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You are visiting: Home » Decorating/DIY » Decorate Your Home » The Great Wall of Ikea

The Great Wall of Ikea

by Lindsay Ballard on April 3, 2014 44 Comments

So, I have this giant wall.  Well, I have five giant, 2-story walls in my house, but today we are going to focus on one particular wall.  I’ll never forget the first time I had friends over to our (then) new house, and one of them looked at it said and said, “How are you going to decorate that?”

Uh…well…hmmm…{blank stare}.  The things you don’t think about when you are house shopping.

Six years later, I still had the same blank stare.  Over the years, I did hang some random candle holders and an iron thingy that I found somewhere for half-off, but I never really liked it.  It wasn’t me and it felt like something I just put there to have something to put there…because I did and it was.

After we had our walls painted white, I vowed to not put the random stuff back on the wall.  But I did decide that I needed something giant on that giant wall.  Maybe giant like the rug I’ve been coveting from Ikea?  Sure, giant like that.

how to hang a rug on a wall via MakelyHome.com

Okay, but let’s back up and talk about how this happened.  Here’s something you guys need to know about me.  I am not afraid of climbing up a ladder.  But, I am TERRIFIED of climbing down a ladder.  I mean, we are talking freezing up and not being able to move.  I got stuck up on that ledge above my front door once, and my husband had to help me down.  So, this whole hanging a 7 foot square rug on a 2-story wall above a staircase became a job for Tom.

Except for the heights, this was actually a pretty easy job (says the girl who watched from the safety of the floor).  We bought a piece of wood trim and cut it to be a few inches shorter than the length of the rug.  Then, Tom stapled it to the top/back of the rug.

how to hang a rug on a wall via MakelyHome.com

Then, he had to climb up the ladder and find the studs on that giant wall.  He likes to use masking tape to mark the location of the studs and then he draws a level line across them.  We’ll talk next week about this thing we called “Ballard Overbuilt,” but I’m going to go ahead and point this out as a prime example.

how to hang a rug on a wall via MakelyHome.com

After he found the location of the studs, he screwed through the rug and trim into the studs.  You can see the screw heads if you look super close at the image below.

how to hang a rug on a wall via MakelyHome.com

He also put a few screws into the bottom of the rug to help keep the kids from pulling on it when they are going up the stairs.  We will probably have to adjust those screws as the rug gets settled and stretches a bit from hanging.  It’s been there for almost a month and hasn’t sagged at all, though.

how to hang a rug on a wall via MakelyHome.com

I am smitten with this rug and am delighted to use it to decorate such a large wall.  I know that rugs and tapestries have been hung on walls since the beginning of time, but I love seeing a more contemporary rug hung in this way.

how to hang a rug on a wall via MakelyHome.com

Do you have any giant walls in your home?  How have you decorated them?

About Lindsay Ballard

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.

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Comments

  1. Teresa says

    April 3, 2014 at 6:40 am

    Love it. Funny thing. I bought this same rug from IKEA but it doesn’t have the colored border? I wish it did. Strange, I guess they made a couple versions of it.

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      April 3, 2014 at 10:15 pm

      Oh, really? I had no idea that they had one without the border. Luckily, the turquoise and green are my colors.

      Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      April 3, 2014 at 10:16 pm

      Oh, I figured it out! The square one has the border. The rectangle one doesn’t.

      Reply
  2. Julia@Cuckoo4Design says

    April 3, 2014 at 6:42 am

    Love rugs as wall art. Looks awesome!

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      April 3, 2014 at 10:16 pm

      Thanks, Julia!

      Reply
  3. Laurie says

    April 3, 2014 at 9:36 am

    Fantastic! What a great way to use a cute rug. The scale and the bold print are perfect in that area.

    I think the Ballard overbuild was a good thing to combat the weight of the rug and keep it from sagging. You guys were right on.

    Very cool!

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      April 3, 2014 at 10:17 pm

      Yes! I think you are probably right on that. Thanks so much!

      Reply
      • Marlene Marateo says

        January 1, 2019 at 3:26 pm

        Happy New Year, it is 2019 soooo are they still hanging rugs on walls!!!
        I have new home, with staircase, not a lover of gallery walls, but a
        bold rug might do the trick. i see this one is from ikea, what is the material and weight of it?
        I probably can find something pretty similar.

        Reply
  4. Darnetha @ ChippaSunshine says

    April 3, 2014 at 11:45 am

    I love this idea! Looks great!

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      April 3, 2014 at 10:17 pm

      Thanks so much, Darnetha!

      Reply
  5. Cathie says

    April 3, 2014 at 12:29 pm

    No, but I sure have a whole bunch of small broken-up-by-ill-placed-windows-walls! Love this!

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      April 3, 2014 at 10:17 pm

      Thanks! Any plans for those walls, Cathie?

      Reply
      • Cathie says

        April 4, 2014 at 3:22 pm

        Mostly, I try to work around them. Got any ideas?

