Isn’t it beautiful when you’re surrounded by things you love? Wall art can be a beautiful addition to your space, especially when you’re curating a room that gives you permission to be your free and fun self.
We’ve always felt that your environment greatly dictates the way you move through and experience a process.
Think about how you feel when you walk into the bustle and energy of a gym, versus the simplistic serenity of a yoga studio, versus the hip creativity of a quirky new coffee shop. The way we design our spaces can greatly help us be creative in the homes and spaces we’re dwelling in and draw inspiration from the elements around us.
But there is more to decorating your walls than just decorating with art! In fact, almost anything can be considered wall art— dried flowers, gallery walls made of cutting boards, clocks, and so much more!
Get a little creative with the way you’re decorating your space, whether it’s a new rental, new home, or new studio so you can have space and permissions for the dreams you’re creating inside those walls.
Without further ado, here are your wall art ideas!
15 wall art ideas for a cozy home oasis
1. Thrifted pictures.
Wall art might seem like a distant, expensive addition to a space, but it doesn’t have to be! Peruse through Facebook Marketplace, your local Habitat for Humanity Restore, or any local thrift store to find some affordable, pre-loved art in your style. This is a great way to explore the kind of prints you like– florals, landscape, and perhaps even inspire you to browse through and collect work from local artists.
2. Wall clocks.
Imagine all the different types of clocks that could cover your space, adding the abstraction of time to a space. Perhaps a cuckoo clock can add some whimsy and charm, a vintage clock from tens or hundreds of years ago, or a numberless clock. Scatter them around for a wall clock gallery wall— but pay mind to keep them off so you don’t have a ton of ticking around your space!
3. Cutting boards.
To inspire the art of cooking and food, why not decorate your walls with cutting boards? Use it as a simple mount to quickly grab them for serving, collect them, leave them bare, or paint or design them to your liking.
It’ll bring a woodsy, rustic element to your kitchen space (or food-inspired office, for those Etsy herbalist creators and chefs) particularly if you’re in a modern home and looking for quick charm, and with an array of different sizes, will certainly bring an eclectic, flavorful energy to your wall.
4. Sconce.
Sconces don’t have to be built into the wall to make a beautiful, trendy wall art option. Peruse Facebook Marketplace to see what types of decorative sconces people are looking to get rid of that just require a simple natural or battery-powered candle.
5. Stained glass.
There’s nothing quite like the magical glimmer of a stained glass reflection shooting into one of your walls or into your space. If you have the ability to mount stained glass straight in your window, you’ll add a kaleidoscopic color scheme reflection to your space, but if not, simply use stained glass as you would trendy wall art!
6. Dried flowers.
This is one of our personal favorite ways of decorating. It’s inexpensive and super simple to do! Grab your favorite florals from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, wait for them to bloom, and then hang them upside down until they fully try. (Optional: spray them with a non-toxic, non-aerosol hairspray).
Use a simple nail and wrap some twine around the “bouquet” and hang them from your wall, or ceiling, or paired with a picture or stained glass if you’re being called to do so. This will definitely cost a fraction of any trendy art prints you might wish you could afford by scrolling through Pinterest. Instead, you’ll have the kiss of the most natural artwork of all.
7. Mirrors.
Talk about adding a new dimension to your space— adding mirrors as trendy wall art could add a multitude of dimensions to your space. Just make sure you cleanse them properly.
8. Musical instruments.
Whether or not you’re a musician, using instruments as wall art can bring a physical and energetic dimension to your space. Imagine an old guitar humbly gracing your wall, a tambourine that almost looks like a piece of art itself, or a flat drum creating a beautiful circular shape to break up angular lines and tables.
9. Poster in a thrifted frame.
Your favorite concert? A collectible from a street fair? Don’t just let it hang, rip, frey. Balance it with a beautiful vintage frame and it turns into a unique memory elevated and framed.
10. Lighted branch.
This woodsy, flexible, cottage-core addition to a wall could grace it in every witch way. Crawling up a wall, hanging triumphantly above a TV or piece of art. For lovers of the rustic who are living in an upgraded or newer home, you can bring some mystique and twinkle through this rootsy additional.
11. Necklaces and jewelry.
Who’s to say that your beautiful pieces have to hide away in a closet until they emerge every once and a while on your neck or around your wrist? Jewelry is a beautiful way not only to decorate your walls but showcase a little more of your style.
12. Wicker baskets.
For a beautiful bohemian look, create a gallery wall or scattering of the earth-like wicker baskets, splashing around woodsy tones to and fro. Plus, if you’re a lover of simplicity, these gems will add texture without overwhelming patterns.
13. Decorative placemats.
Squares, circles, pops of colors. There tend to be beautiful placemats that we just love to stow away to make sure we don’t spill on them. But if they have that beautiful, heart-stopping design that made you get them in the first place, they should be hanging up on your wall, not in your drawer.
14. Washi tape.
Create your own original art print right on the wall using washi tape, a super simple and apartment-friendly decor style– simply style and stick!
15. Peel-and-stick wallpaper.
If you don’t want to deal with nailing things to the wall, or even dealing with finding art, get bold with the gorgeous patterns found on Spoonflower or Rifle Paper Co. You’ll also find peel-and-stick wallpaper decals with different shapes and colors to make it look like you painted a mural without even opening a can of paint.
We hope these ideas ignite you to create a striking yet comfy space for you to be your most healthy, creative self.
For artists like us, the environment is everything, so it’s important that you create a space that fully reflects you so you remember that you have full permission to take up space– as a human and as an artist.
16. Macrame.
17. Twinkle lights.
Frequently asked questions: more on creating a cozy at-home oasis
What do you put on bare walls?
Bare walls can be your empty canvas. You can shower them in everything from vintage art to wicker baskets, lighted branches, and dried flowers. A bare wall is your oyster.
What can I use instead of wall art?
You can use a ton of alternatives to wall art, like posters in a frame, stained glass, mirrors, or even cutting boards!
How can I find thrifted art?
There are tons of places to find thrifted art, likely in your area! Check to see if there’s a Habitat for Humanity nearby, which is where we’ve found a lot of thrifty finds including canvas prints of all different styles. Look for local flea markets, too!
