How to Choose Farmhouse Wall Art for Your Living Room
Farmhouse style has changed quite a bit over the years. The heavy distressed furniture, signs on every wall, and lots of small decorative pieces have given way to a cleaner, simpler look.
Today's farmhouse interiors often combine light walls, natural wood, comfortable furniture, and a few carefully chosen pieces that give the room some character. Wall art is an important part of that mix.
For farmhouse wall art, subjects such as old barns, windmills, cattle, horses, and rural landscapes are a natural fit. But the subject is only part of the decision. Size, color, framing, and where you hang the artwork can make just as much difference.
What Is the Best Wall Art for a Farmhouse Living Room?
The best farmhouse wall art should look like it belongs in the room rather than something that was added just because it was labeled "farmhouse decor."
Some of my favorite subjects for farmhouse homes include old barns and windmills. Weathered wood, rusted metal, old fences, and open fields have plenty of character without making a room feel overly decorated.
Cattle and horses also work well, especially if you want the room to lean a little more western. A Longhorn, Black Angus cow, horse, or bison can give you a stronger focal point while still fitting comfortably in a farmhouse-style room.
Rural landscapes are another good choice when you want something quieter. Open fields, country roads, trees, and prairie scenes can add interest without becoming the main focus of the entire room.
What Wall Art Works With Modern Farmhouse Style?
Modern farmhouse usually has cleaner lines and less clutter than traditional farmhouse decor. Because of that, I think the artwork can be a little simpler too.
You don't need several small pieces on every wall. One large photograph can often look better than a collection of smaller items, especially over a sofa, console table, or on a large open wall.
Photography also works well with the materials commonly found in modern farmhouse homes. Wood floors, leather furniture, stone fireplaces, metal accents, and neutral fabrics all pair naturally with photographs of barns, cattle, horses, windmills, and western landscapes.
The goal doesn't have to be making the entire room look western or country. Sometimes one photograph is enough to bring a little of that character into an otherwise modern room.
Should Farmhouse Wall Art Be Color or Black and White?
Either can work. I would choose based on the room and the photograph rather than following a rule.
Black and white photography works especially well in rooms with neutral colors. It can also be a good choice if you already have several colors and textures in the room and don't want the artwork competing with them.
Color photography can bring warmth to a room. The brown and rust tones of an old barn, golden prairie grass, a red cow, or the natural colors of a Longhorn can work beautifully with wood, leather, cream, tan, and other colors commonly used in farmhouse interiors.
I also like photographs with muted or natural colors for farmhouse rooms. They give you color without overwhelming the rest of the space.
What Size Wall Art Should You Choose for a Living Room?
One of the most common mistakes I see is choosing artwork that is too small for the wall.
A small photograph may look beautiful when you're looking at it by itself online, but put that same piece over an eight-foot sofa and it can suddenly look lost.
For a large living room wall, don't be afraid of larger artwork. Sizes such as 30x45, 40x60, or even larger can work well when you have the wall space. On a large wall, a bigger piece usually looks more intentional than a small piece surrounded by too much empty space.
If you're hanging artwork over a sofa or other piece of furniture, look at the width of the furniture as well as the wall. The artwork should feel connected to what's below it rather than floating by itself in the middle of a large wall.
This is also why I offer room mockups. Seeing the artwork on a photograph of your own wall can make choosing the right size much easier.
Is One Large Piece Better Than a Gallery Wall?
It depends on the room, but I often prefer one larger piece.
A single large photograph can fill the wall without making the room look busy. This works particularly well with modern farmhouse interiors, where the overall look tends to be cleaner.
Gallery walls can work too, especially if you have several photographs that relate to each other. A group of old barns, horses, or western landscapes can look great together.
The important thing is scale. Whether you use one piece or several, the overall arrangement needs to be large enough for the wall.
Canvas, Framed Canvas, or Fine Art Print?
The way your artwork is finished also changes how it looks in the room.
Canvas has a simple finished look and doesn't require glass. A float-framed canvas adds a wood frame around the canvas while leaving a small space between the artwork and frame. It's one of my favorite choices for farmhouse and western rooms.
Fine art prints give you more flexibility with framing. They work especially well if you already have wood or metal finishes in the room that you'd like to coordinate with the artwork.
I've written a separate guide explaining the differences between canvas, framed canvas, and fine art prints if you're trying to decide which one is right for your room.
Where Can You Buy Farmhouse Wall Art?
There are plenty of places to buy farmhouse wall decor, but I think it's worth paying attention to where the artwork actually comes from.
Much of the inexpensive wall decor sold today uses stock images or computer-generated artwork. If you want something more personal, look for photography or artwork created by someone who actually photographs or paints the subjects you're seeing.
Every photograph on my website is one I've taken myself. I photograph real barns, windmills, cattle, horses, bison, and rural landscapes, primarily in Oklahoma and throughout the American West.
Many of the old barns and windmills I photograph won't be around forever. That's one of the reasons I enjoy finding and photographing them.
Choosing Farmhouse Wall Art You Will Still Like Years From Now
Farmhouse styles will continue to change. Colors will change, furniture styles will change, and some decorating trends will eventually look dated. Your wall art doesn't have to follow every trend.
Choose a subject you genuinely like and a photograph you won't get tired of seeing every day. Then choose a size that fits the wall and a finish that works with the rest of your room.
For me, that's one of the nice things about photographs of old barns, cattle, horses, windmills, and western landscapes. They worked in farmhouse homes long before "modern farmhouse" became a decorating style, and they'll still look at home when the next decorating trend comes along.