art work that goes to the ceiling would look great. was at a friends condo and that is what was used and it looked really good. mostly unframed original art.

The whole point is that you shouldn't draw the eye up. Decorate the living space and don't worry about the tall walls or ceilings. When everything below the 7 foot mark is perfect you won't even notice the tall walls. You'll wear yourself out trying to "decorate" a 15' wall.

Loves these ideas, thank you! Before reading your comment I was actually looking into ordering floating shelves from either west elm or pottery barn. Love the arrangement of the six framed art pieces that you've shown and may just search for some that fit my colors and/or decor.

Those 6 pieces are from WS Home

Keep all decor below door and window frame level.

I'm not sure, decoenthusiaste, why this is true, but then I'm not a decorator and do need help. Let me show you a pic using floating shelves (on a bedroom wall instead of living room) that I like. What do you think?

Something such as this will work on the ladder wall using the ladder in another space. When decorating the ladder use varying sizes of objects. The whole shelf space should not be full either. Everything does not need to be symmetrical, just balanced to the eye.

Why do you want to draw the eye up? Whatever you decide, keep wall decor at eye level.

A full view pic would be great to get more perspective. Not knowing your budget, recessed shelving might be the better way to go to balance the girth of the fireplace wall, maybe some horizontal some vertical would achieve this. The frame of the shelving could be in the white like the fireplace w/ the grey in background. Keep the electrical accessible to place lighting (traditional or novelty) on the shelves and hide, shorten or cover cord, strategically placed seating will also accomplish this. Alternatively, if possible move electrical up and LED light the shelves. The shelving material should echo that of the fireplace or visa versa. Fireplace wall appears very traditional, once the shelf design is established you could switch out the hardware on the fireplace cabinets to tie in better the cabinetry and with the shelves. Use painter tape to visualize shelving placement to get an idea of the height and length that you need to keep to scale with the rest of the room. Pic three of wall mounted shelving lets the objects do the balance work, and the floor lamp gets you the practical pop of light without changing much. You could also put your two chairs in this design with a table and lamp between them. To achieve this look for your space use the painter tape to make 3 to 4 shelves graduating in size, smallest on top, using most of the wall, keeping the chair height in mind. My primary point with the shelving is to try not to let it look like an afterthought.

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An accent color on both walls would help to give the room warmth, which seems to be missing with the white walls. I see some people here have suggested art, also a great idea once you have the accent color up.

Morning and Merry belated Christmas to everyone! Now I'm confused after reading these suggestions. I have vaulted ceilings in every room in my house and up to reading these articles I thought the idea was to draw the eye up to the ceilings in order to accentuate the largeness and spaciousness of these rooms. I was even thinking of placing faux beams to accentuate them further. Now I read that you should only place decorations up to the height of the doors or windows?? Which is right?

Wow! You haven't seen our room. Our furnishings are not sparse.

Thank you, Maria Smith, for your awesome ideas. I especially love the shelves and will look into it as an option.

Thank you, Carolins, for suggesting the article on vertical tension. Very helpful!!

Lost track of this post, but I'm not a fan of ladder or floating shelves. With the exception of more massive floating buffets, I think they are a bit "collegiate" looking - like make-do budget items. You've received some good suggestions about treating the entire wall as a decorative installation, and that works for me.

What is the look YOU want to achieve? Don't worry about what others think or a "trend". What is your budget?

I love the built-in shelving. You could accentuate the fireplace with more built-ins but in a contrasting color. Maybe a darker grey? Mount the TV, chunkier mantel in wood.

For the other wall the small tables and lamps could be removed. You can add art to the wall around it. Keep the fireplace as the focal point of the room.

I had a similar dilemma with a wall that I wanted to fill, but didn't want it to look... uh... full. I have a theme of empty, white frames in a few areas of the house, so I eventually, accidentally, came up with the idea to bring that theme to the high wall. I bought the frames at thrift shops, and made them look like windows by using decorative molding, then painted them all white. I think it draws the eye up, but lets the wall remain less busy.

Here are some things to think about. First, choose a light neutral (maybe a warm grey) for the walls and ceilings. I don't recommend white ceilings with contrasting walls in rooms with vaulted ceilings. It draws the eyes up to the volumous space which is distracting and cold. Now, at the risk of contradicting myself, choose an accent for the fireplace bump out. Perhaps a paint color, but better would be a tile all the way up. Choose something neutral and timeless. The tile will add interest and texture, but it is a commitment. (I am not a fan of the reclaimed wood....this is trending....and it will trend out.) Paint all your shelves, mantle, trim, etc. a crisp white or off white neutral to accent the built-ins!

