9 Ideas for Decorating the Living Room Walls on a Budget
Create a head-turning statement wall with these wallet-friendly living room wall design ideas
If you’re guilty of spending hours drooling over dreamy living room walls on Houzz or Pinterest, yet barely giving your own walls a second glance, this guide is here to help. Whether you’re renting, on a budget, or just don’t know where to start, scroll down for our pick of the best living room wall design ideas out there; each and every one a budget lover’s delight.
Alternatively, get creative and take the freeway (get it?) by curating your own sculptural wall art display with assorted frames, mirrors and tchotchkes that you might have collected over the years.
See how this home looks like a collector’s paradise, with mirrors, frames, animal heads and other knick-knacks breathing life into an otherwise plain wall.
See how this home looks like a collector’s paradise, with mirrors, frames, animal heads and other knick-knacks breathing life into an otherwise plain wall.
2. Gallery glory
A gallery wall is as aesthetically pleasing as it is easy to execute. Blow the dust off old frames you may have lying around (it doesn’t matter if they’re of different colours) and organise them into a cohesive display. Then, if you prefer to give your borders a uniform colour, spray paint your frames in a single palette. Insert them with art prints (these are available free of cost on several websites) that speak to you, to give your wall a few pieces of your personality.
This powder-blue wall shows us how it’s done, with white-framed pictures arranged in rows of four. The display offers a minimalist appeal, thanks to the unfussy images and muted frames.
Tip: You could consider sanding the edges of your photo frames with a sturdy nail file or sandpaper before spray-painting them. This will help the paint bind better and give it staying power.
A gallery wall is as aesthetically pleasing as it is easy to execute. Blow the dust off old frames you may have lying around (it doesn’t matter if they’re of different colours) and organise them into a cohesive display. Then, if you prefer to give your borders a uniform colour, spray paint your frames in a single palette. Insert them with art prints (these are available free of cost on several websites) that speak to you, to give your wall a few pieces of your personality.
This powder-blue wall shows us how it’s done, with white-framed pictures arranged in rows of four. The display offers a minimalist appeal, thanks to the unfussy images and muted frames.
Tip: You could consider sanding the edges of your photo frames with a sturdy nail file or sandpaper before spray-painting them. This will help the paint bind better and give it staying power.
Unlike the previous wall, this one combines frames in black and white to create a gallery wall that exudes Nordic elegance.
Here are 9 great colours for gallery walls
Here are 9 great colours for gallery walls
Alternatively, consider putting up your photographs directly, sans frames. Decide on how many pictures you want in your grid and get them all developed in the same size. If you’re wary of committing to a permanent photo wall, use Blu Tack to give yourself the option of taking down your display anytime.
A spare wall in this living room revives precious memories for the homeowners, with a massive photo grid that bursts with colour and character.
Design a family photo wall with this easy guide
A spare wall in this living room revives precious memories for the homeowners, with a massive photo grid that bursts with colour and character.
Design a family photo wall with this easy guide
3. Wallpaper wonder
If you’re wary of spending big bucks on a professional wallpaper installation, go for temporary wallpaper instead (these are usually listed as temporary adhesives on online marketplaces). Find a nook to host your little masterpiece and put up your wallpaper as a fun weekend project.
This grey-and-white nook dazzles in a shell of deep, brooding grey. It offers visual stimulation against the bold block of colour, giving the room a suave avatar on a small budget.
If you’re wary of spending big bucks on a professional wallpaper installation, go for temporary wallpaper instead (these are usually listed as temporary adhesives on online marketplaces). Find a nook to host your little masterpiece and put up your wallpaper as a fun weekend project.
This grey-and-white nook dazzles in a shell of deep, brooding grey. It offers visual stimulation against the bold block of colour, giving the room a suave avatar on a small budget.
4. Graffiti grunge
Buy a can of spray paint and channel your inner Picasso. Graffiti is an art in itself, and done well, can give your room a cool industrial grunge look. Watch a few tutorials online to get a grasp of the technique if you’re not sure where to start.
This living room models an easy subway look that looks almost accidental in the way it was created. A few swirls of black graffiti on the white brick wall evoke the graffiti-ridden walls of European metro stations.
Buy a can of spray paint and channel your inner Picasso. Graffiti is an art in itself, and done well, can give your room a cool industrial grunge look. Watch a few tutorials online to get a grasp of the technique if you’re not sure where to start.
This living room models an easy subway look that looks almost accidental in the way it was created. A few swirls of black graffiti on the white brick wall evoke the graffiti-ridden walls of European metro stations.
Turn your graffiti into a work of art with layering. This wall offers oodles of variety, its painterly top layer hiding a second, more elusive, graffiti-inspired expression.
5. Booked and hooked
Put old novels to good use by employing their pages as bespoke wallpaper. For a long-lasting finish, it’s a good idea to use Mod Podge. Spread some on the wall and stick the paper on; smooth down to secure it. Then move on to the next page of the novel. If you’re renting, consider using Blu Tack or any other reusable adhesive to cleanly remove your pages without leaving blemishes.
Characterful yellowbacks recreate stories on this wall, with carefully selected picture pages lending measured pops of colour. The faded pages add vintage charm to the space.
Tip: If you don’t have old, faded novels, use coffee to stain your pages and produce a used effect.
