18 Inexpensive DIY Wall Decor Ideas
A round-up of DIY wall decor ideas for designer style on the cheap using repurposed items and thrifted materials.
Weren’t we just talking about the TV switcheroo / wall decor situation happening in our living room? I’ve been over here remember ALL of the diy wall decor ideas we’ve conjured up ever since then.
There are a lot of exciting things happening here behind the scenes (which I sort of mentioned on Instagram yesterday), but one of the current debates is placing some wall decor around our behemoth television. And it got me thinking about ALLLLLL of the wall decor we have DIYed in our house over the years. It’s a lot…like A LOT.
UPDATE: Want 20 more DIY wall decor ideas? See them all here.
Apparently we’re into the “why buy it when you can make it for half price” look. So I thought I’d round up all 18 inexpensive DIY wall decor ideas to help out if you’re ever feeling stumped in that department too.
One of my first stops at the thrift store is the frames section. You can pick them up for a couple of bucks, and if you don’t like the picture inside, no biggie. Once you have a great collection going, paint them all to look cohesive. And if you need some pointers for hanging a rockin’ gallery wall, you can see all my tips here.
Our dining room sported this look last summer, and adding shutters is still one of my favorite ways to add texture to a plain wall.
Frame Old Baby Clothes
To fight clutter in our closets, I try to display our keepsakes from the past on shelves or in shadow boxes. This white dress that Olivia wore as a baby now hangs in her bedroom.
Cut Up a Calendar for Easy Art
When I was in college, I decorated my entire apartment with calendar pages. To fill this window, I just used some prints from an old Ansel Adams calendar I had. Done! Instant art.
Make Art from Vintage Yardsticks
Robert and I made this yardstick American flag for his office, but there are so many possibilities to create different types of art using them.
Curate a Collection
If you have a collection, display them all together for a big impact. I have a thing for clocks so I put them together on our kitchen wall.
Purchase sheet music to your favorite song to have blown up as an engineer print. You can see the full tutorial for making this sign here.
Make a Simple Sign
Using just a scrap piece of wood, paint, and a few craft letters, you can make a basic sign in minutes.
If you find an old book with great art, rescue it by framing some of your favorites. These prints came a book that was bound for the trash. You can download a set of 6 of them here.
Display Ceiling Medallions
You can find ceiling medallions at thrift stores, estate sales, and yard sales pretty often. But you can recycle them for your wall instead of the ceiling.
I love when wall decor can also double as organization. All you need is a thrifted frame, chicken wire, scrap wood, and a few knobs, and you no longer have to dig through a cluttered jewelry box.
Build Your Own Rustic Sign
This one I made in the fall (and this similar one for Christmas) are simple to build and look like the real rustic deal.
We dug into our scrap wood pile to come up with this door knob towel rack for something a little more interesting than a basic towel bar in our hallway bathroom.
Make a Chalkboard from a Window
I love changing out the scriptures and poems on this chalkboard to work with the different seasons and holidays of the year. If you have an old window, just prime, paint a couple of coats of chalkboard paint, dry and rub down with chalk to season, and you’re good to go. (You can see my trick here for hand lettering chalkboards the easy way too.)
These shelves cost about $20 to make and they add a pretty, farmhouse vibe in our hallway bathroom. Plus, they double for function.
Make a Vintage Style Pull Down Map
Use just a poster, two dowel rods, string, and a little glue… voila! Easy and vintage industrial art.
Create Typography Art
If you have a favorite verse, quote, or song lyric, type it up, resize it into a engineer print, and paste it onto a wooden sign. Or you can even create typography art using existing frames.
Hang a Mirror with a Ballet Barre
I mean… I know this won’t work for everyone, but if you have a little girl, do it right now! This ballet barre is definitely Olivia’s favorite place in the whole house to dance and sing and play dress-up.
So do you have a favorite one? All of them are so inexpensive and they have added lots of personality to our home to make it reflect so much of what we love.
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