Everyone wants their home to have something more than the bare necessities. From a single potted plant on top of your bookshelf, a figurine of your favourite animal sitting serenely in the middle of a coffee table, or a set of colourful throw pillows playfully tossed onto the sofa, the simplest little decorative objects can add beauty, spirit and personality to a space.
In most homes, walls have the greatest decorative potential. Those wide empty spaces simply invite the homeowner to be as creative as they can when it comes to adorning them. And you don't have to pressure yourself into finding expensive paintings or photography to grace your wall — there are plenty of artistic creations that you can proudly display as wall art for your living room, dining room, bedroom, home office, and virtually any other space.
Go nuts over these 10 simple wall art ideas and discover how your own creativity can shine through!
1. Do it yourself. The first place to look for wall design ideas is in your mind. If you have a favourite line from a poem, book or song, write it on a piece of paper, cloth or canvas and frame it so you can hang it on the wall. Make a simple sketch, practise writing a single word in elegant calligraphy, or transfer your notebook doodles onto pieces of wood and mount them on the wall.
2. Put your kids or pets to work. Your baby's tiny hand and foot prints are always joyful to see as wall art. Likewise, if you can keep your furry friends still for a minute, you can capture their paw prints on paper using washable paints for precious keepsakes that can adorn your walls for a long time.
3. Wrap it up. If you find fabrics and gift wrappers with gorgeous prints and designs, use them to wrap small blocks of wood in different shapes, and line them up across the wall.
4. Get caught up in stitches. If you have the patience and knack for completing cross-stitch creations, pick a beautiful pattern and hang it on your wall.
5. Ask an artistic friend to draw or paint a mural directly onto your wall. Whether it's a graffiti-like spray paint creation or a simple all-black rendering of the Tree of Life (or other imagery that is dear to you), the original work of a talented friend is something to treasure.
6. Snap away. Anyone with a decent smartphone or tablet can snap thoughtful pictures and use apps to add filters and make the photos look professionally taken. Round up your favourite photos, print them out and create a collage on your wall.
7. Collect and display. Whether you're slowly building up a pile of corks from wine bottles, shells from every beach you've visited, or leftover broken ceramic pieces from your pottery class, you can showcase your stash by sticking them to boards or creating little holders that can be framed and hung on the wall.
8. All strung out. Hang a giant corkboard on your wall, stick pushpins in strategic positions, and string yarn, threads or thin ropes around them to create images.
9. Mapping out routes. If you're a traveler conquering the world one country at a time, display your passion by putting up maps or map prints, and mark the places you've been to every time you come home.
10. Bring nature in. Explore nearby parks or your own garden and look for attractively shaped twigs and branches, and stick them to the wall along with flowers and leaves made from ribbons, so you can have your own mini tree indoors.