NO NO NO to the word "art" it's not art, it's a trendy Pinterest thing and it's just not interesting! Do a landscape, a large horse or cow print, ANYTHING but words, please!

https://www.greatbigcanvas.com/category/art-by-decor-style/farmhouse-art/

Pft on the word art dissing. If you like the words, don't sweat it. I wouldn't get it just to get it though, and if the words aren't germane to the setting, your life or the home, I think it might cause an issue, like "What's up with that?" However, large words won't have the emotional and visual interest that large patterned art will. I'd also consider a large clock. I don't care how passe it is, I like to know what time it is and not be chained to my cell phone. So nice to just look up and lo and behold, there's the time!

Thanks so much! I agree, I do like having a clock in the room. I may need to get one to put either on the sofa table or on the wall. Where would you place it on the wall if the art is above the couch?

I also checked out that website linked above and found a few other landscapes I liked (not sure if I like them better than the birch trees I found earlier or the two-piece moody blue/green abstract set). See below.

Also— thoughts on canvas wrap prints vs printed and framed art?

Some others… (I clearly have a type 😂 except the wildflowers are a little different - but color-wise may not really work)

More…

And then these were the ones from earlier…

we went with some large prints from Etsy - just search for "large prints wall art tree" to see some examples. The ones I selected were unframed so there was an additional cost to framing them locally. We have a 25' long living room; the couch is a good size 3-cushion couch. We have the couch on one long wall that is only broken up on one end with some glass doors that lead to the office. The wall art spans all but about 18" of the couch width.

Hi jlynn-

I would get artwork with as much color as possible.

When you remove the Christmas tree and the red seasonal pillows your room has really no color at all, except for the one fiddle leaf fig.

But here is the thing- do you want the art to drive which rug you buy, or vice versa?

I voted for #1, or any of your other selections that are painting or photographs. No to word art. maybe it's ok in a laundry room (and even then I still don't like it), but definitely not on a feature wall in a living room.

If you struggle to think of art for "modern farmhouse", think black and white photos. not of European cities, but something more farmhousey, like trees, mountains, country scenes, horses, old barns.

or a gallery wall with black and white photos only. get some favorite family photos converted to BW and do really large white (or off white) matting. black or dark brown for the frames.

or wall hangings, like something built out of wood:

jlynn1187, you might want to look for the natural images you favor at 20x200 and Unsplash.

My art encompasses all types of art: canvas, photograph, watercolor, framed and unframed, an newspaper obituary, three-dimensional metal objects including an oversized key, even a hat box top with a wonderful drawing of a woman.

Think way outside the box when looking for your art--and only choose things you are madly in love with because even if you have a terrible day your home's art, chosen because you love it, will give you great comfort. I can't help but feel happy at home when I see all my lovely pieces.

Like yours, our LR has high ceilings, 12’. We have one large oil, hung high drawing the eyes upward, to celebrate the space.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I agree that we need some more color in the room, so I definitely want to swap out our current art for something else. Maybe word art isn’t the way to go but I do want to stay with a modern farmhouse feel. I am leaning toward one of the blue/green landscape/treescape pieces—and maybe a single large piece as opposed to 2-3 different pieces. I had also considered a collage wall at one point - with various pieces things including frames, wooden signs, etc, but I don’t want it to be TOO busy.

Alphaea- I will check out the two places you sent over, thank you! I’d also love to see your room, if you’re comfortable sharing, just for inspiration.

Thank you!

Missb- I would love to see your room as well! Sounds like a big area to fill!

Loobab- I chose a fairly neutral light blue/cream/gray rug because I knew I wanted to incorporate those colors in the room, so I guess since I have the rug, I want to find wall decor that ties in well with that.

Here’s the rug for reference:

jlynn1187, I am comfortable sharing but will have to have a friend with a cell phone that can take pictures come over. I'll try to arrange that soon and will be sure to post them for you. In the meantime, I am very excited to see your room come together.

Hi jlynn- Did you already purchase the rug?

