It’s big, it’s intimidating, and nearly every apartment for rent in Baltimore, MD, or Houston, TX, has it. No, we’re not talking about that pile of laundry that you swear you’ll get to soon — it’s that glaring, huge white wall. Even if your landlord lets you paint, an unadorned expanse can make your otherwise lovely home feel a bit spare. But just because you happen to have a lease doesn’t mean you can’t come up with a creative solution. Here are 10 renter-friendly, temporary solutions from design experts that will bring some style to a bare wall.
Large, affordable artwork can be difficult to find. (And when you do discover a piece that doesn’t cost a fortune, it usually has all the character of something you’d find in a hotel room.) For something a little more wallet-friendly, create a custom piece yourself. Not the artsy type? Don’t abandon this do-it-yourself idea so fast. Skip the paint and scout out a few lengths of gorgeous fabric. (You won’t need much, so feel free to splurge on the good stuff.) Simply wrap a piece around an inexpensive, pre-stretched canvas and staple in place for a super fast work of “art.” Better yet, wrap three rectangular panels or canvases in fabric and then hang them together to create a triptych.
2. Turn to textiles
Tapestries, vintage quilts, or even antique blankets can be too lovely to keep folded and hidden away. Instead, hang the textile from the wall to bring unique character and texture to your space. (The simplest way to do this is to hang a curtain rod from the wall, then use clip-style rings to secure the textile.) To keep the look cohesive with the rest of your decor, focus on hue, recommends Jaclyn Isaac, interior designer and the blogger behind Dog Lady Design Files. “Make sure the colors work well with your existing decor or consider using (the wall) as a focal piece and pulling your (other) colors from that,” she says. Still not convinced? Consider this bonus of hanging a thin rug or other textile on the wall: It can help mute the sounds coming from your next-door neighbor’s apartment.
You can never have too much of a good thing — especially when it comes to art hung in groups. “Never underestimate the power of a well-designed gallery wall!” says Laurel & Wolf designer Abagail Leepin. “The colors, textures, and patterns eliminate negative space and enhance the finished feeling that you wish to achieve.” One idea that results in a perfectly balanced look is to hang two larger pieces diagonally from each other, then fill the empty space above or below each of those larger pieces with smaller pieces (sticking to similar colors or subjects will look extra pulled-together).
4. Consider wallpaper
If you think wallpaper is only for homeowners, this DIY proves you wrong. Simply frame remnants for a no-mess, no-messy-installation-needed way to enjoy a gorgeous new motif without a commitment. “Framing strips of wallpaper can make very effective and interesting statements,” says interior designer Heather Higgins of Higgins Design Studio. “They work best when they have a unifying theme like similar content, color, or pattern.” Select a thin white frame in the largest size possible to create the look of panel molding.
If the idea of hanging multiple pieces makes you nervous, floating shelves like the ones above by Laurel & Wolf can be a great shortcut. “Rather than struggling to create the perfect gallery wall, get a long floating shelf and arrange your art in one great gallery line,” says Jaclyn Isaac. “You can switch out the art and objects as you please, change frames out when you’re updating your decor, and you don’t have to worry about spackling 18 holes in the wall.” If you’re also short on art, Isaac recommends repurposing calendars for ready-to-frame pieces. “You can get amazing photos that are guaranteed to look great together and large enough to take up an entire wall for less than $30,” she says.
6. Go bold, go mural
“A dramatic mural adds glamor to an enormous wall, especially when there are ultrahigh ceilings involved,” says Liza Nematnejad, a real estate agent with Douglas Elliman Real Estate in New York, NY. A mural, she says, “can truly showcase an apartment if it’s done right, with an appropriate piece of art that fits the look and feel of the particular apartment.” Although a painted mural is out of the question for renters, there’s a clever way to capture this dramatic look: temporary murals. Much like removable wallpaper, these adhesive-backed murals install easily (just remove the backing and smooth on the wall), then peel off without a trace when it’s time to move. Tempaper’s Chinoiserie design mimics the look of a hand-painted mural, while Wallsome allows you to custom-print your favorite photos or graphics into a mural.
7. Get stuck on washi tape
Washi tape just may be the unofficial favorite craft material on Pinterest. The removable, colorful tape is just so versatile. One of our favorite ideas is using the tape to create a bold graphic statement, like this colorful home office from Domino magazine. A design that spans the entire wall tends to look higher-end than a few random stripes. The same goes for wall decals, like these too-fun mini-elephants from Southern Nest. When applied to the wall in neat rows, they take on the look of wallpaper.
8. Tackle just one (and you’re done!)
The best news? Decorating one large wall can have a huge impact. Says Heather Higgins: “Leave at least one wall in every room art-free, particularly in smaller spaces. Two is even better. This provides a resting place for your eye and prevents the feeling of ‘overwhelm.’” Consider this a designer-approved excuse to be lazy about decorating other walls.
