Living Room Wall Hanging Ideas

Set Up

• The best wall hanging in your living room won't stand out nearly as much if you don't prepare the wall properly. Most galleries and museum have white walls, which show off the artwork. Choose this option if you're selecting a variety of pieces of different colors and styles.

  However, if you have a color scheme picked out, paint one of your walls with one of the colors. This creates a focal wall. Select wall hangings that feature colors that contrast the wall color. When you put up the wall hangings, make sure that the center of the wall hanging is at eye level. Finally, find ways to bring extra visual interest to this area. For example, if you're doing an Asian theme, paint the wall Chinese red and add Asian characters to the wall in black lettering before you hang up Asian scroll artwork.

Tapestries

• Tapestries cover a large area and a multitude of flaws, such as a wall made from cinder block. They're also a common decorating accessory in styles such as Tuscan. To add a bit of visual interest to your tapestry display, look for a wrought-iron tapestry hanger with ornate carvings. Choose a tapestry that fits your decorating style. For traditional or Renaissance decorating styles, select a tapestry with a religious theme. Tapestries with outdoor scenes or wild animals work well in a rustic living room.

Mirrors and Sconces

• Mirrors and sconces offer you many advantages besides giving you something attractive to hang on the wall. They help to bring additional light into a room not only because the sconces add light to the room, but also because mirrors reflect the light that's already there and make the room look larger. Because of this, many people choose to hang these items in their living rooms. Hang a gilded mirror in the center of the area above your fireplace mantel. Select some candle sconces with glass casings that match the colors in your decorating scheme. Position these to the sides of the mirror so that the mirror catches their light.

Paintings and Photos

• Despite the myriad possibilities for wall hangings, paintings and photographs still find favor as wall hangings. You'll find paintings and photographs in every genre, color preference and style. Look for a main image for the center of your wall arrangement. Then choose several accent pieces to complement it. A good rule of thumb is to choose an odd number of pieces to bring visual interest to the display. For example, choose a large painting by a local artist and flank it with two smaller pieces to the side.