What’s the easiest way to decorate a living room?

Start by measuring the room and choosing the furniture style you like best. Choose a wall color, rug color, and lighting fixtures. After all of this is in place, narrow down your wall decor ideas and choose accessories for the room.

Should living room wall decor be centered on the wall or over the furniture?

Always plan wall art placement to work with the furniture below them. This creates balanced visual groupings and a clear focal point. If you try to center your living room wall art on the wall itself, it can make the space feel a bit erratic.

14 Wall Art Ideas for Living Room

Living room wall decor helps define the overall aesthetic you want to convey. Choosing the best wall decor idea complements your living room’s existing furniture and provides inspiration for the rest of the room’s details.

We’ve put together 31 of the best wall art ideas for living room spaces. From simple DIY projects to creative gallery walls, these awesome concepts will help you beautifully fill your living room wall space.

1. Embracing Bohemian Flair with Earthy and Multicultural Wall Art

Boho, or bohemian wall decor should emphasize the overall casual and comfortable aesthetic of a bohemian-inspired space. “Earthy” and “multicultural” are good adjectives for describing boho artwork, but there are no hard rules when it comes to this style of home decor.

Abstract mountain art above a sofa with plush pillows — Source: @etheryprints via Instagram

Resin art piece over a vibrant orange sofa with a throw — Source: @gigi_manuela via Instagram

Boho wall hanging with geometric shapes in sunset hues — Source: @shopseiyna via Instagram

Living room with sunburst wall decor and earthy tones — Source: @vickys.home_ via Instagram

A boho wall art idea often includes layers of color, texture, and pattern displayed in an unconventional manner. Macrame wall hangings are practically a mainstay in boho living room wall decor. Flat woven baskets or mats also work as boho wall art ideas, whether hung as a collection or scattered among a larger living room wall art display.

2. Creative Lighting Ideas for Wall Ambience

Few people think of lighting when it comes to wall decor ideas, but it’s one of the easiest ways to add a great deal of ambience to your room decor. Whether in the bedroom, dining room, or living room, decorative lighting is an excellent way to elevate your living space.

Modern room with geometric patterned ceiling lights — Source: @dragonmartwoods via Instagram

Wall sconces are great inclusions on a gallery wall. You can add LED light strips to the back of a large wall painting or framed draw attention to that piece at night. Fairy light strands add an inviting glow to a dark corner and help create a casual living room decor vibe. Backlit wall hangings are ever easier to find and will bathe the space with warm illumination.

3. Functional Art Pieces on Walls

The term ”functional art” describes art that is both beautiful and functional. It refers to objects that we use for a purpose but also serve an aesthetic purpose, such as a vase or lamp. Furniture is a common example of functional art when it is well crafted and unique.

Wall with decorative white shelves and sea-themed ornaments — Source: @dropletfoldings via Instagram

Blue and white living room with stylish decor — Source: @kristenfredericksdesign via Instagram

A square wall clock with Roman numerals — Source: @the.shoppers.lane via Instagram

A cozy living room with a couch, coffee table, and shelves — Source: @vaedurshaexan via Instagram

Artfully designed doors, door handles, and door knockers are highly collectible functional art pieces. Wall shelves become functional art when they step out of the basic linear design and become a focal point all their own. Designer clocks are another good example of functional wall decor ideas.

4. Creating a Cohesive Gallery Wall

A gallery wall is a collection of photos, paintings, illustrations, or other pieces artfully arranged to fill a bare wall. Usually, the pieces have something in common, such as a collection of black and white family photos or perhaps artwork from a favorite holiday destination.

White wall with pictures and wicker basket — Source: @musingsofmeimei-20210314-dtnutj via Instagram

A white room adorned with plants and wall pictures

If you enjoy inspirational quotes or words, a gallery wall is a great place to insert one or two. Either include a wall decal, or put your favorite saying in a picture frame that coordinates with the rest of the design.

5. Luxury Aesthetic through Artwork

Artwork is one of the ways an interior designer creates a luxury aesthetic in a client’s living space. Anything gilded and glamorous is a suitable wall decor option in a luxurious home.

An inviting living room featuring a prominent wall painting — Source: @alilahlou via Instagram

Elegant mirror with gold frame and glass table featuring gold and white details — Source: @homey_gallery via Instagram

When money is no object, shop for high end artwork. This includes signed and numbered limited edition prints or original canvases painted by famous artists. Wall decoration sculptures and original functional art pieces also add sophisticated detail to luxury interiors.

6. Versatile Metal Art Blending

Metal art can work with any interior design style. Farmhouse style has brought many new metal wall art ideas to choose from—everything from windmill blade replicas to vintage signs and beautifully rusted metal stars.

Living room with couch and wall mounted world map — Source: @espyworkscom via Instagram

Living room with grey couch and fish wall hanging — Source: @lucky_coins_home via Instagram

Etched metal living room wall decor is a more elegant type of wall feature, as is delicate metal flowers and other simple wall sculptures. Look for silver, bronze, gold, copper, or black finishes that complement the other metallic room accents.

