How to Decorate a High Ledge in your Living Room?

You have a living room with a high ledge, and you would like to add some decorative elements to it? Maybe you don't know exactly which ones to incorporate? 

High ledges are a subtle and a simple way to decorate any space of the house, especially living rooms. If they are decorated to suit the surrounding area, they can quickly draw eyes to them.

A high ledge can be decorated in hundreds of ways, including picture frames, ceramic vases, candles, etc. Whether they be antique decor pieces, small lamps or artwork on canvas. The highest key to perfecting your empty shelves in the living room is to balance the size of decor items you are going to place on the high ledges, keeping their size into concern.

A high ledge is seen from several different points of view in the house. Whatever decor you place on the high shelf should blend effortlessly and be equally attractive, just like the decor throughout the living room. While you begin with the list of items to place on the high ledges, just remember that it is essential to keep it simple, minimalistic, and clean. 

In this article, we are going to describe the following things:

• High ledge decorating ideas for beginners
• How to decorate your high ledge with different, yet simple things.
• Some frequently asked questions
• Things to be taken into consideration while decorating the high ledge.  

Let's have a look at this article, walking you through some of the best ways to decorate a high ledge in your living room.

I) Ideas to begin with

Sometimes decorating a high ledge can become a little challenging for you, especially with the living room's layout and design. When planning a high ledge decor, you need to keep in mind that the design and decoration blend well with the surrounding space.

Although all this seems pretty challenging, the good news is that it is still very manageable. While decorating the high ledges in your living room, all you need is to think creatively and out of the box, of course! These hard-to-reach, empty shelf-like spaces have a lot of potential, provided that they are filled with the correct decor. 

Let us look at the few ideas that we have compiled for you to get started. 

1) Use a multicolor vase to brighten the high ledge

Vases are one of the perfect decor items to decorate a high ledge not only in the living room but in any part of the house. They look beautiful, especially when you place two or three vases of different heights over the high ledge. Multicolored ceramic vases are often recommended as they look the most appealing.

However, if you do not find ceramic ones, you can also use a plain glass vase, designing it in any way that you like. Adding colorful flowers to the vase is also a great idea. However, do not use real flowers because the ledges are at a certain height that you might not want to reach daily to water or change the flowers. 

2) Use fake plants

As we mentioned above, do not use natural plants or flowers for placing them over the high ledge because the shelves are pretty hard to reach. Therefore, artificial plants and flowers will be perfect for decor purposes and still serve pretty well. They will last longer, and you do not have to spray them with water every day by finding a ladder and climbing it to reach the ledges. However, these artificial flowers and plants will look real from a distance.

3) Use pottery

Using pottery while decorating a high ledge is an excellent idea, as you might not want to place decor items that need to be moved often. For this reason, to give your high ledge an attractive appeal, you can use pottery, dishes, and other items like vases, tiny storage bowls, etc. Pottery items provide a traditional touch to the place and will also serve greatly if placed on the kitchen's high ledges. 

4) Place a family sign

Mounting or placing a family sign on the high ledge is also an excellent idea to decorate it creatively. The family signs are used for showing who is living in the house and look great, especially in living rooms.

5) Use antiques

Do you have different kinds of antique items lying around unnecessarily in your home? A high ledge is a perfect place to use them nicely. Placing them on the high shelves would give it a classy and timeless appearance. For instance, you can set a rustic clock or a metal car to give your living room a vintage appeal. 

6) Use baskets

Baskets serve as a great way to decorate any space, especially on high ledges. For this reason, wicker is a trendy decorative item and is commonly used in many houses for decoration purposes. Baskets are available at highly affordable prices everywhere, and you can find them of every shape and size. To make your ledge area stand out, you can use baskets of different colors and heights. 

7) Lean picture frames on the wall

You do not always need to hang your picture frames while decorating your high ledges. You can simply place the portraits resting against the wall and leave it like it is. Use two or three frames of different sizes and colors to give a trendy appeal.

II) High ledge decorating ideas

Since you have learned all the essential things to start decorating your high ledge in the living room, let us move forward with some of the other creative ideas. Keep reading below.

A high ledge in a living room can serve as a blessing and a curse. It can either be served as an excellent way to add your favorite decor items or simply be used as a storage space. While on the other hand, it can also be difficult to set as the ledge is located at a certain height, making it pretty hard to reach. 