The reason I ask is because the rug seems very, very pale on my monitor compared to the artwork possibilities you show, and together it makes your rug look like you put it in with the Clorox load by mistake.

I would either pick a rug with more color or less colorful artwork and possibly have some spots of color in your accessories

I have already purchased the rug and it should arrive tomorrow. I wanted to keep the rug (and artwork) fairly neutral so I can change up accessories

Did a little shopping and picked up two different lamps to try out. Needed to switch out those nickel plates ones! Thoughts?

Sorry, but I don't think you can shop piecemeal this way.

You can't make a decision on the two lamps that are there now if you plan on keeping them on that table, because you have to know how they will look stylistically and proportionally with the art piece or pieces you get, and you don't have the art yet.

So you are doing this backwards.

And I certainly wouldn't judge things that you will have on the wall and floor 365 days a year with things in the backdrop (the Christmas decor) that you wiould only have around a few weeks a year.

That is decision making even more backwards.

The major expense pieces are supposed to be your art work and your rug (besides your furniture.)

Your accessories rotate around them, not the other way around.

For example, you can change the colors and textures, and even patterns of your throw pillows and throws seasonally, but you still pick out colors from your art work and rug.

You don't keep your art work and rug black and white and grey and get your pillows and accessory colors from the Crayola box. I just don't understand that.

Maybe I am not understanding what you are trying to achieve, and you can explain it.

I don't like the airy look of glass.

These natural neutrals could do well in whatever form you like - it could unite the fp and warms and cool tones.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/693166606/spring-awakening-scandinavian-wood-wall?ref=market_strv-4&frs=1&variation0=1364289630

You might find a lightweight material to hang there - or do the set of 2 or 3.https://www.etsy.com/listing/978860734/home-wall-decor-abstract-tree-wall-art?ref=market_strv-5&pro=1&frs=1

But what I don't like about separate canvas art pieces, is that it adds to the number of sectional's back pillows... more visuals to detract. On canvas or other, you might do 'imperfect' chalk paint.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1110196669/modern-wood-wall-art-wood-wall-art-3d?ref=related-2&frs=1&variation0=2293675584&variation1=2293675546

Can you tell us what paint color is on your walls? Your original picture is showing mid toned beige walls, but the picture with the lamps looks off white.

Jennifer - the walls are Agreeable Gray. I think the first photo the color was off because of the time of day the photo was taken and the overhead yellow lighting.

…I will take a photo during the day to show more accurate lighting :)

Thanks, all.

Loobab- I do have the rug already (light shades of blue, creams, grays) so I have been keeping that in mind while looking for wall art. For the lamps, I just wanted to choose neutral pieces that will work with any style of decor.

I think the cream colored one is very Pottery Barn-esque (without the price tag) which I love. The light color is a nice contrast to the wall and the size is nice and large. I added the tan colored shade because I thought it would tie in with some of the warmer tones on the stone fireplace and other areas.

What I like about the glass one is that it also has a very sturdy shape/size, and the dark color of the base inside the glass ties in with some of the darker woods in the house - like the mantle, kitchen cabinets (across from this wall opposite the living room) and the (current) coffee table (…may swap that out eventually).

I wasn’t trying to match to the current wall art because I’m kinda looking for something fresh and new after staring at that piece for 7 years.

What I meant when I said I wanted to keep the room fairly neutral so I could introduce pops of color in the accessories is that I wanted to bring color in with greenery, season-specific florals, pillows, etc. If I go too bold and colorful with my primary pieces, it’ll be overkill. I prefer a neutral palette that is calming / soothing.

Keep the ideas coming! I appreciate them :)

If this is helpful at all, here are a couple photos from the listing of our previous home that we recently sold. These show how I decorated that living room. As you can tell, I very much love blues/greens/neutrals. I had pottery barn robins egg blue silk curtains which I loved but sadly they won’t work in the new house due to the fact that the room is two stories and the windows go up almost to the ceiling. :(

You can’t see the wall art in the photo but it was behind the portion of the sectional against the wall.