7. Minimalist Wall Artwork for Contemporary Space

Minimalist artwork is exactly what it sounds like: an extreme form of abstract art that uses simple lines and shapes, usually with a monochromatic color palette. Because modern decor is often neutral, a minimalist piece of artwork may be the only place where a different color is introduced into the room.

Contemporary black and white living room with sleek decor and minimalist design — Source: @kate_delfante via Instagram

White couch and a large white painting in the living room — Source: @maisondamadera via Instagram

Minimalist paintings and wall sculptures are simple decorating ideas that can make your living room or dining room feel like a modern art gallery. It adds enough life and contrast to the space without distracting attention away from your contemporary furniture.

8. Brightening Up with Mirrored Wall Art

Adding a mirror—or several—to an empty wall is a great way to visually expand a small living room. Mirrors are also a type of living room wall art that brightens up the space by reflecting available light. Hang a large mirror over the sofa, or prop an oversized mirror against the living room wall.

Bird image in a golden mirror — Source: @20thcenturyfilth via Instagram

Stylish white console table with mirror and lamps — Source: @houseofcovington via Instagram

White sideboard with mirror on top — Source: @selfbuild_familyhome via Instagram

Smaller mirrors or mirrored tiles serve the same purpose without taking up as much of your open wall space. Hang wall shelves with a mirror above them instead of artwork, and make a colorful plant or other shelf decorations the focus of this display.

9. Embracing Simplicity with Modern Art

Modern art has gotten a bad rap for being too simplistic, but sometimes simplicity is the best option in modern decor. Group simple geometric shapes made of metal or wood into a gallery wall of sorts, adding a modern touch to the space. When planning the layout, focus as much on the negative space (the space between shapes) as on the shapes themselves.

Living room decor with abstract painting above the couch — Source: @rachelcqart via Instagram

Modern art options are also easy to DIY. This video shows how to replicate two glamorous contemporary pieces from a higher-end home decor store:

10. Creating Mood with Full-Wall Murals

Sometimes a full-wall mural is the best way to capture the mood you want your living room to convey. While hiring an artist will give you a truly unique living room art piece, there are more affordable and easier options for creating an impressive accent wall.

Colorful wall behind a wooden cabinet — Source: @sarapaintsfaces via Instagram

If the design ideas are simple, you may be able to paint or stencil it yourself. There are also countless peel-and-stick mural designs you can apply yourself and remove when you want to update your room decor.

See more wall mural ideas here.

11. Selecting Paintings and Illustrations that Reflect Personal Stories

The colors in a painting can greatly influence the overall room’s decor. Artwork with strong colors should be balanced with touches of the same colors in other areas of the room, even if it’s just a vase or throw pillow.

Blue and white furniture in the living room with a wall painting — Source: @rozmurphydesign via Instagram

Black sofa in the living room with a wall painting — Source: @whitelinedesigns via Instagram

Paintings and illustrations also bring emotions into a space, so note how a piece of artwork makes you feel before deciding to buy it. Because your living room should represent the people who live there, consider commissioning a portrait of yourself, your family, or even your pet for a truly personal touch.

12. Affordable Elegance with Framed Prints and Posters

Prints and posters are affordable alternatives to an artist’s original canvas wall art. You can find a print or poster of just about any famous painting you love, and with professional framing, create your own Van Gogh or Renoir gallery.

Stylish living room with orange walls and sleek grey furniture — Source: @janehandelsby via Instagram

Maps are an often-overlooked wall decor idea. Frame a local map, or the map of your favorite vacation destination. A couple may wish to frame a map of each of their hometowns and connect them with a wooden ampersand or decorative cord. Antique maps can add gorgeous warmth to traditional home decor.

13. Tapestries Through Time Blending Ancient Art

Tapestry is an antiquated form of wall art that has been utilized around the globe for thousands of years. Most cultures have relied on tapestries for wall art purposes, from the ancient Egyptians to the Incas, to the medieval European designs familiar to many. Modern tapestries are often reproductions of originals that now hang in museums, but any beautiful rug or textile can be used as a wall decoration.

Cozy living room with modern decor — Source: @stadsflatje via Instagram

Wall hangings enjoy a similar long history and can be made from a wide range of materials. Woven macrame hangings are one of the most popular wall hanging art forms today. Other types of yarn, rope, or string-based art make great living room wall art in casual coastal or boho spaces.

14. DIY Modern Wood Art with Geometric Simplicity Using Reclaimed Wood

Wood art work is perfect in casual living room decor. Lace-like carved wood mandala panels are gorgeous in boho or shabby chic living rooms. For more rustic wood decor, hang a three-dimensional framed carvings on a cabin’s blank wall.

Elegant white console with pink and gold accents — Source: @burntimberdesigns via Instagram

World map crafted from wood and with clocks — Source: @inviaggioconmilena via Instagram

Three wooden hexagons adorned with flowers hung on the wall — Source: @ronn.kools.artist via Instagram

Bright sunflower artwork displayed on a wall — Source: @sloanoaksstudio via Instagram

Decorative vase with dried grass and world map backdrop — Source: @v.a.n.i.j.a.d.e via Instagram

Create a textural modern art piece for your living room wall by gluing various sizes and shapes of reclaimed wooden blocks onto a board. Stain or paint them in two or three colors and enjoy the geometric simplicity it adds to your interior design.