If your living room is looking a bit drab and in need of an update, it can be hard to know where to start. The living room is a shared space, often the heart of the home, and it has multiple uses. Your living room should be a relaxing, peaceful space, but one that reflects your personality and interior design style. It needs to be comfy and cosy but practical too – characterful without being overwhelming. And that can be tricky to pull off!
So before you start shopping for new furniture or replacing the floor, go back to basics and start with something a bit easier. One way to give your space a whole new look without a whole load of effort is a living room feature wall – and because it’s just one wall, you can go all out without worrying that the final look will be too much. The perfect interior design project!
In this article we’ll look at living room feature wall ideas, exploring the different options to give you some inspiration. And because this is one project that’s pretty easy to complete yourself, there are also some handy DIY tips for creating your own feature wall. Let’s dive in!
What is a living room feature wall?
A feature wall is a single wall within a room that’s decorated differently from the rest, so it stands out. In the living room, this could be the wall with a fireplace or chimney breast, the wall opposite the door so it’s visible as soon as you walk in, or the wall your sofa sits against. It could also be two walls – like a pair of alcoves either side of a chimney breast, for examples.
How do I choose which wall is best for my living room feature wall?
There are no hard and fast rules but generally speaking, a living room feature wall should be one that’s instantly visible and prominent when you walk in. You don’t want to spend lots of time creating a beautiful feature wall only for it to be hidden behind the door or lost in a dark, shadowy corner!
Walk into your living room and take note of where your eyes naturally land. Then consider other elements – which wall of the room gets the most light, and where your focal furniture – sofa, coffee table, sideboard – is placed. These things draw our attention and can help point to a natural spot for a feature wall.
What are the different types of living room feature wall?
The best thing about creating your own living room feature wall is that you can be as creative as you like with it – one solid block colour? Go for it. Statement wallpaper? Looks amazing. Gallery wall? Absolutely! The sky really is the limit, it just depends what vibe you’re going for.
If you need a bit more living room feature wall inspiration, though, there are a few classic styles that work every time, no matter the location of the wall or size of your space. Here are our favourite living room feature wall ideas…
The block colour feature wall
Probably the easiest feature wall to create, the simple block colour option is great if you want to keep things simple while still making a statement. When choosing a colour for your living room statement wall, consider the other accent colours in your space – you can anchor your feature wall to the room and create a more cohesive look by matching it to your cushions or pulling out a shade in your rug, for example.
Some inspirational images below show different types of block colour feature walls that we love. 
Image by @allaboutthesnug
DIY tips for a block colour statement wall
- Don’t scrimp on the decorators’ tape – use a good quality tape to ensure the lines between your feature wall and the walls either side are crisp and clean.
- Paint any woodwork around your feature wall in the same shade.
- Emphasise the feature wall by hanging a large piece of coordinating artwork in the centre.
The wallpapered feature wall
A wallpapered living room feature wall is a classic, timeless option that will make a big difference to your space without a huge amount of effort. Wallpaper offers you a huge amount of choice – with so many colours and patterns to choose from, it’s really easy to find something that works with your living room aesthetic and creates the statement element needed for a feature wall.
A top tip for choosing the perfect wallpaper for your living room feature wall is to think about scale. If you’re covering a big space, look for a large-scale print – something that can hold its own across a large expanse of wall and not get lost. For narrower feature walls – like a chimney breast, for example – a smaller print will work better and create more of a statement.
Here are some gorgeous wallpaper feature walls we're loving below!
Image by bohohome_ade
Image by jillyjillystudio
DIY tips for a wallpapered statement wall
- Lining up your wallpaper and ensuring the print is straight and central is very important when you’re creating a feature wall everyone will be looking at. Use a plumb line to find the centre of your wall and a spirit level to keep the paper straight while you hang it.
- Create a dedicated space for pasting your wallpaper – mix up the paste and line up your brush, cloth, scissors etc before you begin.
- Use a wallpaper smoother to push our air bubbles and remove creases for the perfect finish.
The textured paint feature wall
Textured paint finishes might sound a bit ‘rag rolled wall from a 1998 episode of Changing Rooms’, but things have come a long way since then. A textured paint feature wall will add depth and detail to your living room space, and you can get really creative with the final look – go for a marbled effect, recreate that freshly plastered look or even add in some gold leaf. So many options!
