Blank walls are unforgivably boring especially if they can be made exciting and artsy with a few wall art ideas.
So you have your furniture arranged in your new apartment, but what about those blank walls? You don’t have to hire a decorator to make your walls as lively and as beautiful as you want. We’ve rounded up some of the best and easiest ideas for wall art to help you see what your walls can be made to.
1. Salvage Old Storefront Signs
Table of Contents
- 1 1. Salvage Old Storefront Signs
- 2 2. Mount Your Bicycles
- 3 3. Mount an Oversized Calendar
- 4 4. Framed Portrait
- 5 5. Chalkboard for the Home Office
- 6 6. Succulent Planters
- 7 7. Wall Greenery
- 8 8. Framed Unexpected Artworks
- 9 9. Oversized Photos
- 10 10. Wall Hangers
- 11 11. Wooden Ledges
- 12 12. Large Mirrors
- 13 13. Stylish Tapestry
- 14 14. Framed Scarf
- 15 15. Color Swatch Gallery Wall
- 16 16. DIY Photo Gallery Wall
- 17 17. Painted Mural
- 18 18. Mounted Bookshelves
- 19 19. Mounted Plates
- 20 20. Sculptural Sconces
- 21 21. Macrame Wall Hangings
- 22 22. DIY Giant Mosaic
- 23 23. Fired Ink Art
- 24 24. Floral Monogram
- 25 25. Cut Out Canvas
- 26 26. Looped Strings Art
- 27 27. Framed Clothesline Photo Gallery
- 28 28. Rustic Cutout Wood
- 29 29. Framed Twigs
- 30 30. Floating Flowers in Frames
- 31 31. Message Boards
- 32 32. Sunburst Mirrors
- 33 33. Washi Tape Skyline Decor
- 34 34. Customized Giant Pegboard
- 35 35. Hanging Shelves
- 36 36. Giant Canvas Map
- 37 37. Half Foliage Wreaths
- 38 38. Glow in the Dark Stars
- 39 39. Framed Paint Swatches
- 40 40. Colorful Crate Bookshelves
Source: BHG
For everyone who has a vintage and old-school soul, old storefront signs can be a great way to show your artistic side. You can salvage charming pieces of the days gone by and tell a story and history on your blank wall using these signs.
2. Mount Your Bicycles
Source: Instructables
You don’t have to buy something new or even create something to make your blank wall look chic and sporty if that speaks a lot about you. Do you have a bicycle? This DIY bike wall decor can be unique and nice compared to a blank wall. Simply place some wood mounts on the wall that can hold your bike in place.
3. Mount an Oversized Calendar
Source: The Cottage Market
Wall decor can be anything. It can be something that is valuable to your daily routine like an oversized wall calendar. It is pleasing to the eye with whatever style or design you want it to be, and besides, it is very practical, something you can put in your office, kitchen, or the living room.
4. Framed Portrait
Source: House And Garden
Framed portraits never go old. It can give your walls a certain character and story. Got some old portraits in your attic? Clean them up and dress with some classy brass frames to match the vintage-inspired look of your living room, giving the space an overall eclectic feel. Check out how to hang portraits to liven up your walls.
5. Chalkboard for the Home Office
Source: Making It In The Mountains
Got a lot of chic wood accents in your furniture? An old-school DIY chalkboard can be a perfect match to dress up your wall. It can not only give a vintage vibe, but also an additional space where you can write or draw anything you want.
6. Succulent Planters
Source: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/b8/f6/2a/b8f62a6a4395afdb9fd0750cc53d4038.jpg
Who says plants are only for the garden? These lovely little greens can be one of the best home art ideas that can liven up your empty plain walls. Succulents are low maintenance and something you can put in wall-mounted planters.
7. Wall Greenery
Source: DIY Network
Are succulents not your forte? How about some chosen greens of your preference? Perhaps, you want an indoor herb garden?
You can simply create a living wall, a vertical garden where you can grow and get fresh herbs like mint, basil, oregano, rosemary, onion, garlic, chives, and many others.
8. Framed Unexpected Artworks
Source: BHG
Artworks don’t have to be expensive or bought from a gallery to beautifully line up on your walls. You can frame unexpected artworks from various things like wrappers and grain sacks. Look for some amazing artwork that makes a striking visual impact and frame it.
9. Oversized Photos
Source: Home Guides
Blow up photos are one of the nicest DIY wall art ideas that can make every blank wall quite fancy looking. Do you have some adorable photos of the kids, family, or your cat? Print an oversized copy of your favorite photo, frame it, and hang it on the wall to create a cheap but extremely meaningful art. Find out how to enlarge photos and make them great wall arts.
