are easy to swap out with the changing seasons to keep things feeling festive and fresh.

Wallpaper

Wallpaper has changed so much in the last years! You can find some of the most amazing prints, colors, textures, and art work!

Shelves

Like I said, the previous owners had put up some bookshelves on the big empty wall when you walk in. Whether you opt for traditional bookcases, floating shelves, or a hybrid, there’s no doubt that shelving will fill in a blank wall. Plus shelves double as more storage and as a place to display more personal items or decor to enhance your overall space.

DIY Mural

Not into wallpaper? Consider painting your own mural on the big blank wall! Seriously, we have one planned for one of the rooms in our house and I’m so excited about it! This is the inspiration! I also recently came across a really cute mural a mom did on Instagram of a rainbow on her kids walls. It’s very similar to this trending wallpaper you may have seen all over Instagram.

Mirror mirror on the wall

One really fun way to fill in a large empty wall is with an oversized mirror (or a mirror wall!). This is especially great if your space is kind of dark as mirrors bounce more light and can make a room feel larger.

Forage in nature

Mother nature really is one of my favorite places to pull inspiration for our home and the prices can’t be beat!

DIY Canvas

If you’re not ready to tackle an entire mural on your wall, consider getting some canvases and creating your own art! Trust me, you don’t need to be an artist to make this work for you either! You can just paint some lines on the canvas in a monochromatic color pallette and call it minimalist art.

Or you can break one large photo into three sections and get it custom print onto three canvases to create a triptych piece. Honestly, there are so many ways to reimagine canvas that don’t require a ton of skills on your end.

Tapestries & Textiles

When in doubt, just cover the big empty wall with a tapestry or some sort of other textile. The tapestry was perfect for warming up that corner of the room. I also have one in my daughter’s current bedroom too. If you think tapestries are a little “college” or “hippie dippie” feeling, consider just some gorgeous textiles.

Lightweight rugs and beautiful fabrics make fabulous pieces of art for your walls! If you want to uplevel them, you could even use the fabric to cover a canvas (just use a staple gun and stretch the fabric tightly over the canvas) to give it a more finished look!

I’ve also seen some great things on Youtube where you get long pieces of 2 inch thick fabric, dye them different colors, and just knot them over a wooden dowel road to create a fun fringe effect. Honestly, there are so many low cost ways to place with textures!

List of 9 Affordable Ideas To Fill Up An Empty Wall

1. Gallery Wall
2. Garlands
3. Wallpaper
4. Shelves
5. DIY Mural
6. Mirror mirror on the wall
7. Forage in nature
8. DIY Canvas
9. Tapestries & Textiles