Budget-Friendly Ways to Say Goodbye to a Big Blank Wall

Big walls call for big art. Nothing looks stranger than seeing a small, lonely painting floating in a giant expanse of wall. The difficulty, of course, is that big pieces of art often come with big price tags. So we’ve rounded up a list of nine different ways to fill up a big wall on a little budget.

Above: The hanging panels in this space from Little Green Notebook are actually wallpaper panels sandwiched between pieces of acrylic. Get the DIY here.

If you prefer a more traditional look, try cutting out and framing a few pieces of boldly patterned wallpaper, as seen on Havenly.

If you’re not lucky enough to have something already at hand, a vintage tapestry, rug, or quilt can often be had for a small fraction of the cost of a similarly sized piece of art. And I love the idea of hanging one on the wall with pants hangers, as seen on Design Sponge.

If you have a smaller piece that you really love but that just isn’t the right size for your wall, you can give it some extra impact by backing it with a piece of art paper surrounded by picture frame moldings. Image from Lonny.

Botanical prints, like these spotted on Skona Hem, are very hot right now, and the good news is that there are lots of places where you can print them for free.

Create a DIY mural, like this one seen on Little Green Notebook. Abbey found a vintage print and had it printed on adhesive-backed paper using Wizard Prints, but you could also use an inexpensive engineering print to get the same look.

In this dining room from A Cup of Jo, a series of kids’ drawings hung in inexpensive, colorful frames makes a big statement.

A fabric wall hanging, like this one from Nalle’s House, is a great inexpensive alternative to larger pieces of art. Her site includes instructions on how to create a wall hanging like the one pictured, with wooden bars at the top and bottom. If you prefer a more traditional stretched-canvas look, you can find instructions for how to do that here.

Even cheaper than fabric? Making a giant wall hanging out of a shower curtain. Brilliant. DIY from House of Jade Interiors.

Have a calendar you love and want to look at for more than just a year? Frame the pages and use them to create an easy (and inexpensive) art installation. See more at The Creativity Exchange.

Want more ideas? Check out 5 Wallet-Friendly Ways to Create Big, High-Impact Art.

Re-edited from a post originally published 2.20.16-NT