The Smartest, Most Budget-Friendly Way to Fill a Large Blank Wall Might Actually Be Under Your Feet

I think it’s safe to say interior designers have some of the coolest, most original homes out there. Gala Magriñá, a New York-based residential and commercial interior designer, is no exception to this rule. As founder and principal of her eponymous firm, Gala Magriñá Design, she’s also certified in holistic interior design and Feng Shui. So naturally, her house is full of vibey vignettes and unique design ideas. One smart decorating move she made though is truly unexpected and such a great way to set off a bare wall in a room with especially tall ceilings: hanging a rug like a tapestry.

I’m a huge fan of large woven macrame art pieces and perfectly placed textiles as focal points on blank walls. One thing I never considered displaying on a wall though? A rug!

In a recent house tour, Magriñá opened up the doors to the 2,600 square-foot modern farmhouse she shares with her wife, Martha Magriñá, in Westchester, New York. One of her favorite design elements (and mine, too!) is West Elm’s Spliced Stripe flatweave area rug, which is used as a tapestry. You don’t just hang a rug like this or tack it haphazardly to the wall (especially if you want to use it again someday… maybe even as a floor covering). So Magriñá designed a beautiful, sturdy rigging system to give it a more formal, art gallery-like display: The rug appears to be fastened to a long wooden dowel set atop drapery brackets mounted to the wall.

“I absolutely LOVE the West Elm geometric rug we hung on the living room wall as a tapestry,” Gala says. “Our ceilings are really high so we needed a giant statement piece and it was perfect because it also added some texture.”  

In the house tour, she also mentions that their main goal was to create a sanctuary within their home. Working with the Feng Shui principles of Yin and Yang energy, the Magriñás focused on making the living room more Yin with toned-down colors and textures. This vision really comes to life in the decor, which features a white slipcovered sofa, tonal light gray rug, and marbled fireplace hearth.

Neither Magriñá nor her wife like over-designed rooms or clutter. The openness and clean lines in this home are really reflective of that. Using the rug in place of a tapestry is a colorful, creative way to add a hint of personality to a room that’s otherwise full of calming, neutral design elements. Considering how pricy large artwork can be, it might be worth looking in the rug section for your next piece of statement artwork. Rugs aren’t cheap either, but you just might be able to find something large that’s on sale or more reasonable than a framed print or painting.