        Reply
  6. Angel says

    April 3, 2014 at 1:59 pm

    We have a big wall that you see when you walk into our house. It’s landing to the top half of our stairs. It’s a taupy color. I stenciled it with a champagne color. I get tons of compliments on it.

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      April 3, 2014 at 10:18 pm

      Oh, I bet that looks great! I love a well-placed stencil.

      Reply
  7. the Blah Blah Blahger says

    April 3, 2014 at 7:28 pm

    LOVE the look!!!

    I have a vaulted ceiling in my living room, so I found a large vertical art piece to emphasize the height. It makes me happy to see all the color it brings without painting the wall again. 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      April 3, 2014 at 10:18 pm

      Nice! You always have the best art pieces.

      Reply
  8. Summer says

    April 5, 2014 at 2:58 pm

    Such a great idea Lindsay! Thanks for the information and I love that rug!

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      April 9, 2014 at 8:35 pm

      Thanks, Summer!

      Reply
  9. Emma says

    April 7, 2014 at 2:51 pm

    Love it! Works really well 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      April 9, 2014 at 8:36 pm

      Thank you, Emma!

      Reply
  10. Everdry Wisconsin says

    April 8, 2014 at 9:24 am

    What a cool idea! Looks awesome. IKEA rules 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      April 9, 2014 at 8:36 pm

      Thanks so much!

      Reply
  11. James Wright says

    April 9, 2014 at 8:12 pm

    There are many pieces in our home that people are shocked to realize are Ikea hacks like this. Why not??!! I don’t need brand names to make me feel better. Perfect example: TV stand for a 60″ LED? $40 Ikea glass top coffee table from Goodwill. Dark wood, look like it was made for it. Amazing. Great blog.

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      April 9, 2014 at 8:37 pm

      Nice score!

      Reply
  12. Ansley says

    April 12, 2014 at 1:48 am

    HOLY BATMAN that’s a cheap rug (not cheap looking..)!!! I love it, though!

    Reply
  13. Jamie says

    April 15, 2014 at 2:45 pm

    Genius! I have that rug too… but it’s just on the ol’ ground 🙂

    Reply
  14. Monica says

    April 22, 2014 at 10:05 am

    That is a really cool idea! Would’ve never tought of it!
    -Monica
    Shimmering Image

    Reply
  15. Jennifer says

    May 28, 2014 at 3:36 pm

    I have the same rug and love it. I’m getting ready to move to an apartment with carpeting though. Do you think the rug would be damaged from the hanging? I would want to use it again down the road if I was somewhere without carpet…

    Reply
  16. Roni says

    June 25, 2014 at 12:17 pm

    I would love to hang my 1940s Chimayo rug BUT I cannot stale it. It is a fragile family piece that is currently rolled up in it’s protective coating from he cleaners. It is woven wool and approximately 5 X 7 with fringe …any ideas?

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      June 26, 2014 at 10:56 am

      Hi Roni-

      There is a different way to hang something that’s more fragile. You can make a hanging pocket and hand stitch it onto your rug. Then, you slip a rod in the pocket and attach that rod to the wall. I think that’s how my MIL hangs her Turkish rugs on the wall.

      Here’s an example of how to make that pocket: http://quilting.about.com/od/decoratingwithquilts/ss/quilt_sleeve.htm

      Reply
  17. Connie says

    March 15, 2016 at 9:32 pm

    I love the idea. What do you think of using fabric and trim boards such as in a picture?

    Reply
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    Reply
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  21. http://www./ says

    November 25, 2016 at 1:20 am

    Ależ, tak, to miłość. W każdej jej odsłonie.Patrz, co święty Paweł nazywa miłością. POLFIC napisał.Wszyscy mówimy to samo, a każdy inaczej!I to jest najwyższa wartość człowieka.Przyjaciółko!

    Reply
  22. bank kredit commerzbank says

    February 11, 2017 at 10:42 am

    Hola Mire22,no tengas miedo, por lo que va a ocurrir en el año 2012, el miedo es que va a desaparecer en el año 2012,según los Mayas no es el fin del mundo, sino solo el fin de un día galictico, el fin de un ciclo, un otro ciclo va a empezar. Según los Mayas, eso va a ser un ciclo muy diferente, se llam el 6. Sol y va a vivir la 6. rasa humana. Los Mayas nos dejarón una guia, su calendario, como guia espiritual para llegar a la “edad dorada”.Te recomendo el libro: “Las nueve revelaciones de Celestin”, de James Redfield,Aprende amar, y así estas salvado.Henry

    Reply
  23. Mary J Allison says

    July 27, 2022 at 4:53 pm

    HI Lindsey!
    Can you tell me if you put the trim all around the outside of the rug…oronly on the top. It seems pretty straight like you almost used the trim for a frame on the back of the rug. Just asking…getting ready to hang 3 rugs and I bought the rug hangers of 2 of the rugs but I could try this for the third. Thanks for the info!

    Reply

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About Makely

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.


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