Decorating Above Fireplaces With High Ceilings

Decorating the wall space above a fireplace can be challenging enough on its own. But when you add soaring ceiling heights into the mix, the task grows even more daunting. Suddenly, problems like choosing pieces that are in scale, filling the expansive area, and avoiding a cold or empty look start coming into play.

Luckily, with some planning and design know-how, you can create a cohesive, welcoming look above your tall fireplace. The key is keeping proportions, balance, and style in mind as you incorporate visual interest at varying heights. Take measurements, bring in eye-catching focal points, layer in thoughtful details, and the space is sure to feel warm, finished, and uniquely you.

Taking Exact Wall Measurements to Guide Layout and Scale

When dealing with a soaring space, precision is key. Before selecting any decor or furniture, carefully measure both the height and width of the entire wall area you want to embellish. This will tell you the exact parameters you are working within. Be sure to account for not just the area immediately surrounding the firebox, but any adjacent walls too if you plan to extend the look outward for balance. Scale sketches if needed to conceptualize layouts and traffic flow.

Keep in mind that standard guidelines for hanging artwork do not necessarily apply with double height ceilings. Simply placing a piece a few inches above the mantel may leave an awkward void, even if it looks nicely centered at eye level. Consider the full expanse from floor to ceiling when planning placement. Generally, there should be more negative space near the ceiling than framing close to the mantel. However, very precise proportions will depend on your existing architecture.

Considerations When Decorating Giant Fireplace Walls:

• The overall line-of-sight perspective from seated eye level
• The visual weight and ratios of architectural features
• The impression upon entering the room from various doorways

Note ceiling height, window placement, built-ins or protruding elements that may impact layouts. Understanding your room's volumes and lines will allow you to maintain pleasing proportions as you decorate.

Choosing Statement Decor Pieces With Standout Style

Due to the vast square footage you are embellishing above a substantial fireplace, smaller accessories often get dwarfed or look oddly floating. Anchor the whole arrangement with an eye-catching focal point that conveys visual impact and weight.

Oversized artwork makes a gorgeous style statement. Gallery groupings with a mix of layered prints infuse color and keep the look cohesive. For non-traditional flair, hang an ornate tapestry interwoven with metallic threads and unique textures. Lean a large antique floor mirror against the wall for amplified dimensions. Fill bookshelves with colorful volumes and collected objects for a shadowbox effect.

Impactful Centerpiece Ideas:

• Extra-large circular or rectangular mirror
• Hefty wooden carving or driftwood sculpture
• Tall glass vase bouquet as sculptural art

Unexpected elements like an oversized howlite necklace hanging like an installation piece or outlining an inset with modern nailed wood plaques can also help anchor the assortment while conveying your unique personality.

If opting for a TV above the fireplace, choose one that aligns with the scale of the room and balance its dark mass with light, bright accents such as glass vases or celestial prints. Include storage furniture like open media consoles to avoid a floating disjointed look in the living area.

Incorporating Proper Lighting at Various Heights

Just as you compositionally balance decorative elements at lower and higher sightlines within the floor-to-ceiling span, variations in lighting should also be layered for both form and function. Ambient overhead lights alone are unlikely to provide sufficient brightness or visual interest for such substantial vertical distances.

Lighting Approaches for Tall Ceilings:

• Mount wall sconces at both standing and seated eye levels
• Include directional track lights for task purposes
• Add adjustable accent lamps on dimmers
• Hide indirect lighting behind architectural detailing

Installing both upright sconces flanking the fireplace plus horizontal fixtures nearer the mantel line helps connect the two zones. Enhance drama with backlighting wall cubbies or framing architectural niches and interesting finial shapes present in built-in millwork or mantels. Upwash ceiling mounted cans to provide overall ambient fill if needed, adjusting beam angles to graze the wall's surface. Incorporate lighting at a variety of intensities, from soft glows to bolder accents, to add visual texture and dimension.

Anchoring With Proportional Large-Scale Furnishings

Just as small accessories shrink with extreme wall heights, undersized furnishings also look puny and out of sync proportionally. Seek out seating options with taller or more substantial profiles. Deep, sheltering pieces help counteract stark angles. Custom slipcovered sofas can be designed specifically for your room's scale.

Anchor groupings with a substantial coffee table or pair of side tables big enough to balance the sofa's imposing silhouette. Long media consoles, thick wood dining tables, oversized tufted ottomans, and chunky cabinets add stabilizing mass.

If budget allows, consider commissioning custom built-ins framing the area around your fireplace. Fitted bookshelves, media cabinets, and plush banquettes occupy ample real estate while providing storage solutions.