10. Wall Hangers
Source: Diys
Are you looking for something that can glam up your empty plain walls? How about some real fancy wall hangers? You can buy various wall hangers in different styles, sizes, and design. But you can also make your own too using beads or chords to accentuate the whole room.
11. Wooden Ledges
Source: The Idea Room
Perhaps, you want to have a creative wall decor that can also be very functional? Wall art doesn’t have to be all about artworks and paintings; it can also be a series of DIY styled wooden ledges. It can serve as a stand or storage for things like figurines, photos, and even your magazines.
12. Large Mirrors
Source: Elle Decor
If color and art isn’t your style, you can still salvage the beauty of your wall when you hang a huge mirror. Mirrors are perfect for both small and large rooms, making it look spacious. It can come in various sizes, shape, and design, which can be a great way to make your wall less dull without the need to add a lot of colors.
13. Stylish Tapestry
Source: MSN
Are you a total trendsetter looking for equally stylish wall decor? How about a colorful tapestry that can bring vibrancy to the entire room? A large hanging tapestry on your wall can bring a powerful punch but find something that complements well with the design of the entire room.
14. Framed Scarf
Source: Frame Bridge
If tapestries are too large and bold for your taste or the design of your room, you can always use and frame your favorite scarves, or you can buy one from a thrift store. A framed scarf can be a beautiful wall decor, giving a nice pop of color. Choose a scarf that features a great visual impact with its intricate pattern.
15. Color Swatch Gallery Wall
Source: Homedit
Are you looking for a colorful yet very simple, cheap, and easy-to-make at home gallery wall idea? How about printing or painting some oversized squares in different colors of your preference and make a color swatch gallery wall? This DIY color swatch gallery idea can be perfect for the living room or even the kid’s room.
16. DIY Photo Gallery Wall
Source: DIY Network
Aside from a color swatch gallery wall, you can even make it more personal by using a collection of photos instead. Choose a series of your favorite photos, particularly black and white photos, which can look very classy. Put them in simple and cohesive frames and line them up so you can have a do-it-yourself gallery wall.
17. Painted Mural
Source: Art Is Fun
Show your walls your artistic spirit. Let your blank wall be your canvas and make something that can transport anyone who sees it to another place by painting a mural. You can choose a wall cover or you can hand-paint it yourself. Either way, a mural can have a huge impact on the room.
18. Mounted Bookshelves
Source: The Spruce
Wall arts can be full of functionality too. If you ran out of storage space in your room, you can always mount hanging bookshelves on your wall and bring in your collections to your previously empty wall. You can display your favorite hardcovers, CDs, or small sculptures.
19. Mounted Plates
Source: Tidbits-Cami
Got some antique porcelain plates? Why hide your fine and stylish china in the cabinet if you can hang them on the wall for everyone to see? Install plate hangers on your wall and display some of your favorite serving platters and dishes.
20. Sculptural Sconces
Source: Architectural Digest
Wall art ideas can double up as a functional fixture that can light up the entire room at night and provide a stylish decor during the day. Sculptural sconces have eye-catching designs that can bring both style and light at the same time.
21. Macrame Wall Hangings
Source: My French Twist
A plain wall is rather dull. How about you add some extra texture by hanging a nicely-looking weaving? Those diy macramé wall hangings that were famous years ago have come back, giving style and texture to rather stark walls. You can buy different styles of weaving, or you can try making one yourself too.
22. DIY Giant Mosaic
Source: A Beautiful Mess
Geometric shapes and metallic colors have been among the trendsetters in interior design. These elements can make up a giant mosaic that can give a sophisticated and fancy look to your dull and plain walls. It is also easy to make and cheap too with you only needing some metallic paper, adhesive, and your creativity.
23. Fired Ink Art
Source: It’s Always Autumn
Artworks can come in different faces and ink art projects are one of the most sophisticated wall decors. It is also surprisingly very easy to make. Simply get a piece of art paper or two, rubbing alcohol, and alcohol-based ink. Make your own fired ink art with a collage of colors, frame them up, and hang them on the walls.
24. Floral Monogram
Source: The Crafting Chicks
Monograms have become a popular art and design, and if you are a fancy flower-loving creature, you can make your empty walls as lively as you are with some DIY flower monograms. Cut any letter you want out of cardboard boxes, attach the flowers using hot glue, and you get a personalized wall decor.
25. Cut Out Canvas
Source: Valley Magazine Psu
Don’t have a laser wood cutting machine at home? That’s not a problem since you can still achieve that intricate woodcut art by hand. Outline your patterns using a stencil on the painted canvas and carve it out using a carving tool. Paint the piece as you finish, and you get a fancy mock panel and DIY cutout art to line up on your wall.
