Farmhouse Wall Decor Ideas for Blank Walls

A blank wall is not a problem to solve as fast as possible. In a farmhouse-style room, where the furniture and textiles are plain, the walls are often where the character comes from, so it is worth choosing one good thing instead of several small ones.

Below are ten farmhouse wall decor ideas, each with the kind of wall it suits, plus a quick way to decide which walls need anything at all. Everything here is decor you place or hang; none of it changes the wall itself.

Decide which wall deserves decor

Not every wall needs something on it. Stand in the doorway and notice where your eye goes first. That is usually the wall behind the largest piece of furniture: the sofa, the bed, a console or the dining table. Start there.

Then choose at least one wall to leave empty on purpose. Good candidates are walls broken up by windows and doors, walls beside a busy bookcase and any wall you only see at an angle. Bare stretches give the decorated wall room to stand out. If your home already has planked or panelled walls, treat that texture as decor in itself and hang less.

Get the scale right before you pick a piece

Most wall decor that looks wrong is simply too small. Three loose rules of thumb help:

• Width. Over furniture, aim for a piece or group about two-thirds as wide as what sits below it.
• Gap. Leave roughly 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm) between the top of the furniture and the bottom of the decor, so the two read as one arrangement.
• Height. On an open wall with nothing beneath, a common starting point is to put the center of the piece about 57 in (145 cm) from the floor, near average eye level.

Ideas 1 to 5: pieces that sit flat on the wall

1. One large, simple artwork. A single landscape, field sketch or abstract in muted tones with a plain wood frame. Suits the wall above a sofa or bed, where one big shape is calmer than many small ones.
2. A pair of botanical prints. Two matching frames side by side or stacked. Suits narrow walls, the space between two windows or the wall over a nightstand. If you want more than three or four frames together, plan it as a farmhouse gallery wall instead.
3. A round or window-style mirror. A wood-framed circle softens a room full of straight lines, and a mirror divided into panes echoes an old window. Suits the wall above a console or dresser, and any spot opposite or beside a window where it can bounce daylight.
4. A wreath. A ring of faux or dried greenery adds texture and a clear shape. A wreath suits small walls, the center of a mirror or the space above a bench, and it is easy to change with the seasons.
5. A plain wooden sign with a word of your own. One board, one word or name that means something in your house: a family name, a place, a date. Suits kitchens, hallways and the wall over a doorway. For lettering and layout, see the guide to farmhouse style signs.

Ideas 6 to 10: pieces with depth and texture

6. Flat woven baskets. Three or five shallow baskets in different sizes, overlapped slightly in a loose cluster. Suits dining rooms and stairwell landings, and it warms up a wall that feels cold.
7. A peg rail with a few objects. A wooden rail of pegs holding a straw hat, a market bag and a small bundle of dried stems. Suits hallways and mudroom corners. Leave some pegs empty. There are more ways to make this area work in these farmhouse entryway ideas.
8. A slim wooden shelf vignette. One short shelf with a small jug, a leaning framed print and a little plant. Suits walls that need depth but cannot take furniture. The guide to farmhouse shelf styling covers what to put on it.
9. A hung quilt or textile. A quilt, a woven blanket or a length of vintage-inspired grain-sack cloth on a wooden rod. Suits large walls, and it brings softness to a room with many hard surfaces.
10. Vintage-inspired plates. An odd number of plates in cream, white and one soft pattern, arranged in a loose oval or a staggered line. Suits kitchens, dining rooms and the wall above a sideboard.

Choosing fixings and hanging with care

How you fix each piece depends on your home, not on the decor. Walls differ, and so do the products made for them.

A few habits make the job easier whatever you are hanging:

• Check the weight of the piece before you choose hardware.
• Lay groups such as baskets or plates out on the floor first and adjust the spacing there.
• Use the hanging points the maker has provided on a mirror or frame.
• Above a sofa or bed, favor lighter pieces such as textiles, baskets and small frames.

How much is enough

One focal piece or group per wall is a reliable limit. If a wall has a mirror, it does not also need a sign and a shelf. If the room has three decorated walls, the fourth should rest.

Repeat a material to tie the walls together: the wood of a frame echoed in a shelf, the weave of the baskets echoed in a wreath. When in doubt, take one thing down and live with the space for a week. A calm wall is part of the farmhouse look, not a gap in it.