Design

Think Outside the Frame: Wall Hangings Are the Cure for Your Boring Walls (+ 63 Shoppable Favorites)

by Jess Bunge | 8.6.19

photo by tessa neustadt for ehd | from: sara’s living room reveal

As you may know, we have a real special place in our hearts for the “weird” or the “outside of the box” decor. I mean the EHD motto is “Normal is boring, let’s get weird” for goodness sake. So after the positive feedback from Arlyn’s non-basic sofa post and my unique coffee and accent table post, we thought next had to be…drumroll if you didn’t read the title…wall hangings. Now by no means are we denouncing framed art. We LOVE framed art and we have the gallery walls to prove it. Literally, Arlyn and I have massive gallery walls in our homes and Emily has maaaybe tackled a few as well (wink implied). But this post is about adding actual 3D dimension and texture to your probably sad… flat…lonely walls. I mean, the true purpose of interior design is nothing if not making love connections between inanimate objects, right? So let’s get these crazy kids together.

Wall hangings are kind of the “bad boys and girls” of wall decor. They refuse to be boxed in (aka framed), they usually have a cool enviable style and they feel a little risky (in a good way). The great thing about wall hangings in 2019 is that there are a lot of great options outside of the classic macramé. Not to knock macramé (it’s perfect when the style calls for it) but if you have a more modern home, you probably would like some other options, just saying. Since you all really seemed to like the combos aspect from the accent table post, I thought it would be fun to show you how a wall hanging can really add depth to even an already perfectly designed space. I chose three EHD rooms that, as I said were already beautiful, and threw in two different wall hangings to prove their genre’s style versatility.

First up the stunning Portland master bedroom…

Emily Henderson Wall Hangings Portland Side By Side — left hanging | right hanging | room from: portland master bedroom reveal (and how to pull together your own dreamy suite)

When originally designed, nothing was hung above the bed which looked great because there was already a lot happening visually in the room (super cool buffable check love seat not shown). But then I got my greasy hands on this particular photo and thought I would add a wall hanging because why not? Let’s play. Both of these pieces fall under the “modern boho” category which works great to contrast the “modern traditional” design of the rest of the room. The shapes are simple and rounded to contrast the straight lines of the bed and the light wood tone compliments the beams overhead and colors in the art piece. I definitely wanted to keep it simple as to not take away from the beautiful MaryAnn Puls piece on the wall.

Next up is Sara’s ever-cool old living room…

Emily Henderson Wall Hangings Sara Side By Side — left hanging | right hanging | room from: sara’s living room reveal

Sara originally had an awesome large framed photo grid of her personal photos so this experiment is just to show you some wall hanging options. I mean if Sara had fewer friends she felt the need to show off then a wall hanging could have a been a great design move. 🙂 Quilts are great to hang up on your wall. Why? Well, they are usually large so are great to cover a large empty space, they are textured and lastly come in a variety of styles. There is a perfect quilt out there for you, yes YOU! This one would have looked great in Sara’s living room because the majority of the color palette is sprinkled about her space and that pop of red brings some visual excitement. Option two is one of the coolest woven wall hangings I’ve seen. At first, you think it’s a nice boho design but then upon second glance, you realize it’s actually very modern and on-trend with its mix of abstract and organic shapes. A cool piece for a cool couple of kids.

Lastly, one of my EHD favorite rooms…the Parisian hotel suite.

Emily Henderson Wall Hangings Sothebys Side By Side — left hanging | right hanging | room from: staging my dream parisian hotel suite with sothebys

Bonjour and wall-come to my redesign. 🙂 Again, this room was already so great but I wanted to challenge all of our ideas of what style a room with a wall hanging should be. As you can clearly see, it’s ANY style of room. The wall hanging on the left is a very cool and very modern piece that aligns seamlessly with the art deco vibe of the space. The original piece of art was also very graphic so I felt confident in this version. The piece on the right is still modern in its pattern design but a bit softer to let the rest of the room speak for itself. It’s there to add just a hit of texture and it does it pretty darn well if you ask me. Modern wall hangings in a modern room…who knew it was possible?

Now that you can see wall hangings are for all rooms and in any style, I have complied three roundups in three different categories for your viewing and shopping pleasure. First up we have our non-fabric category. That includes wood, ceramics and metals. The hard stuff if you will…

Emily Henderson Wall Hangings Roundup Non Fabric Update

Yeah, I know they are all pretty awesome. This is the category, in my opinion, that lends itself best to more modern design. The different materials and shapes can mix in with almost any style. Favorites? This physically hurts to choose but at this moment I would say #2, #3, #7, #14 and #20.

Now let’s dive into the more classic category of wall hangings which is our woven and fiber friends.

Emily Henderson Wall Hangings Roundup Woven & Macrame

The whispers of my boho heavy past call to me when I see a woven wall hanging but I would say #2, #6, #7, #13 and #18 are my favorites. Some modern and some classic boho but all awesome.

The last category is the most universal I think…tapestries.

Emily Henderson Wall Hangings Roundup Tapestry

Univeral and downright awesome. While I love a beautifully stitched tapestry, I also love me a textile with a clever message. Remember to have fun with your decor and don’t take it all too seriously. So with that said I am a big fan of #1, #3, #9, #17 and #18.

If the spark is gone between your wall and its current piece, I hope that this roundup will bring you and your wall hope for a happier, more fulfilling future. Everyone deserves to live their best life, person and inanimate object alike (oh man, it’s only Tuesday and I might officially be LOSING it with these metaphors). So in conclusion, wall hangings are great and add awesome dimension to any space…and I need a better night’s rest tonight.

Love you, mean it.

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