Next, relocate the tv (or eliminate from the room altogether) to one of the side walls of possible. Above the fireplace is a poor viewing height and disrupts this prime space for accent and beauty.

How I recommend treating your "problem" wall opposite the fireplace: do not accentuate the height. Create an asymmetric arrangement for your furniture and art work. Others have tended to recommend eye level, and in more cases I tend to agree. For example, place a tall screen, plant, arching floor lamp, etc. near one corner. Draw the eye up there. In the center, use a lower console with smaller art objects and perhaps a small wall collection of art or floating shelves for art objects. Use sparingly!!

one more note. If your room is lit with can lights, be sure and have plenty of adequate lighting in your furniture groupings as well. Can lights will also draw your eyes up, so use them sparingly and use lamps more. Perhaps convert a can light to a receptacle and hang a larger pendant fixture over a seating area.

have fun!

Thank you very much for your recommendations! My fireplace is diagonal in a corner which you can see when you enter the room so I can't build shelving around it. It is already all white, as are the walls in every room of the house. I had thought about talking the mantle piece off (white) and putting on a wood mantle piece. Also I have been looking at the beautiful marble/stone/otherwise textured back splashes shown on Houzz and I have thought of doing the entire wall behind the fireplace in a textured back splash with soft hues of gold, gray,silver. I don't know if there is a less expensive way to achieve the look.

Hi Elsa, are you Isgreen who originally posted? Sorry, I am confused. In the picture, the fireplace doesn't look like it is on a diagonal in the corner. Sorry if I am confused and not helpful.

Hang a quilt. :-)

Here's how I'd explain the differing opinions of when and how to decorate a tall wall.

First, most people that come to Houzz seeking advice will admit they don't know much about decorating. Many are on a limited budget. There are many "decorating rules" and they all can be broken if done with skill and a knack. I try to keep it simple and err on the side "of less is more".

I've certainly seen rooms with tall walls that were decorated up to the ceiling and they looked fantastic. It's a very expensive endeavor. The place to start to design a room isn't where the ceiling meets the wall. Somehow many people obsess over these tall walls before they even get their sofa. It's smart to start your decorating with the bottom 7 or 8 feet and when that's perfect then see if the tall walls are even an issue at that point. If they are and there's any money left then start to work up.

OK, makes sense, thanks.

I have to agree with the suggestions to say the walls need to be decorated as if the walls were.....a normal......height, as that is all the eye can truly see and appreciate. I had to learn that in our own home, as I also thought the whole wall had to be full. Nope, not at all. I do have a few taller things in the room, but not on the wall.

Thanks!

Isgreen,

I've just started tackling 19 foot walls by investigating how designers make them look so awesome...but also how to not break the bank doing it! I'm attaching a picture. If you look at the wall to the right above the staircase...you will see some molding. That molding is super cheap and an excellent way to "frame" a large pop of color (not done here) with maybe your favorite print inside. Add some lighting and BOOM..I love everything about this room except the heavy wood cabinet on the left....but you can see they decorated up :) And well.

If this were my fireplace I'd use stone, to add some interest to the wall. Best of luck on your project!!

Thank you.

We have a very high ceiling in our living room, and our contractor did a "wavy" dry wall job...when we turn the sconces on in the dining area the up light accentuates the waviness....so, our solution was to hang a kilim rug on the wall. Our style is eclectic/rustic so works well for us. As other posters mentioned a quilt would accomplish the same thing.

Thanks a lot, I appreciate your posting a pic as well. Happy New Year!

I have seen more and more floating mantles and am falling in love with them more each time. I love the ones Tova, you have in your home. I love everything about that room. Although my walls are not that high, I think this is the first time I have seen several floating mantles over a fireplace. I think they look great. I have been with my head stuck in my computer for several days now and have found all kinds of interesting ideas that I hope to be able to use in my home. I need to find someone to help me build the floating mantles. Tova, did a carpenter do them for you or was it a part of the entire package provided by the designers? Thank you.

Decorating up is the way to go. To my eye keeping all furnishings low in rooms that have high ceilings make the furnishings look under scale for the space. Accentuating the great feature of the high ceiling by having interesting things on the wall brings the furnishings to scale in the room.

Elsa, I'm sorry, that's not my house. :/ It's a photo of inspiration. I have a semi-floating fireplace mantle right now in my home crafted by a carpenter. Sorry about that mix up.

I love floating shelves! At staggered heights you don't have to worry about lining up matching frames perfectly. Mix them up with your favorite chotchkis (sp.?), photos, and artwork, framed or not.