9. Expand shelf options
Look beyond art when looking to fill a blank wall — especially if you also happen to have high ceilings. “Wide, tall bookcases are great for renters, don’t require any kind of wall installation, and can be moved from place to place,” Isaac notes. “If wide enough, they take up a ton of room and are a fun place to go wild with your collected objects.” Just don’t fill up the shelves completely. Instead, display individual pieces in edited groups on each shelf. (If you need the shelf space for storage, opt for attractive bins on the bottom shelves.) On the top shelf, you can lean framed pieces.
10. Hang that mirror, mirror on that wall
Like hanging art together gallery-style, a mass of mirrors offer a lovely way to fill a large wall. “I like to use old mirrors, whether huge ones or an assortment of small ones,” says Kathleen Perkins of Douglas Elliman, who frequently uses this trick when staging homes. “They reflect light and they are really beautiful.” Interesting mirrors can often be found at thrift stores or discount stores for less than the price of art.
What are your best decorating ideas for large walls? Share your tips in the comments below.
How To
Large blank walls call for giant pieces of art. Nothing looks odder than seeing a small frame sitting alone on a big empty wall. That might have been your temporary solution in the past because we often believe that filling big empty wall space comes with an even bigger price tag. However, there are many creative and cheap ways to cover walls! We rounded up a list of six different large blank wall ideas so you can learn how to fill an empty wall with a little budget.
📷 @blankslatereno
Check out our decorating tips below and learn how to fill wall space in your home today!
Use Shelves to Fill Empty Wall Space
If the idea of hanging up a gallery wall of frames sounds intimidating, a large floating shelf across the majority of the wall or a bunch of small ones spread out can make displaying artwork a much simpler process. Not only do floating shelves add storage space for decorative items, but they also present the opportunity to easily switch out art and objects as you please. If you’re wondering how to fill wall space, this is an extremely simple, but effective way to decorate a large wall in the living room or a large blank wall behind the couch and other furnishings.
📷 mybudgethome
📷 @hola.homes
Using Mirrors To Fill Empty Wall Space
Mirrors are a great option if you want to learn how to fill empty wall space because they are fairly easy to hang up and can double as mirrors and decorative pieces, especially if you paint or write quotes and such on them. Similar to a gallery style art wall, a mass of mirrors offer the same artistic value to a large blank wall. To save money, you can gather a bunch of old mirrors or ones found at thrift stores or discount stores and create a unique wall of decorative mirrors. A big bonus of this blank wall idea is that mirrors make a space look larger and brighter!
📷 Havenly
Fill Empty Wall Space With Framed Wallpaper or Wrapping Paper
We love a good gallery wall, but printing large images can become costly and figuring out what goes well together can be a hassle for some. Wallpaper is helpful in quickly decorating an entire wall, but to do so can get expensive. If you are looking to hang up large pieces of art without breaking the bank, try cutting out samples of wallpaper or your favorite wrapping paper from your local craft stores and discount stores and framing them. For an affordable price, you can fill empty wall space with multiple designs without anyone knowing it only cost you a few dollars! 63% of experts believe wallpaper will be more popular than ever in 2023, and that botanical patterns will be the top trend this year, making wallpaper a brilliant method to fill empty wall space in your room.
📷 @demi.wallace
📷 @mrkate
Get Creative With Paint To Decorate Large Wall Space
One of our favorite creative blank wall ideas and cheap ways to cover walls is with paint. However, a can of paint can do more than just fill your walls with a solid color. Buying sample cans of paint is affordable and also all you need to create unique designs on your wall that will get everyone talking! This is visually more interesting than painting your walls a single color and saves you money because you will not have to buy gallons of paint to fill a wall.
(@mrkate)
Fabric is A Great Filler For Empty Wall Space
If you’re wondering how to fill empty walls, this blank wall idea will really make your room stand out and the best part is, it is budget-friendly! Gather various pieces of leftover fabric you have lying around the house and recycle them to create this layered curtain wall design. You can buy more fabric for reasonable prices at your local stores and maybe even find the perfect ones for you in the clearance section! Hang them up with a curtain rod, hidden behind optional molding, and freely cut some pieces of fabric to add more layers and fun to your fabric wall.
📷 @jedynytakidomek
Strategically Place Furniture to Take Up Wall Space
The best way to save money is to make the most of what you already have. If you are faced with a large blank wall, place your furniture in front of it. Placing a couch, bed, or dining chairs in front of a blank wall already helps you fill at least half of the wall space for no extra cost. Now, all that is left is to decorate the top half of the walls with any of the budget-friendly options we mentioned.
Now that you have learned how to fill blank walls for an affordable price, you can test out a few ideas with our free DecorMatters app, which allows you to design your actual home through our app!
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