DIY Idea: Wall of Buttons

Looking at Tracy Kendall's Buttons wallpaper the other day, we started thinking about how beautiful it would look in our home, and how it might not be too hard to create our own wall of real buttons...

We've seen an incredible button mural installed at Lula Cafe in Logan Square using pins rather than clothing buttons, and we think a similar look could be pulled off by pinning shirt buttons directly to the wall. We've also seen some inspiring paper and fabric button wall hangings, but we'd prefer to pin ivory buttons directly to our cream-colored walls for a textural, tone-on-tone look. The project would create a lot of pin holes, and it would take some time, but the result could be very striking.

• For more of Tracy Kendall's designs, click here.

Comments (8)

That could get expensive, even with cheap buttons. That little square in the picture is already over 600 buttons (I counted). It would take thousands to cover a wall.

posted by Lisa (Montreal) on June 26th 2009 at 4:52pm
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Oh gosh, you couldn't do this if you had little kids, they'd be pulling them off and eating them... :/

posted by kate78 on June 26th 2009 at 5:06pm
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If you have a DIY psycho at home... this might be the cure....

posted by manu_pty on June 26th 2009 at 10:27pm
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or someone on ice.

posted by HelenThura on June 27th 2009 at 3:26am
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OCD OMG

posted by Mlle Kate on June 27th 2009 at 3:40pm
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I agree, Lisa, it would take a gross sum of buttons to do a whole wall - but wouldn't it be a great treatment to a back splash in a small bathroom? I like everything to be bright, white and shiny in my bathrooms and I think this would look stunning, say in the small wall space between sink and mirror.

posted by Anna-Lisa on June 27th 2009 at 5:10pm
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To say nothing of the dust!!!

I designed a mural of a collection myself, of different basil leaves for a Casino's Italian Restaurant. This was done as a digital print, not as a wallpaper or a REAL collection...

The problem was, in grocery stores in Copley, Ohio, there are only about 5 kinds of basil available. So, being the smart Matt Orley that I am, I went out into my backyard, found weeds that 'looked' like basil, and photographed them as the real thing....

My Copley Ohio weeds looked more real than the store bought! Anyway, that has nothing to do with buttons, but I wanted to share.

Matthew J. Orley of Copley, OH
lateralart.com

posted by mttorley on June 28th 2009 at 9:27pm
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I love it. I once covered an entire old purse in buttons. I loved that purse, and I sewed the buttons on one by one as I found them. Soon the entire bag was covered.

Man was that thing heavy when it was full!

posted by JulieLeanne on June 29th 2009 at 3:26pm
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