1) Use the high ledge as a storage space

Before getting to the list of decoration ideas for your high ledge, we would like to mention that if you are struggling with the high ledge decoration in your living room, there are still so many ways you can make it work for your empty space. For example, turn the high ledge into a great storage space.

If you own a lot of small items that need to be stored all in one place, then a high ledge in your living room is the perfect place. You can use boxes, bins, and even baskets to store items like blankets, pillows, books, throws, and much more. Just make sure you label each box to find everything quickly whenever you need it. 

2) Make use of greenery

As we mentioned earlier, to add a natural touch to your high ledge in the living room without consuming too much space, consider adding greenery to the area. For this reason, you can use a few potted plants and place them on the ledge.

You can also hang some DIY planters from the ceiling to make your ledge area look beautiful and natural. Along with looking attractive, adding live plants to the area will also freshen up the air in your room. 

When it comes to adding greenery to the high ledge, you can browse through many options to make your space look perfect. 

A) Flowers

Considering using flowers to decorate the high ledge can be an excellent option, as they can add color to the space. Roses, orchids, or tulips are some great options to choose from for brightening the area in an instant. Remember, if you are planning to use fresh, natural flowers, make sure that you change them periodically to prevent them from dying.

However, we strongly recommend using high-quality artificial flowers as the ledges are at a height, making it difficult to reach and change the flowers every now and then.

B) Climbing vines

To add a whimsy touch to your living room, you can make use of climbing vines by adding them over your high ledge. Both natural and artificial vines will look equally beautiful.

C) Miniature plants

If the high ledge in your living room is low on space, you can simply make use of tiny plants for the decor. There are hundreds of varieties to choose from in miniature plants that would not consume much space as well. Succulents are an excellent option for this reason because they are available easily in many different colors, sizes, and plant types.

Another great feature about succulent miniatures is that these plants do not require much water every day and can survive without sunlight for long (for example, cactus plants). These plants can serve well for someone who is not good enough at taking care of plants too often. 

D) Artificial plants

As mentioned earlier, consider placing artificial plants if you are not used to taking care of plants too often but still want to decorate your high ledge with greenery. Several options are available in artificial plants, which look exactly like real ones.

These plants will last for months or even years without needing any extra care like watering or changing soil, except for occasional dusting to make them look clean. The only thing you must remember while using artificial plants is that they should match with the rest of the decoration items in your living room, blending in effortlessly. 

3) Paint your high ledge

Painting the high ledges with the colors of your choice is a great way to add a pop of color to your house's living room decor. A colorful high shelf has the power to transform the appearance of your living space without making any significant changes.

If you are not that fond of flowers or other decor items, painting your high ledge in a contrasting color to your living room is by far the most cost-effective and an excellent idea. You need to pick a color that compliments the walls of your living room without making the ledge appear too bright or too dull. Make use of semi-gloss paints since they are super easy to clean. 

Another way of making your living area look bright and chic is to add fun patterns while painting your high ledges by using the same color with different shades or even different colors. 

4) How about adding some art or pictures to the high ledge?

Placing wall art or portraits on the high ledge gives a classic personality to the living room. It is a good way to display your personal style, along with making your living area feel comfortable and more like home. You can either hang the pictures on the ledge or place them freely over it, resting against the wall, which is more trendier these days. 

A) Hanging artwork frames or pictures

Hanging your favorite travel or family/friends' pictures or the artwork you just did or got a gift from someone can be a good option to decorate the high ledge. This will give you a more home-like feeling as you plan to personalize your empty space.

Simply use command strips or picture hangers to hang these pictures or artwork frames. You can also select a specific color scheme on the high ledge, making it appear attractive to everyone. Ensure that the height of the hanging artwork or picture frames is convenient enough for everyone to see. 

You can hand other decorative items like wreaths, mirrors, and tiny fairy lights to make the pictures or artwork the center of everyone's attention. Hanging different fairy lights over the high ledge is an excellent way to make your area lit up every time, even when the room lights are turned off, thus grabbing instant attention. 

If you own many artwork frames, we recommend using a gallery wall layout to place on the high ledge. This will make the area look organized, neat, and cohesive. 

B) Placing the frames on top of the high ledge

This is another great way of displaying your personal pictures or artwork, rather than hanging them. By doing this, you can show off more of your photographs or art pieces, which will also help in adding some visual interest to your living room. 

