Aquariums are show-stoppers. As soon as you put an aquarium in a living space, every other art piece pales in comparison (well, unless you happen to be the owner of an original Van Gogh). That puts aquarium owners in a tough position. On the one hand, everything else you put into the living space will look boring compared to the aquarium. On the other, you can’t just install an aquarium and call it quits — you’ll also need beautiful furniture to round out the aesthetic. So, how can you strike the balance? How can you showcase your gorgeous aquarium without completely eclipsing all the other features of your room?

The trick lies in visual harmony. Truly skilled interior decorators know how to unite different visual elements under a common theme. Today, we’re going to go over a few examples of how creative interior design in conjunction with an aquarium can truly elevate a living space.

Interior Decoration

Living room aquarium — Image source: Houzz.com

In this room, the aquarium maintains a balance with the television and the green painting on the left wall. Each wall has a visually prominent rectangular showpiece, which creates a sort of symmetry throughout the room.

Living Room Aquarium

Living room aquarium — Image source: Houzz.com

It’s immediately obvious that the aquarium is the room’s centerpiece. What other art objects come close? The wiry vine sculpture to the left of the aquarium? The sculpture on the table beneath it? Not even close! The flashes of blue and yellow stand out next to all the neutral browns, whites, and greys. Despite how much the aquarium dominates the room, it still belongs in the living space because of its shape. The thick wood border is a visual parallel to all of the woody rectangles throughout the room: the floorboards, the table, and the box-shaped furniture.

Living room aquarium

Living room aquarium – Image source: Houzz.com

This room is bright, colorful, and cheerful. The pictures on the right wall exhibit eye-catching orange and yellows, which mirror the electric blue of the aquarium on the opposite wall. This room feels like spring, doesn’t it?

Bar with Aquarium

Bar with Aquarium — Image source: Houzz.com

Whoever designed this room was completely unabashed about emphasizing the aquarium as the star. The bright blue aquascape is the first thing that catches your eye in a room filled with rich browns and white marble. The circular bar also frames the aquarium, making it a centerpiece in a much more literal sense. The bar also serves as the visual bridge between the aquarium and the rest of the room. Your gaze flows from the circular aquarium, to the marble-and-wood bar, to the brown-and-white features of the room.

Aquarium Bookcase

Aquarium Bookcase — Image source: Houzz.com

At first, it might take you a few moments to spot the aquarium nestled between the shelves of this bookcase. The designer of this room took a much more humble approach to aquascaping — fitting, considering the surrounding art pieces. Books have a sort of introverted, unassuming energy. A book never looks very exciting, but you can fully experience its beauty after you take the time to read it cover to cover. This aquarium perfectly fits with that concept. A larger-than-life, flashy aquarium would create a visual imbalance next to such a quaint bookcase.

From the grandiose to the humble, rooms can be built around an aquarium.  It isn’t a matter of jamming all your favorite things into the space, but finding a subtle touch that highlights the aquarium without letting it overwhelm everything else.  How would you decorate your room?  What are your favorite aquarium complements?