Put old novels to good use by employing their pages as bespoke wallpaper. For a long-lasting finish, it’s a good idea to use Mod Podge. Spread some on the wall and stick the paper on; smooth down to secure it. Then move on to the next page of the novel. If you’re renting, consider using Blu Tack or any other reusable adhesive to cleanly remove your pages without leaving blemishes.
Characterful yellowbacks recreate stories on this wall, with carefully selected picture pages lending measured pops of colour. The faded pages add vintage charm to the space.
Tip: If you don’t have old, faded novels, use coffee to stain your pages and produce a used effect.
This living room creates a pyramid-shaped design of book pages, leaving the rest of the wall free for artworks.
6. Tape-stry
A little masking tape can be your trusty sidekick when it comes to crafting a statement wall like this one. To produce this effect, before painting the wall, stick masking tape to create crisscross patterns. Next, paint over it with a roller. Then, when the paint dries, peel off your tape. The area under it will not have caught any paint, and you’ll discover an accent wall marked with intersecting lines.
In this room, a bright purple wall earns a playful edge thanks to a display of intersecting lines – a perfect example of big style on a low budget.
A little masking tape can be your trusty sidekick when it comes to crafting a statement wall like this one. To produce this effect, before painting the wall, stick masking tape to create crisscross patterns. Next, paint over it with a roller. Then, when the paint dries, peel off your tape. The area under it will not have caught any paint, and you’ll discover an accent wall marked with intersecting lines.
In this room, a bright purple wall earns a playful edge thanks to a display of intersecting lines – a perfect example of big style on a low budget.
7. Decal-ifragilisticexpialidocious
Decals are every budget-lover’s best friend. They add instant oomph to a room, and can just as easily be removed without staining your wall.
See how this flat hexagon-themed abstract decal transforms a plain wall into a showstopper.
Decals are every budget-lover’s best friend. They add instant oomph to a room, and can just as easily be removed without staining your wall.
See how this flat hexagon-themed abstract decal transforms a plain wall into a showstopper.
If you prefer a 3D finish, go for acrylic decals that pop from your wall. Such decals can lend depth and drama to your room, offering a professional artistic look at a fraction of the cost.
Is it bees? Bugs? Birds? Whatever the little flying creatures might be, they seem to burst out of the centre of wall, bringing energy to the room. The imperfect concentric circles dance on the fine line between order and disarray, cutting through the clean lines and pared-back setting of the room.
Is it bees? Bugs? Birds? Whatever the little flying creatures might be, they seem to burst out of the centre of wall, bringing energy to the room. The imperfect concentric circles dance on the fine line between order and disarray, cutting through the clean lines and pared-back setting of the room.
8. Pop art parade
Even a single piece of pop art can enliven a dull wall. Get an eye-catching design printed on a canvas to turn your wall into a star. Large canvas prints don’t come cheap, but a single print shouldn’t set you back by too much. Consider it an investment for the long haul.
In this home, a whimsical canvas leaps out of the wall, offsetting its muted backdrop with vibrant colour – a worthwhile buy for the amount of quirkiness it lends the room.
Even a single piece of pop art can enliven a dull wall. Get an eye-catching design printed on a canvas to turn your wall into a star. Large canvas prints don’t come cheap, but a single print shouldn’t set you back by too much. Consider it an investment for the long haul.
In this home, a whimsical canvas leaps out of the wall, offsetting its muted backdrop with vibrant colour – a worthwhile buy for the amount of quirkiness it lends the room.
9. Stencil-icious
Stencils can turn you into an overnight DIY-er, simply because they’re so easy to use. Fasten them to your wall and spray paint over them to get instant wall art. Add variety by reusing the same stencil in various places, in different colours.
This mocha wall looks like a pastiche of postage stamps, with stencilled stamp-like designs in light hues. The art provides an engaging display against the dark backdrop, and reveals little about the investment – or lack of it – gone into it.
Houzz TV: How to Stencil a Wall
Read more:
9 Stunning Wall Treatments for Living Rooms
Stylish Ideas for Accent Walls
Tell us:
Which of these living room wall designs do you see yourself recreating? Tell us in Comments below.
Stencils can turn you into an overnight DIY-er, simply because they’re so easy to use. Fasten them to your wall and spray paint over them to get instant wall art. Add variety by reusing the same stencil in various places, in different colours.
This mocha wall looks like a pastiche of postage stamps, with stencilled stamp-like designs in light hues. The art provides an engaging display against the dark backdrop, and reveals little about the investment – or lack of it – gone into it.
Houzz TV: How to Stencil a Wall
Read more:
9 Stunning Wall Treatments for Living Rooms
Stylish Ideas for Accent Walls
Tell us:
Which of these living room wall designs do you see yourself recreating? Tell us in Comments below.
Make your wall pop with 3D metallic accents – they make for fantastic living room wall decorations. Metal displays can serve as hero pieces on a solid-toned wall, bouncing light and offsetting their subdued backdrop. Plus, they are economical and available online in a wide range of designs.
In this image golden geometric wall art takes centre stage against a restrained navy wall. The living room wall design looks swish and sophisticated, yet is every penny-pinching decorator’s dream.
Need more ideas on wall treatments? Browse through these gorgeous living room wall design photos