5 Design Ideas to Tackle Blank Walls

Nearly every home has one. Unfit for furniture, yet too conspicuous to leave bare, it’s the dreaded blank wall–dun, dun, dun!

Do you need inspiration to tackle this design disaster? These five ideas, suggested by the editors at Better Homes and Gardens, can help you fill that vacant space:

Book It. Draw inspiration from literature you no longer have a use for—matte the covers of books or periodicals with eye-catching artwork (National Geographic covers could be particularly striking), and arrange in groups to scale on the wall.

Float On. Floating shelves can help fill a void without weighing down the room. Stagger shelves of varying widths, and adorn them with accessories you already own. To really make the display pop, paint the shelves a color that contrasts with the shade on the wall.

Go to the Dark Side. Personalize the wall with shadowboxes or silhouette art—both can be customized to suit the overall theme of the room. You can repurpose old cookbooks into a gallery of culinary-inspired silhouettes, mount unused dinnerware in a series of shadowboxes, or do a reverse silhouette with silk plants and spray paint.

The Bigger, the Better. Center one oversized statement piece—think a typograph print, a floor-to-ceiling canvas, or an extra-large mirror—to define the space without adding visual clutter.

Take Up a Collection. Cluster together collections of small-scale prints. Look for ones with soft, muted palettes—think calm seascapes or tranquil forests—to add visual interest without overwhelming the space.

If you’ve just moved into a new home (or have stared at that blank wall for far too long), use these design ideas to fill it.