It’s easy to forget just how much of a difference the decor of a room can make.
A part of the house that previously felt like it was miserable and crying out for a complete makeover can suddenly have a completely different vibe with a bit of do-it-yourself and some artistic expression.
The DIY art you choose to display can not only change your own mood when simply living in your home, but can express your personality and spirit to visitors too, and even more so when you’ve made it yourself.
Today, we’ve brought you 12 brilliantly unique wall art ideas that can be easily made at home, even if you aren’t particularly experienced in design or DIY.
If you’re looking for simple framed art ideas, you’re in the wrong place, this article is about the truly unique and eye-catching!
A Cascade of Hanging Photographs
We’re starting out with this brilliantly personal piece.
The basic idea is to take a bunch of photographs that mean a lot to you (closest friends, family members, important events etc) and create a piece of wall art DIY from them.
The idea of a photo board is pretty common, but this allows you to take that concept to the next level with just a few artistic touches.
As you can hopefully tell from the images below, it can be done with equipment as simple as a wooden dowel and some string, but you can also use things like clothes hangers or pins to give it even more of a homemade vibe.
Vinyl Records
Here is another one that can be super personal if you want it to be.
You can take it the artistic route, going for records with art that looks good and complements each other, or you can make it about you or your family, using records that have had the biggest impact on your life, or songs you all associate with incredible memories.
Mini Chalkboard Portraits
Find some small wooden plaques, and paint them with chalkboard paint.
This creates a fun personalised wall design that can be changed whenever you like and that guests will love to get involved in.
It can even be a fun joint project with your children, as they will love to draw different family members on the chalkboards and see their work hung with pride!
Potted Wall Plants
Potted plants aren’t a new idea, but hanging them on the wall like this might just be the unique concept you’re looking for.
If you want to bring an element of nature into your home but are too space limited for large floor plants, this is a clever and easy solution that brings life and vibrancy to an empty room.
You can even go with succulents and cacti to make the whole thing extremely low-maintenance!
Cork Board
Covering one wall with cork board is a great way to create a cheap and easy piece of wall decor DIY that’s both homely and practical.
You can arrange photos and art on it to make a permanent display or memory board, or you can use it for temporary things like notes and shopping lists.
Either way, it will become a focus of the room and help people to connect and plan while looking awesome at the same time.
Even better, an xHang system or two will allow you to do this in seconds with no need for DIY experience or extra tools.
Shelves Made from Crates or Shoe boxes
Crates make a great instant shelf with a rustic aesthetic when attached to the wall.
They can be used to display books, ornaments, flowers and more.
You can even use shoeboxes if you plan on displaying lighter objects.
As you can see in the images below, the end result differs quite a lot, with the crates creating something professional and stylish while the shoeboxes have a more homemade, crafty feel.
Both have a wonderful look about them and can be easily personalised with any colours or patterns you wish.
String Light Patterns
String lights are way more versatile than they get credit for and can be used to create awesome wall patterns and designs.
You can even combine them with other ideas on this list, for example draping string lights from your crate shelves, or hanging photos from the wire between each light.
You can really express yourself and get as creative and unique as you can with this one, which makes it one of the most fun on the list.
Recycled Calendars, Maps & Similar
Sometimes we just really want some cool art that matches our room and brightens it up a bit but are sick of the same old designs that seem to be in every hardware store and half of our friends’ houses.
If you feel this way, it’s time to think outside the box a little with some DIY poster ideas.
Recycled pages from calendars, old maps, and retro posters can be repurposed into high-quality art with nothing more than a frame, an xHang, and a few minutes!
If you want to get really creative, you can even cut them up and create entirely new art from the existing designs and patterns.
Rugs & Floor Decorations
This is another one that’s rather strange and outside of the norm, but the main aim of this list is to help you find cheap DIY art ideas and inspiration where other people simply wouldn’t think to look.
Rugs, mats and other floor coverings can be repurposed to become unique wall designs that create a surprisingly homely focal point for the room and really sell the homemade aspect of your DIY wall decor.
They also give off a homely and comfortable vibe which makes this an ideal way to come up with DIY bedroom wall decorations.
If you find yourself with old rugs that are too worn to keep on the floor any longer but are too cool looking and expensive to throw away, this is an amazing way to give them a new lease of life.
Signs Made from Burlap Sacks
Yes, you heard that one right!
Burlap is super easy to make attractive using stencils and acrylic paints, photos, craft materials such as coloured paper or card and more.
This one is super easy to make personal for example by using art and text that really mean something to you.
Or, for a more retro look, you can get burlap sacks that already have text and images on them from previous commercial use, and use these with minimal to no changes.
You can mount the burlap onto a piece of wood or into a frame then hang it anywhere you like quickly and easily thanks to an xHang or with more traditional picture hanging hardware if you have the time and know-how.
Make Your Own Frames from Pallets, Clipboards & More
Creating your own homemade frames can give even the most simple art a personal and unique look.
While you can carve wood and build a frame the proper, carpenter way, this will be pretty difficult if you haven’t done it before and lead to a frame that looks similar to one you could buy.
Luckily, there are countless easier ways to make a unique and interesting “picture frame” using cheap stationery store purchases or repurposed old goods.
Clipboards can be spray painted, hung on the wall and you can clip different pieces of paper to them, from art and photos to to-do lists and memos.
Similarly, wooden pallets can be easily salvaged and used as rustic style picture frames as shown below.
Homemade Art from Popsicle Sticks, Fabric & More
This idea will require more thought and planning than most of the others, but can also lead to the most varied and impressive results.
Popsicle sticks can be painted and stuck together to create unique and cheap wall art designs and decorations - this is a great addition to children’s rooms, guest rooms and bathrooms, and the children can even get involved themselves.
Other things such as feathers, old scarves and clothes that don’t fit anymore can be cut apart and reassembled into art too - and most of the time people won’t even be aware of where the striking patterns present in your creations have come from.
Check the image below - that’s literally just old scarves cut into squares and framed, but the end result can be indistinguishable from professionally created art.
That’s it for our list, but hopefully, this has given you some inspiration to start coming up with your own unique DIY wall art ideas to make your home or office stand out.
We will be back regularly with more useful guides and inspiration when it comes to decorating and hanging art, paintings and more.
Don’t forget to keep in mind that the WallX xHang is the most versatile, easy to use and reliable museum quality picture hanging hardware on the market, period - so even if you have never hung a picture frame in your life and are anxious about trying, you can get your homemade art hanging professionally in seconds! Check out our installation page for more info on how it works.