10 Impressive DIY Wall Art Projects from Our House Tours

updated Jul 16, 2020

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“Decorative art isn’t necessarily created just by bona fide artists. Everyday folks can get in on the action too, and make custom work for their walls. We asked our house tour residents to tell us about their DIY art projects, and the results are endlessly impressive.

1. Above, a Southwestern rug-inspired painted canvas from Kathryn & Perry’s “Have Less Do More” Apartment:

My proudest DIY has got to be our little dining nook/statement art wall! I kinda love telling people about this space because its origin is so simple, and yet it’s our favorite wall in the apartment for sure. Believe it or not, I found the massive 50″ square framed canvas at Goodwill. I blissfully snatched it up, painted away its former life with some fresh white paint, and dressed up the frame with a black lacquer. Drawing inspiration from an old southwestern woven rug I had seen years back, I purchased a set of small paint samplers from the hardware store and went to town creating my first original piece of art.

(Image credit: Rebecca Bond)

2. Fish painting from Ekaterina’s Chic South London Space:

I woke up one morning with a very strong feeling that I needed to paint fish. So I made a canvas for my bedroom.

(Image credit: Patrick’s Rural Agrarian Roots)

3. Functional wood art from Patrick’s Rural Agrarian Roots:

There are two pieces of wood hanging on my wall …. [which are] perfect for a small place like the one I live in, or, say, any place in New York City. When you lift the wood off its hanging hooks, three hairpin legs flip out to make the once wall art into a functional side/end/coffee table.

(Image credit: Amy & Meghan’s Charming Nest in Williamsburg)

4. Framed floral installation from Amy & Meghan’s Charming Nest in Williamsburg:

The framed floral installation in my room. It features a pair of resin antlers and a plethora of silk flora and fauna, and is easily the focal point of my tiny bedroom space. I talked about crafting this for a long time before I actually did, so it’s a big accomplishment that I managed to put action behind it. I can be kind of lazy!

(Image credit: Kim Lucian)

5. Handmade ceramics from Sarah’s Curio Filled Studio:

My handmade ceramics are sprinkled here and there throughout the apartment. I’m not sure if I have started designing my art to look good in my space or if it’s just coincidence.

(Image credit: Jacqueline Marque)

6. Katrina-themed art, with the words a store owner spray painted on his boarded up windows during the hurricane, from Thomas and Mitchell’s Bougie Boho Style:

I made the painting — using materials salvaged from our house — to have a reminder to never take things for granted; to realize how transitory life is… it demonstrates how to maintain your sense of humor, even in the worst of times… I’ve had some visitors find them a bit grim or off-putting, but I’ve always enjoyed gallows humor, and I do think it’s important to remember dark days have as much importance in shaping you as the sunny ones.

(Image credit: Ashlae & Thom’s Eclectic Downtown Loft)

7. Cork travel map from Ashlae & Thom’s Eclectic Downtown Loft:

Thom talked about making a travel map since we first started traveling in 2010. The only problem? He was opposed to a paper map glued to a bulletin board, so he set out to make his own. With the help of an endless supply of peanut butter cookies, he cut all of the cork by hand (in two days) (!!!) and then attached it to a piece of dry-brush painted wood. He purposely left off Greenland and Antarctica, but we’ve since established that we will be visiting both. Even if they are mostly covered in ice.

(Image credit: Alexis Buryk)

8. Found art from Jessie & Jon’s Colorfully Collected Home:

I love all the things we’ve turned into art for the walls. Wrapping paper, old Cream of Wheat sacks, postcards, pages from magazines…

(Image credit: Arthur Garcia-Clemente)

9. Rubens canvas from Tim’s Cabinet of Curiosities:

The painting in my dining room is a reproduction of an unfinished work by Rubens. The painting is just printed on banner sized paper and glued to a canvas I found in the trash and varnished over to simulate brush strokes. There’s even still a painting underneath.