Just make sure that the size of the frames you are planning to place on the high ledges is small so that they do not take too much room on the shelf. If you own a lot of art pieces, consider placing them in a staggered layout to prevent them from ending up all in a single spot, which may look untidy and too much filled up. 

Another great option is that if you want to create a new set of memories, you just have to change the photos from the frames, and voila! A brand-new picture ledge is ready. 

However, the high ledges in your living room are not only limited to decorating them with picture frames or artwork. In general, wall art installation is not very complicated to do.

5) Large-sized candles

If you find the correct size, candles are an excellent way to decorate a high ledge, giving off light illumination as well. Just make sure that the candlesticks you are using are neither too large nor too small and just the perfect size to be viewed easily from the bottom.

Today, you can find hundreds of options in candles, not only of different colors and shapes but also scented candles available, which give off a beautiful scent while lightened up. If you are worried about the candles' wax that might mess up the space, you can also use artificial candles that look real from a distance. 

6) Distressed decor

Distressed decorative items often come in a set of three or four. Adding these types of things to your high ledge will give a unique personality to your space. The distressed look offers a stunning appearance and will add a statement if you add some green twigs, faux floral items, or other bouquets. 

7) Lights and lamps

As mentioned earlier, adding lights to your space is an excellent way to keep the high ledge and the whole room slightly illuminated. Many types of lights of different shapes, colors, and sizes are available in the market, such as tree branch lights, mini fairy lights, lanterns, small battery-powered lamps, etc. Lighting up the space would not only make the room look beautiful but also highlight other decor items that you have placed on the high ledge. 

There are so many options you can choose from to decorate the high ledge in your living room, such as figurines, toys, books, and other holiday items. If you find it hard to decide what to put on the high ledge, consider rotating the decor items once every few weeks or months. This will add some visual appeal to the area, along with you making the most of your versatile empty shelves.

III) What do I do to make the high ledge look attractive?

As we mentioned before, if you want to indulge some creativity in your living area, consider adding pictures or artwork canvas to your high ledge. This is a good way to showcase your own personal style in the room and make it feel more inviting. You can also utilize the high ledge as a storage space by organizing and adding helpful stuff like books, extra pillows, blankets, etc. This will free the other parts of the house and give a vintage appeal. To add life to the high ledge, use natural or artificial plants and flowers to add a pop of color. 

IV) What things should be considered while decorating a high ledge?

There are plenty of things you should consider before decorating your high ledge.

1) Do not think of it as a mantle

A high ledge is not a mantle. While a mantle is usually close to your eye level, a high shelf in the living room is at a certain height. Therefore, the decor items that might look appealing on a mantle will not necessarily look the same over the high ledge. 

2) Scaling is the key

You need to place one thing that is at least 2/3 as tall as the ceiling of your living area. For instance, if your ceiling is 8 feet tall, you do not want to have only five things there that are the size of a football's size. An improper scaling will make your decoration look dinky up there. 

If the object does not fit anywhere else, do not place it on the high ledge. The high ledge of your living room is not a dumping area. Hence, in order to make it look attractive and creative, do not try to fit everything in there, just to free up your house's space. 

3) Take dust into consideration

There will be tons of dust up there, without a doubt. So, it is essential to be careful with the selection of items you want to place on the high ledge. Anything that makes it difficult to wipe off the dust should be avoided. For example, baskets and wickers may look great but can be easily covered in dust too often. Therefore, if you can manage to get rid of dust regularly, then go for it! 

It is no crime to leave the high ledge empty! If the high ledges in your living room are not too big, then leaving them empty as an architectural feature is a great option. Just paint it with your favorite color or pattern, and voila!

So, these are some of the ways to consider when you plan to decorate the high ledge in your living room. You have now some excellent choices in your hands, such as vines and artificial or miniature plants to dress up your ledge. Paint up the high ledge in some fun colors or patterns while adding photos or artwork to give it a subtle and a more personalized look.

Another option is utilizing the high ledge to store old books, magazines, journals, etc. No matter how you plan to set up your high shelf, it will add a visual appeal and personality to your living space. 

All in all, there are uncountable possibilities when it comes to decorating a small space. So just do your own thing and do not be scared of experimenting. 

A high ledge is an ideal space to hang a canvas. If you are interested, choose yours on our online store, where you will find wall art of all styles.

To thank you for having read our blog post so far, take advantage today of a 15% discount on your order with the coupon code: BLOG15.

See you soon.

Splash of Arts Team.