Quirky, Easy & Budget-Friendly Ways to Dress Up Your Walls
Here are 14 creative and economical ways to decorate your walls
Are you on a tight budget or just a careful spender with a creative streak? Either way, if spending moolah on expensive artwork isn’t your thing, then take inspiration from the following ideas to dress up your walls. Some of them double as neat cover-up jobs for unsightly wall stains or aid in creating an offbeat accent wall.
2. Craft paper on walls
Create a cascading rainbow effect with origami craft papers. We don’t suggest something as elaborate as this, but take a leaf out of this and create your linear visual pattern over a study table or a wall that urgently needs to be covered up.
Create a cascading rainbow effect with origami craft papers. We don’t suggest something as elaborate as this, but take a leaf out of this and create your linear visual pattern over a study table or a wall that urgently needs to be covered up.
3. Create a collage wall with magazine cut-outs
Have old magazines lying around that you haven’t had the heart to throw away? Then make your own wallpaper with a collage of interesting magazine pages layered on top of each of other till you get the desired thickness.
Tip: Try this on dry areas only, such as the powder room, and not in the bathroom or kitchen where the moisture will cause the paper to peel off.
Have old magazines lying around that you haven’t had the heart to throw away? Then make your own wallpaper with a collage of interesting magazine pages layered on top of each of other till you get the desired thickness.
Tip: Try this on dry areas only, such as the powder room, and not in the bathroom or kitchen where the moisture will cause the paper to peel off.
4. Create mandala designs with stones, pebbles or practically anything
It is interesting albeit unconventional, but marbles or colourful stones pieced together can create works of art. Channel your creativity to give shape to your very own mandala designs.
It is interesting albeit unconventional, but marbles or colourful stones pieced together can create works of art. Channel your creativity to give shape to your very own mandala designs.
6. Knotted work of art
Play around with old braided ropes till you find a shape or design that appeals to you and hang it on the wall. Nautical ropes shaped into an anchor and placed against a pale-blue or navy-blue wall will fit perfectly for a maritime-themed room.
Play around with old braided ropes till you find a shape or design that appeals to you and hang it on the wall. Nautical ropes shaped into an anchor and placed against a pale-blue or navy-blue wall will fit perfectly for a maritime-themed room.
7. Gilded cork art
Wine-bottle corks arranged in a frame and spray-painted in different shades of gold create an amazing piece of wall art. You can also get creative with other everyday items such as canister lids, soda-bottle caps or old coins.
Wine-bottle corks arranged in a frame and spray-painted in different shades of gold create an amazing piece of wall art. You can also get creative with other everyday items such as canister lids, soda-bottle caps or old coins.
8. Proudly display your children’s art
Why not assign a wall in the general areas of the house or your child’s bedroom to display their works of art? It is a great arrangement to temporarily set up a gallery where you can keep replacing old pictures with new as time passes and as they keep improving their painting skills
Why not assign a wall in the general areas of the house or your child’s bedroom to display their works of art? It is a great arrangement to temporarily set up a gallery where you can keep replacing old pictures with new as time passes and as they keep improving their painting skills
10. Indulge in stencil art
Transform your walls with stencil art. The market is inundated with stencils; all you have to do is pick a stencil design that appeals to you and colour them onto your walls.
5 ways to enhance your home with stencil art
Transform your walls with stencil art. The market is inundated with stencils; all you have to do is pick a stencil design that appeals to you and colour them onto your walls.
5 ways to enhance your home with stencil art
11. Art from discard
Here, a leaf-shaped pattern is created from the discarded cardboard tubes of toilet paper rolls. This DIY is possible with magazine pages or newspaper as well. Simply cut strips of paper and glue the ends together to form a loop. Glue loops together to form an organic shape. Play with the length and width of the strips to create dynamic depth.
Here, a leaf-shaped pattern is created from the discarded cardboard tubes of toilet paper rolls. This DIY is possible with magazine pages or newspaper as well. Simply cut strips of paper and glue the ends together to form a loop. Glue loops together to form an organic shape. Play with the length and width of the strips to create dynamic depth.
12. Create your eclectic accent walls
Showcase your heirlooms, travel souvenirs or collection of local crafts on your walls. Create your own accent wall that displays your hobbies, interests and heritage.
Showcase your heirlooms, travel souvenirs or collection of local crafts on your walls. Create your own accent wall that displays your hobbies, interests and heritage.
13. Organise your colour-coded file holders on the wall
If you are a tidy person and cannot imagine a cluttered, unorganised home, then all you need to do is purchase some monochromatic or colour-coded caddies and file organisers and nail them onto your wall. Keep a distraction-free work desk. Here the black-and-white zig-zag patterns are borrowed from the lamp to maintain continuity.
If you are a tidy person and cannot imagine a cluttered, unorganised home, then all you need to do is purchase some monochromatic or colour-coded caddies and file organisers and nail them onto your wall. Keep a distraction-free work desk. Here the black-and-white zig-zag patterns are borrowed from the lamp to maintain continuity.
16. Suspend fabrics or rugs to create wall hangings
Hand-woven rugs with bright colours and intricate detailing make for wonderful wall hangings. This rug adds a burst of colour, texture and vibrancy to the room and the thin vertical stripes tend to draw one’s attention to the height of the wall.
Hand-woven rugs with bright colours and intricate detailing make for wonderful wall hangings. This rug adds a burst of colour, texture and vibrancy to the room and the thin vertical stripes tend to draw one’s attention to the height of the wall.
The bold orange fabric against this sombre exposed concrete wall looks like a statement piece. Similarly, if you have a dark or vibrant wall, contrast it with a lighter piece of fabric, such as a sunshine-yellow fabric on beige walls or a grey textured one on dark-blue walls.
Read more:
7 Ways to Create an Accent Wall Without Paint
13 Creative Ways to Accent the Wall Behind the Bed
Tell us:
Have you taken up any DIY activity to dress up your walls? Tell us in the comments below
Read more:
7 Ways to Create an Accent Wall Without Paint
13 Creative Ways to Accent the Wall Behind the Bed
Tell us:
Have you taken up any DIY activity to dress up your walls? Tell us in the comments below
A decorative flower wall hanging is an interesting way to dress up those boring walls. Get creative with colourful craft paper and fabrics and create your own 3D floral wall art. This unconventional method is also useful to hide any unsightly flaws without splurging on a paint job. Depending on your mood and creative expression, you can modify the arrangements on the walls.
Find out how to transform walls with paper