9 Things To Avoid Hanging On Walls To Make Your Home Look & Feel More Luxurious

Sometimes what you put on the walls of your home can work against the desired aesthetic you wish to create. High-end interiors the likes of which you find on Pinterest and Instagram often have an elevated look, even if the decor itself is thrifted or budget-friendly. That luxurious look can often be attained not by what you put in a room, but more so by what you don't. There are certain wall design pitfalls you can avoid to create a more expensive-looking space.

By carefully avoiding certain elements on your walls, you can sustain the elevated style you crave — think inspirational quotes, out-of-scale art, mass-produced prints, and too many family photos, among others. Many of the worst offenders on this list can be easily swapped out for different approaches to similar ideas. In many cases, this can be done without much more cost than their less-elevated alternatives. You can even turn thrifted objects and inexpensive art prints into more luxurious DIY versions with simple modifications.

Whether we are talking rustic Live Laugh Love signs or inspirational quotes in vinyl on the wall over the sofa, word art and cutesy signage might be something you want to avoid if you're looking to make your space feel more high-end. While they can create a homey, cozy vibe, they can also feel cheap. Elevated alternatives include large single letters salvaged from architectural signage or avant-garde typographical art.

Framing some family photographs and candid shots can be worked into even the most expensive-looking rooms. Too many, however, can make your walls look tacky and overwhelming. This is especially true of random candid shots, department store-posed portraits, and oversized poster photos. For a more elevated take, use photos that are unified in some way. Try black and white prints in uniform frames or small framed photos that make up part of a bookshelf tableau.

What you put images in can be as important as the images themselves. Cheap plastic or acrylic poster picture frames can make even the most luxurious art piece look dismal. This also goes for wall-hung frames with cutesy accents or words stuck to them. Keep your frames simple and elegant in design, or get the look of luxe frames for cheaper with crafty thrift store strategies. Source inexpensive frames thrifting then add accents like metal corners or gold leaf.

While certificates, plaques, and trophies can be evidence of your greatest achievements, they often do not work as part of your decor. In fact, they can seem downright random or out of place. A nicely framed certificate may make sense above your desk in an office. It looks strange hanging on the wall of your living room or dining room. For a more elegant approach, place nicely-framed certificates on a shelf or mantle. Mix and match them with decor of varying heights to create a vignette.

Most people have at least one mass-produced print of an Impressionist masterpiece tacked hastily to a wall. These faux artworks do not create a more high end space as perhaps intended. Even if they are nicely framed, you tend to see the same prints over and over again. Instead, custom-print your favorite photos and have them professionally framed. Fake stunning oil paintings for your decor by adding texture to the prints with a paintbrush and Mod Podge.

Paper wall calendars often look cheap even if they are filled with beautiful landscapes or adorable critters. Instead of a paper wall calendar, opt for a pretty desktop calendar in your home office or a more elegant perpetual calendar made of wood or fabric. You can hang it on the wall. If you can't give up the paper calendar, choose one with elegant graphics and that lays out the whole year on one page instead of the flippable month-by-month versions.

Mounting your television on the wall can be a great way to deal with tighter spaces. You don't need a dedicated piece of furniture to sit it on. However, this can look awkward and unfinished if done wrong. Many homeowners hang their television above another focal point, like a fireplace, which can overwhelm the room, throwing the spatial design off balance. If you must wall-mount a television, opt for a framed television or hang it on a matte-black wall. You can also get the look of a luxurious TV frame with budget-friendly washi tape in gold.

While gallery walls can be a great way to fill space and make room for a multitude of artworks, they can look too cluttered if arranged poorly. Intentionally chosen art and a sense of visual balance can do wonders. The best gallery walls are carefully curated. Don't just hang a random collection of mass-produced prints from a home goods store on the wall. If you want an elevated gallery wall, go modern and create a grid with uniform frames.

Using incorrectly sized wall decor can work against you if you want a more expensive-looking home. Make sure that your art fits the scale of the wall it's hung on. For example, hang larger art pieces over hefty furniture like beds or sofas and smaller works in corners and spots between windows. Creating an assemblage of smaller pieces works well, too. Wall art (individually or collectively) should take up about 60% to 75% of the width of the wall.