I see the muted blues and green here and they are lovely.

Why don't you use them in a new rug and art in your new home?

Why are you going so boring black and white now?

Your taste is so much better than that!

I only suggest that you need larger scaled pieces.

Of course you can't go up to the ceiling, you are not expected to.

But even in your previous home, the art was underscaled.

The bottom of the pieces should not have been hung more than 6 inches higher than the bookcases.

First decide on dimensions and if you want one large piece or two side by side; tape out to help. As important as the subject matter will be the proportions on this large wall.

Hold off on lamp decision and I’d pick up on the colors in your rug (also add complementary cushions) in your art choice.

Decide on your budget to help with a watercolour or print decision and only then start your search, which will be much easier. Have a vision for the room.

Thanks! I’m not trying to go “boring black and white now”, I was just trying to change it up a little but keep the same color scheme while scaling up for a larger space. On the walls in the living room at my old house, I had two 20x30 barnwood frames with blue/geeen/white floral prints in them on either side of the fireplace, the large black and white canvas art (pictured in the current house) on the large wall behind the couch, two sepia botanical prints above a small bookcase and a white ornate mirror above one of the end tables. Of those, the only thing that potentially works size-wise is the large black and white canvas art. :(

The rug I purchased DOES have muted blues and creams and grays in it. I haven’t seen it in person yet but based on reviews it looks a lot darker in person than the photos on the site. Once I get it down in our room I’ll be able to tell if it’ll work.

I planned on incorporating greens in the form of lots of greenery, and now I’m leaning toward wall art with greens/blues in it. I’d like to eventually swap out the window cornices that were there from the previous owners with some sheer cream drapery. And I want to use some rustic touches on the sofa table and possibly on the mantle.

If it helps here is the mood board I had put together before we moved into the house for this room. From this photo, I already purchased that sofa table (it’s what the lamps are sitting on), and the plant. The chandelier will be down the road, and the couch/pillows are similar to what we have there now—though I’d like to change them up slightly for a fresh look because we have had these for years. I didn’t end up going with this rug because I liked the one I found better.

You may want to address your lighting and change to 4000k-5000k.

Google "large wall clocks" and you can find a lot of styles. I know for a while they were the ubiquitous decorating fixture, kind of like fake painted white deer heads or antlers, but that doesn't mean they're necessarily a bad idea. I'm lucky, I inherited a fine one, actually from the middle of the last century, with a gorgeous real wood exterior. I would get whatever floats your boat. I tend to decorate with found items, not sure what I would buy when it comes to clocks. My Dad collects them, so I actually have too many, one in each room . . .

As for art, it's really subjective, but I'd go for big. The advantage of unframed is you don't have to pay for framing, it can get very expensive. Most of the art in my house cost very little, and the framing is always WAY more expensive. I bought some landscape watercolors for 80 bucks each but the framing was 350. The downside of unframed, is that the art will wear faster--fade, perhaps the material will degrade, depends . . .

I know you probably want to get something right away, so I would go with something not terribly pricey unless I just loved it to death, at which point you won't regret buying it due to all the pleasure it will bring. But if you're not sure and just want to fill the space, get something modest and keep on the lookout for something perfect. I find amazing deals on art at thrift and antique stores, if you're into that. And local galleries can be fun too. Like I said, I inherited a lot of my art, but before that, I got a lot of it at local antique shops. My parents used to buy art at art fairs in the summer . . . When I visit local galleries I swoon . . . my style of hanging art is a whole lot of it, all around. That doesn't seem like the vibe you're looking for. The stuff you posted is wonderful, almost can't go wrong so deciding will be the tougher issue. I live in a grey cold climate so I don't dig the monochrome greyish stuff, I crave color in my art. But I might think differently if I lived where the sun was beating down on me and it was hot all the time.

Edited to add that you can combine art for a montage wall. My friend does that and I do that. There are blogs and articles online on how to do it effectively. I looked for a photo of one of my examples but I don't have it saved on my new computer.

