Cheap and Easy Wall Decorating by Kathleen Wilson

Decorating our walls seems to be a huge dilemma to most home decorators, but it need not be. Here are some quick and easy ways to dress up your walls, on a budget!

The most common mistake most people make in decorating their walls is to sprinkle things around just to fill empty space.
Instead, draw an imaginary rectangle on the main focal wall
in the room you wish to dress up. Now fill that rectangle
with a grouping of related art, such as portraits, plates,
or clocks. This makes much a better impact on the room than
the “sprinkle” effect.

Try to hang larger scale items to make your rooms seem
bigger. This doesn’t mean you have to run out and spend
hundreds or thousands on a large painting! Hang a rug or a
pretty quilt. Create a dramatic wall hanging with a large
piece of plywood, some paint, and one inspirational word in
large letters. Faith, “Believe” or “Dream” are great ones.
Paint a simple border and background in neutral colors. Then
sketch on your word in blocks with pencil, and fill in with
paint.

Try setting off a special portrait or a wall collection by
painting a background “frame”. Make the frame at least 4-6
inches larger than the art, tape off with painters tape, and
fill in with a darker version of your wall color.

If you have dozens of different frames and pictures, tie
them all together by painting the frames all the same color.
Black gives an elegant touch to any style décor. White is
very fresh, and a bright color can be fund in a contemporary
design.

Consider using stencils to add detail and design to your
walls. It’s easy, relatively fast, and inexpensive. Pick up
a simple design to wrap around windows and doors, or to add detail to your painted “frames” around your wall art
groupings.

Finally, look at unconventional items as wall art. A
weathered piece of driftwood accents over a doorway, or an
old wooded box can hang as a curio cabinet. Simple wooded
blocks can be attached to the wall as candleholders or
display shelves. Your children’s christening dress can be
hung as memory art, or you can frame a piece of the
maternity dress you loved while you were pregnant with your
youngest. Use your imagination!

Decorating walls doesn’t have to be daunting, just use these
easy ideas to get you started!