Wall decor ideas, tried on your own walls

Wall art for the living room

The wall above the sofa wants one large piece, or at most a pair. A single canvas that is about two-thirds the width of the sofa, hung so its centre sits at eye level, does more than any gallery wall. Abstract and landscape work in most rooms because they do not compete with the furniture. If you want a gallery wall, keep the frames the same finish and the gaps even, and lay it out on the floor first.

Bedroom wall decor

Behind the bed, go wide and calm: a single horizontal artwork above the headboard, a pair of prints either side, or a painted or panelled wall in a colour a shade deeper than the rest of the room. Avoid anything busy at the head of the bed; it is the last thing you see at night and the first in the morning.

Wall mirrors

A large wall mirror is the fastest way to make a room feel bigger and brighter. Opposite or beside a window it doubles the light; above a console in a hallway it makes the entry feel finished; over a fireplace it gives the room a focal point. Round and arched mirrors soften rectangular rooms, and a gold or brass frame adds warmth to a neutral scheme.

Kitchen and dining wall decor

Kitchens suit small, practical pieces: a single framed print near the table, open shelving styled with a few objects, or a painted wall in a colour that plays against the cabinets. Dining room wall decor can be bigger and more dramatic, since you spend evenings facing it: one large artwork, a big mirror, or a dark painted wall behind the table.

Wall design with paint and panelling

Sometimes the wall itself is the decor. A deeper colour on one wall, half-height panelling, a limewash finish or a wood slat wall changes a room more than anything you could hang on it. These are the changes most people find hardest to imagine, and the ones most worth previewing.

See it on your wall first

Room AI works from a photo of your room. Use Replace to add a large mirror, a piece of art or a pair of prints to a specific wall, Walls and flooring to try a new wall colour or panelling, or restyle the whole room and see what a designer would have done with that wall. Every result keeps the wall, the window and the furniture where they are.