We love this textured effect created by Allison at Haus Creative. This plastered/marble texture makes a beautiful, elegant touch to any room.
Click the images below to see the full video!
DIY tips for a textured paint feature wall
- Work with any natural texture in your wall – if your plaster isn’t quite smooth, incorporate that into the design.
- Go for colours that work together rather than contrast each other for a more cohesive look – like various shades of the same colour.
- Keep stepping back from the wall as you paint to check the overall look and identify where you need to add more texture.
The gallery feature wall
We’ll never get bored of gallery walls – they’re stylish, easy to personalise and you can update them regularly without doing a whole room makeover. Plus they can adapt to fit any space – perfect if your living room feature wall isn’t perfectly rectangular or you have light switches and plug sockets to work around.
If you already have lots of framed prints and photos dotted around your home, you can gather them together to create your gallery wall without having to buy a load more. And remember, anything goes when it comes to framing things for your gallery wall – postcards, gig tickets, pages from your favourite book… the more personal, the better!
Here are some gorgeous gallery walls shared by our customers below.
Image by isoscella
Image by @arosieoutlook
DIY tips for a gallery feature wall
- Measuring is really important for a gallery wall – you want to make sure all your prints fit in the space and that the distance between them is equal. Measure it all out and plan where each frame will sit before you start knocking in nails.
- If you want a more bohemian look, mix and match your frames – charity shops are great for buying a variety. For a sleeker look, stick to a single colour and style.
- If you’re renting your home or you just don’t fancy all those holes in the wall, use Command hooks to hang each frame so you can remove them without damage.
The mural art feature wall
Calling all budding artists – murals are hot in interior design, and they make for the perfect living room feature wall. Whether you want to create an intricately detailed landscape scene or a fun repeating pattern, whipping out the brush and paints is a great way to brings style and personality to your living room.
If you’re stuck for mural inspo, have a look online – there are lots of templates and ideas, so you can copy one exactly or create your own version.
Here are some gorgeous mural examples by our customers:
Image by @lilbohome
Image by @thelittlewildfarm
DIY tips for a mural art feature wall
Plan it out first – draw the main elements of your design onto your chosen wall in pencil.
Start with the biggest sections, filling in large painted areas to give you the base of your design.
Then add the finer details, stepping back to assess often and freestyling as you go.
The panelled feature wall
Panelling has been a key interiors trend for the past few years and it shows no signs of going away any time soon. It’s a fantastic way to add detail to your living room space, particularly where it can blend with original features for an authentic finish.
Panelling can be tricky to get right and you really do need a very smooth, flat surface for it to work properly, so make sure your chosen feature wall is perfectly level before you begin.
Image by laura_englishinteriors
DIY tips for a panelled feature wall
- Perfect panelling is all in the planning! Measure, measure and measure again before you get your panel pieces cut.
- Sketch out your chosen panel placement onto your feature wall before you start, so you can make adjustments to the design as needed.
- Paint the panelling to match the wall for a cohesive look or choose a contrasting colour combo for something bolder. You could even wallpaper within the panelled sections.
The alcove shelving feature wall
Our final living room feature wall idea is a little bit different to the rest. If your living room has alcoves either side of a chimney breast, you can make the most of this natural statement space by building shelving within the alcoves. Not only will you create a beautiful feature wall that works with the rest of your living room, but you’ll instantly double your storage space, too.
Because they’re set back from the other walls, alcoves are a natural contrast to the rest of a room. Make the most of this by choosing a contrasting paint colour or statement wallpaper before you add shelves.
Image by @la_belle_au_bois_dormant
DIY tips for an alcove shelving feature wall
- Measure your alcove space and see if you can find ready-made shelves to fit – they’re much cheaper than getting a joiner in to create bespoke shelving.
- Think about your storage needs as well as the feature wall element – would three upper shelves and a lower cupboard be more useful, for example.
- Paint the shelves to work with the alcoves – you could go for one cohesive colour on the walls and shelves, choose a contrasting combo or pick a paint shade for the shelves that draws out a colour in the wallpaper on the alcoves.
We hope you’ve now got plenty of inspiration for your living room feature wall – why not take a look at our decorating hub to find plenty of paint and wallpaper choices?
