A key non-rule to remember when decorating your house: ANYTHING CAN BE WALL ART. While we explored ways to find traditional wall art in our last post, today is about non-traditional art: things that serve other purposes in your home, but become art when you hang them on the wall.
Plates and Platters
I'm loving the resurgence of plate walls in home decorating. A plate wall is my preferred alternative to framed art because it's inexpensive (you can pick up single plates for a couple of dollars at thrift stores), flexible (you can mix shapes, colors, and patterns), and easy (you don't have to worry about lining them up perfectly—unless of course you want to). Your creativity can really shine because there are so many ways you can approach a plate wall—grouping by color, by subject matter, by plate type, etc.
Left to right: A robust display of English antique plates, via Remodelista; a colorful mixed collection via mmmcrafts; an all-white display shown in Better Homes & Gardens.
Passion Pieces
Show off your inner rock star, zeal for game night, culinary prowess, or any other quirky personality traits by displaying pieces in an artful arrangement. Hint: these look even better if they are vintage or especially unique.
Left to right: Albums as artwork, via Twelve Inch; a grouping of game boards via Pinterest (source unknown); a well-curated wall of breadboards fill the wall of Emily Bowser's kitchen, as profiled in Style by Emily Henderson.
Books and Magazines
Hardback book covers, book illustrations, vintage magazines, and even book pages with beautiful type are usually the perfect size for wall art. Be creative with how you hang them!
Left to right: Pages from a book tacked on wall above a bed via Country Living; this blogger mounted vintage magazines inside a window frame, see the tutorial on Sweet Pea; children's book covers make perfect art for kids' rooms, via Project Nursery.
Textiles
Your grandma's scarf, bits of leftover fabric, small quilts, tea towels, fabric napkins, small rugs—all of these can be wall art!
Left to right: A gorgeous framed scarf, via Apartment Therapy; an African MudCloth Wall Hanging Set offered by Figment and Fiber on Etsy; a quilt makes a stunning display, via Martha Stewart.
Now imagine all the items that can become wall art if framed/hung correctly:
Your matchbook collection
Ticket stubs
Postcards
Musical instruments
Kids' drawings
Beautiful labels
The possibilities are truly endless! Happy hanging!
I absolutely love this! Especially the plates hanging to the right of the dresser. So creative.