Size and Scale Considerations:

• Average ceiling height calls for a sofa with 35" seat height and 15" legs
• Ceiling height over 10 feet looks best balanced with furniture having 40"+ seat heights
• Sectionals help anchor soaring vertical space with greater width
• Round coffee tables over 50 inches wide enhance balance better than rectangles

Incorporating human scale through decor accessories and small vignettes amidst the towering architecture also helps welcome inhabitants to linger comfortably within the voluminous grandeur.

Using Color, Sheen, and Textiles for Cohesion

On an expansive blank wall canvas, varying textures add needed visual depth and tactility. Don't hesitate to cover surfaces in woven fibers, carved details, metallic finishes or multilayered artworks. Sheltering fabrics in ample yardage make a enveloping style statement while introducing human scale.

Paint or paper architectural elements like millwork and recessed wall panels in hues that pop against less saturated main walls. Vary sheens from flat surfaces to high-gloss lacquers for lighting interplay.

Work color upward from floor level for a cohesive, welcoming look with broad appeal. Coordinate all finishes and palettes featured on lower walls, accent areas, furnishings and accessories to tie the full height composition together stylistically. Distribute colorful touches at different sightlines.

Color and Texture Placement Tips:

• Saturate the lowest wall band near floor level
• Use midtone neutral colors on upper reaches
• Add bold print pillows to furniture at normal eye level
• Showcase graphic art and vibrant objects on shelving

Keep the palette, materials mix and overall aesthetic above the mantel harmonious with vignettes styled on adjacent walls or groupings set before the hearth. The fireplace wall should feel like an expanded, vertically exaggerated interpretation of the room's complete vision.

Troubleshooting Tricky Angles and Proportions

In rooms blessed with charming architectural details or cursed with awkward protrusions, decorating the awkward bits can become even more precarious when exaggerated over tall ceilings. No need to despair! A few clever solutions help downplay challenging angles, pipes and oddly placed vents in any space.

Camouflaging Unsightly Elements:

• Disguise pipes or corners inside built-in cabinetry
• Conceal vents with screens, lattice or artwork
• Distract the eye with dazzling light displays
• Overlay asymmetrical angles with square grid art prints

Fortunately, vertical real estate grants extra flexibility in working around quirky architectural contrasts. Visually balance exposed steel beams with corresponding horizontal artworks. Allow an original stone chimney element to take center stage. Repurpose castoff wood planks or salvaged barn siding as rustic coverups foryoung pipes and premise wiring.

For recent construction, consider softer drywall arches or ceiling medallions as embellished cover plates when positioning critical vent or speaker placements proves tricky.

Maintaining Balance Through Mindful Editing

Soaring wall expanses urge you to keep filling all that lovely blank space! But thoughtfully editing overstuffed stylistic exuberance is key to maintaining visual balance around substantial tall fireplaces. Just like writing a compelling story, recognize when it is time to trim excess words or loose descriptive embellishments.

Editing Tips for Stylish Restraint:

• Group decor collections into artful vignette
• Create breathable negative space
• Limit color palette to a cohesive 3-5 related hues
• Remove any excess visual clutter detracting focus

Step back periodically to reassess how additions integrate within surrounding architecture. Edit ruthlessly to keep the scene looking tailored and intentional while still personally expressive. Remove recurring color notes or motifs taking away from featured focal points. Never exceed three types of competing textures within a single framed view.

Follow the interior design maxim: "When in doubt, leave it out!" Allow restraint to add desirability through gracefully styled simplicity.

Decorating fireplace walls together with towering ceiling spans feels daunting at first. But embracing a few tips for working through scale challenges opens up grand possibilities! With accurate planning, impactful focal elements, ambient improved lighting and consciously balanced editing, you can create a comfortably furnished, visually welcoming scene showcasing your unique personality.

First, always start by carefully measuring your existing architecture including all Vertical planes and sightlines impacted. Choose a focal point deco piece bold enough to anchor lesser items at proper proportional scales. Edit judiciously to showcase signature collectibles expressing your style while allowing breathing room andnegative space between balanced groupings. Emphasize custom details that meaningfully represent cherished interests.

Properly illuminating these stylishly curated vignettes displayed across tall vertical distances draws the eye upwards while casting a warm inviting glow across the entire giant wall space. The final result feels anything but cold or cavernous! Your soaring fireplace arrangement now dazzles as the showcase centerpiece of home decor done right. So maximize the outstanding architecture blessing your home by confidently decorating those fabulous high ceiling spaces beautifully.