26. Looped Strings Art
Source: DIY Projects
Looped strings art is popular, and you don’t need to go to a gallery showing to see it. You can simply make them at home to decorate your empty wall. The materials you need are inexpensive with just a few wooden boards, yarn, and nails. You can pick a design or pattern you want to make, but whatever you choose can surely add a charm to the room.
27. Framed Clothesline Photo Gallery
Source: Click It Up A Notch
The best wall decor is something that can tell you a beautiful story and memory and what good way to do that other than using Polaroid photos? Put strings or wires on the wall, and then attach your photos using pins or clips and you get a nice and personal DIY clothespin photo gallery.
28. Rustic Cutout Wood
Source: Michaels
Looking for a wall decor that can complement a rustic designed room? How about a cutout and burned wood? Get some barn wood or palettes, and a miter saw to make your pattern or design. This artwork piece can surely add a rustic charm to your walls.
29. Framed Twigs
Source: LogHome
Who says twigs are garbage and can’t be made into beautiful and creative wall art? If you are a nature lover, you can easily bring the outdoors inside and on your walls. Make fall tree branches your next project by putting a few choice pieces on a large picture frame. This framed twig art can be a major focal point, a great accent to any room.
30. Floating Flowers in Frames
Source: Alana Jones-Mann
If twigs are not your thing, maybe flowers and leaves are. You can DIY floating leaves and flowers and make them the trendsetter in your empty wall. The simplicity of these framed flowers and leaf pieces can be an excellent way to add texture and color to your walls.
31. Message Boards
Source: DIY Network
A message board is one of the nicest creative art ideas for an empty wall, especially at a family home. It can be a centerpiece that can create an uplifting environment, perfect for the living room or the dining room. A repurposed wood message board can even add a rustic but down to earth look for the interior.
32. Sunburst Mirrors
Source: The Spruce
Who loves those retro wall ideas? Sunburst mirrors are another great way to add a fabulous mid-century modern vibe to the entire room by mounting it on your wall. Sunburst mirror pieces can come in various colors and designs, but any piece can surely be a room’s point of interest.
33. Washi Tape Skyline Decor
Source: Heart Handmade
Have you dreamed of escaping to the big city? Perhaps, you are already living in it and want a personal view of the city’s skyline. The great thing is that a cheap and easy DIY washi tape project can give you the big city on your apartment’s wall.
34. Customized Giant Pegboard
Source: Craving Some Creativity
Pegboards are extremely functional in a craft room. But, do you know it can also be a functional yet fancy wall decor? Get yourself a giant pegboard that can fit on your wall, paint and style it as you want, and mount it on your empty wall. This DIY functional pegboard can add a certain texture to the wall and the entire room, which you can also use to hang a few things like your bag or coat.
35. Hanging Shelves
Source: Family Handy Man
Do you love reading and collecting books? Perhaps, you want your visitors to see them firsthand as they enter your living room instead of a plain empty wall. You can mount a few hanging shelves on your wall to house your favorite classics.
36. Giant Canvas Map
Source: Blesser House
Are you a travel junkie or simply dreams of traveling the world one day? Well, you will surely love an oversized canvas map on your wall to inspire you. You can even put a cork board in between the map and the wall so you can pin some of the photos you have taken on your travels.
37. Half Foliage Wreaths
Source: Maker’s Society
If you are not into maintaining indoor greenery, you can maybe appreciate the beauty of simple green foliage wreath to jazz up your empty wall. You can add in some pinecones, flowers, and seasonal foliage. This simple DIY can make a plain wall look livelier without putting in too much color.
38. Glow in the Dark Stars
Source: Home Guides
Are you looking for a fun and exciting way to decorate your kid’s walls? How about paint glow in the dark stars? Every child would love that feeling and view, seeming like they are in an open space looking at countless stars at night when the light is turned off.
39. Framed Paint Swatches
Source: Instructables
Colors can pop up and brighten up an empty wall. They can also be very easy and quick to make like framed paint swatches. You got those paint swatches you were using when you repainted your apartment? Simply arrange them by shade and put inside a large frame to hang on your wall, and you get a colorful and fancy art decor.
40. Colorful Crate Bookshelves
Source: Tara Michellein Teriors
Wooden accents can be very interesting, giving a space a certain homey feel. Tired of the prefab bookshelves? How about you DIY a colorful crate bookshelf to put and accentuate the empty wall you have in your apartment? They can give the room a rustic feel and also give you a functional space to store your books.
We’ve all been there. Blank walls can be a headache when you don’t have time and ideas to decorate. But they don’t have to be with the help of these wall art ideas that can make any blank wall a canvas for some great and fancy decors.