How about this one? Stone house, tree...

https://www.greatbigcanvas.com/view/dream-cottage-ii,pag0100211/#&gid=1&pid=5

I’m at homegoods and this caught my eye…

I think I have a thing for watercolors…

Jean- thank you! That is super pretty. I do think I prefer more impressionist style art though.

I found some Claude Monet canvas prints that I love. I love his style of work, the colors he used, the watercolor Impressionism… I think I’m getting closer to finding what I want in that spot.

What do you guys think of any of these?

More…

More…

Last ones…

Here are a couple photos of our room during the day so this is an accurate depiction of the wall color…

Hang the art abut 5" above the table. The top of it should be level with or just under the lower edge of the cornice, if you're keeping that. I still don't really like the lamps. Are you planning for one or a pair?

I like all of your examples and suggest going with the largest.

Take the smaller photos away, they can't be appreciated there and read as visual clutter. Group them somewhere away from competing with the large art, where they can be appreciated close up, like on a sweet little side table or shelf somewhere or group hung on a small or narrow wall area. Or in a smaller room. I learned this lesson the hard way, I used to have all my family photos and a bunch of candles on the fireplace mantel below a nice piece of art. I took away the candles (I so rarely used them they were just gathering dust) and put all the smaller framed photos together on an adjacent shelf. Once the art could "breathe" I appreciated it more, and the collection of photos on a shelf were there own separate thing and also stood out more that way too. It was like my own private little gathering . . .

Decoenthusiast- thank you! Good tips! I will be replacing the cornices with sheer drapes down the road but they’ll stay for now. You don’t like either of these styles or you don’t like the lamps on the table period? I guess I don’t have to have a sideboard table there at all but there’s very limited space for end tables with lamps - the only place would be where the tall plant is currently. The couch is a large sectional. If I removed the sideboard, I’d have to do away with the plant probably. I don’t love the idea of a table and lamp blocking the windows looking out to our pool, but also want a visually pleasing setup.

Pinkmountain- thanks! I think you’re right. I just need to find a place to put the existing frames that are there. I hate not having any pictures of our kids in the living room. Those were previously on a mantle on either side of a TV. I’m sure I’ll find a place for them elsewhere. Wonder if I could get with a single picture frame there, or do you think get rid of them all? Suggestions for other things to put on there? I love plants in vases but with the large fiddle leaf tree in the corner already I don’t know how I’d like that. As I mentioned above, I’d be open to doing away with the sofa table and just having the art above the couch and a lamp on an end table…except the only place for it is the place where the tree is. Open to all suggestions!!

Also I still really like this set… but I know a lot of feedback here has been to stay away from sets and stick with one large print.

Monet's paintings are lovely. I can see the attraction, so peaceful and beautiful.

jlynn1187, if you go with that have you considered an oil reproduction rather than a print? I googled that because I wondered if there was such a thing--and there is: https://www.google.com/search?q=reprodutions+claude+monet+in+oils&oq=repro&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i57j0i433i512l3j69i60j69i61j69i60.3107j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Have you thought about an arc lamp or corner floor lamp vs table lamps? It would allow the art to stand on it's own without distraction.

I can't imagine buying art based on a style trend like "modern farmhouse".

Art should be bought because it speaks to you and causes you some emotional reaction to it. It should give us a hint about your personality and life ... and not just tell us that you shopped at Joanna Gaines' website.

My art has been displayed in a cape style house and a large colonial house on the east coast, an apartment in Asia, in a Spanish style house in CA and will now be in a more open/modern house with Spanish influence in SW Florida. If I moved to some sharp edged modern high rise in Miami or NYC, I would still use all the same art pieces and it would all work.

Think outside of the "art box" you've placed yourself in!

I decided to go with the art print set that I really loved! We haven’t hung them yet but plan to tomorrow. I had them printed and matted into reclaimed wood frames. I really love how they turned out ❤️

You love them! And they work! Now your heart will skip a beat whenever you see them. You can't ask for more than that from art. Well done.