Hey, friend hey,
I posed a question on Facebook, asking my friends to provide me with "how-to" topics that they would like to see more of, and today, I am dedicating this post to those who need help maximizing small wall spaces. Over the past few weeks, I've shared ways on how to decorate a big, massive wall but I guess I didn't think about how smaller wall spaces need some love, too.
Here are 5 ways to spruce up a small wall without overwhelming the space
1) ARTWORK
Hang small, matching pieces of artwork side by side or caddy-cornered to fill up the space. There are tons of graphic designers on Etsy where you can instantly download some nice artwork, print them out at home or a Walgreens and then place in a very inexpensive frame.
Here's an example of caddy-cornered artwork. Make sure the top left corner of the second piece of artwork is diagonal to the bottom right corner of the first piece of artwork. Say it again, in your head, slowly.
2) FLOATING SHELVES
One of my favorite tricks to play on the eye, is adding floating shelves to any wall space. Probably because you can continue to add decor atop of the floating shelves, filling up the wall even more. Floating shelves gives you this aesthetically, pleasing and clean vibe to your overall decor. Make sure to measure your wall first to determine how long the shelves should be, there are 12in, 16in, 22in and even 30in floating shelves. You don't want the floating shelf to take up the entire width of the wall, so be sure to go down to the next measurement that way you can leave a little bit of wall exposed. Minimal wall exposure allows for the brain to process the positive vs. negative space easily without it feeling cluttered or crowded. (refer to the Windows to the Wall Blogpost)
Here's another example I found on Pinterest which I totally love how they used the floating shelves to add different elements of picture frames:
Photo: ChristinaAdventures.com
3) DIY Greenery
Another fun way to spruce up a small wall space is by adding some DIY elements to your interior. Here I found these white and gold bins in the children's section at Hobby Lobby. I had no idea what I was going to do with these bins, I just knew I didn't want to leave them behind. I thought, maybe I could add it to my daughter's room, given that it has a nice white and gold theme going on- but the more I thought of it, the more I became bored with that idea. With these white bins in my buggy, I happened to walk over to the faux greenery area and a lightbulb went off. I created one prototype and instantly loved the idea of adding greenery to the small walls next to the big windows in the dining room area. I knew I didn't want to use the same type of plants, so I just played around with the different options until I loved the combination together. If you have additional space, add a small table under the greenery bins like I've done so below. If not, the greenery bins should be enough to maximize your smaller wall.
Fun Fact: I created these bins about a year ago when we first bought our home, a year before I launched Ivyleaf, but if you look closely, the bottom bin has faux ivyleaves- talk about coincidence, right?
4) Wall Decor
In one of our bedrooms, we have a small wall where I could not figure out exactly what could go on there. I mean, the wall was so little, and the light switch took up a few inches, I just knew that something had to go on there, but didn't really know what that something would be. Until I walked through Target. Isn't it funny how you go to Target so that Target can whisper in your ear what you want, and not what you need? I let Target speak to me, and while you usually will walk out with $100 less than when you arrived, you almost always try to justify the purchases, right? Anyways, so I walked into target and found these really cool pink ceramic floral decor. I staggered them so it can fill up the wall and voila!
Here's another look of how they blend with the rest of the room
5) MIRRORS
Lastly, adding mirrors to ANY space will make the room appear larger than life. Mirrors helps elongate and widen a wall, no matter how big or small it is. Here is an example of a very narrow mirror I used in my daughter's room as the wall was super small and tiny and I knew I needed something that could take up the length of the wall as well as the width. Notice how I still leave a little bit of wall exposure behind the mirror, so you want to make sure you don't buy a piece of mirror that utilizes the entire width of the wall, you want it to be just enough for the brain to process.
Here's another example of a small wall where I've added a mirror to maximize the space
Here's another because I'm a visual learner too
Maximizing a small space shouldn't be a tedious feat. The wall is little already, therefore, it's not necessary to overcrowd it with decor pieces that can clutter the space. Be conscious of the types of decor you want to use and make sure you use some level of strategy in executing the design. For example, if a travel theme is wanted- make sure you stick to your theme in finding artwork or wall decor pieces that has travel in it.
Don't forget your stud finder if you're drilling into a wall and make sure the hooks you use to hang any piece of artwork is large enough to hold the weight of the artwork + picture frame.
If after reading this, you still don't feel confident on how to maximize your wall space, send me an email at hello@ivyleafinterior.com and I can come out and help!
--Jeannelly Jay
Ivyleaf Interior Decor, LLC
www.ivyleafinterior.com