Sectional sofas are comfy ways to seat lots of people, but decorating the walls above them can be tricky. Learn how to decorate above a corner sectional with three lovely ideas
Our home is a 1960’s Garrison colonial that started out with a traditional floor plan: a dining room in front and kitchen in back on one side of the center stairs, and a skinny front-to-back living room on the other side of the stairs.
The previous owners built a family room addition off the back that connects to the formal living room, but neither space suited our needs.
We wanted a cozy TV room with a sectional sofa to snuggle on, but it took a major home renovation and some creative thinking to get us there!
Creating a TV Room with a Corner Sectional Sofa
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To create a TV room right off the kitchen we transformed the original too-small dining room into a cozy yet open space.
Now, we can keep an eye on the kids while we cook and they watch too many episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
The original dining room was too small for us and closed off from the rest of the home and the walls and floors weren’t in good shape, either.
But, the built-in china cabinet was a great spot for a corner sectional.
Related: Home Tour – Our Garrison Colonial Makeover
Here’s how that spot looked after we refinished floors, repaired and painted the ceiling and walls, added new recessed lighting and wall sconces, and purchased our corner sectional sofa.
brass swing-arm wall sconces, sectional
Quite a difference, right?
Related: 10 Affordable Swing-Arm Sconces Under $150 and Where to Use Them
The other major change we made was to remove the wall below. Now, our TV is on the wall where you see the previous owner’s piano, and the room opens up into our expanded kitchen.
You have no idea how much I adore this transformation. It was worth the wait and all the stress of being kitchen-less for a few months.
pendants, bar stools, faucet (which isn’t docked in this photo)
Related: How to Plan Your Dream Kitchen (When You Don’t Know Where to Start)
Now that our sectional Here are a few more ideas for what to put behind a corner sectional that can inspire us.
3 Gorgeous Ways to Decorate Above a Corner Sectional
1. Create an eclectic gallery wall
This family room looks incredibly cozy and personal. The gallery wall holds a mix of family photos, mirrors, quotes, and decorative plaques that add great texture. The art on both walls maintains the same neutral color scheme in browns and whites, which creates a very cohesive look. A skinny table behind the sectional is perfect for lamps, books, and a place to put a drink.
This gallery wall at a Serena and Lily store is another example of how to decorate above a corner sectional. The colorful art goes all the way to the ceiling, which makes the corner appear even taller. Our TV room’s ceilings aren’t even 8′ tall, so this look could be helpful for us.
2. Install Corner Shelves
Floating shelves are a cool solution to add some dimension to the room. You can mount two floating shelves to fit in the corner above the sectional and fill them with frames and objects.
If your room has limited wall space, placing bookcases behind your sectional is a great way to add a ton of storage as well as interest.
3. Hang something large-scale
Lastly, large-scale artwork takes the focus away from a bulky sectional. Although frankly, I’m a little obsessed with this sectional. Don’t you just want to pet it? Anyway, the clock and film reel are both unique and easily fill the wall.
If you prefer a more symmetrical look, a few extra-large frames create a big impact. Check out my post on using wrapping paper as art for a simple and inexpensive way to create large-scale artwork.
via Instagram, design by Sophie Paterson Interiors, photo by Ray Main
Decorating Behind Our Corner Sectional Sofa: Progress
Although decorating behind a sectional sofa can be tricky, by using sconces like the ones above in tip #3 and the gallery wall in #1, we’re making progress.
I’m pleased with the progress I’ve made so far, but am still looking for the right art to hang under the swing-arm sconces to expand the gallery wall “look”.
It’s definitely been challenging to decorate above a corner sectional, and now I have a lot of thinking to do! My first step will be to review the artwork and frames that I have in storage, then purchase or create something new if I need to.
Get the Look
Whether you’re shopping for a corner sectional, or need to decorate the one you already have, here are some great ideas – including the corner sectional and swing-arm sconces in our TV room. Just click on an image to shop products similar to the ones shown in this post.
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Laurie says
I love the prints in the article addressing how to decorate a corner sectional sofa. Can you tell me where I can find them? Thanks! Laurie
Laura says
Hi Laurie –
The framed art in my family room is from HomeGoods, and the gallery-wrapped art is from Joss and Main. You can find similar art on Joss & Main here: https://fave.co/30ij8gM – the prices are excellent and they’re always having some kind of sale.
🙂 Laura