Design Challenges: The Lofty Living Room

We all love high ceilings!  They make a room feel spacious, bright, and open, which is why so many homes feature an impressive two-story living or family room.  Tall windows flood the space with plenty of natural light, and two-story fireplaces can make a gorgeous impact on your home.  Unfortunately, there are times these two-story spaces can come with a two-story blank wall that can seem overwhelming in its size and emptiness.  These tall and massive walls can present a major design challenge at times, but there are ways to handle these large blank canvases to make them a beautiful feature and focal point within your home.

Add Moldings

Moldings,wainscoting and beefy trims can add instant detail and architectural interest to the walls, at the same time anchoring and framing decorative additions, like the large sconces and the art in this room.  Applying these details creates instant character and more intimacy to an otherwise lofty space.

 Creating Frames on a Two Story Wall

Create Recessed Niches

Carving out  niches into your wall with recessed lighting provides a spectacular setting for highlighting art, flower arrangements, or your priceless collections.

 Creating Recessed Displays

Large-Scale Art Arrangements

You can either find a single large-scale piece of art to fill the wall or several pieces that can be artfully arranged within its own vignette.  Lay out a template in advance to ensure the scale of the pieces you’re using for your wall collage are proportionate to the volume of the space it occupies.

 Art Arrangement on a Two Story Wall

I would love to help you handle any major design challenges in your home!  Feel free to contact me at Interior Makeovers Inc. by calling 310-788-0990 if you have a design dilemma that needs solving. Stay Inspired!  
Photos via Houzz