3013, a personal journal in numbers: budget-friendly wall decor

unfortunately, i agonize over placing thing on my walls. i'm not sure what the hesitation is...if i'm afraid of commitment, holes in the walls, and/or making it look perfect. the picture collage above displays the only six walls in my home that actually have any ornamentation, with the exception of the guest room and nursery, and they still are not quite perfect. we've been living here for exactly two years; so, let's just say i'm taking my time making decisions.

because these decisions are so difficult to come by and i often change my mind, it is very important to me that i decorate my walls on a budget with items that are meaningful to me or that i have altered in some way. it's nice to look at your walls and see your family and a little piece of your hard work and creativity.

these six walls are in my adjoined foyer, formal living room, family room. each room has white trim and crown molding and are painted the same shade of brown-gray with the living room a tad darker. it is important to me that these rooms flow together and create a seamless, cohesive space. aside from color scheme and complementary furniture, wall art is an excellent way to provide cohesion and interest. but, it requires the ability to commit and can get a quite expensive.

here are my tips for budget-friendly wall decor:

Texture:

think outside canvas and framed art and pictures. wall vases, ledges, shelves, boxes, mirrors, and sconces all add texture, depth and interest to your wall. mix and match this list to create a unique collage for your wall and complement the space with similar pieces on opposing or adjoining walls. my favorite pieces of texture on the above six walls are the bud vases by Colin Ross Designs from CB2. they are no longer sold, but were only $6.95. I wish I would have ordered enough to cover an entire wall. other budget buys are my mirrors: the distressed rectangle was $12.48 from Target and the ornate white one is from G n J Treasures Consignment Shop for $15.00.

Theme:

a key aspect of cohesion among walls and wall decor is a theme. your theme can be color and/or subject-matter. however, it's not advised that everything you place on your walls be the same color(s) and/or same subject-matter(s). i do recommend that you use frames in matching and complementary color schemes on each wall in your group and group like/similar images together. clearly, white is one of my themes. i like to use white frames in varying shades and levels of distressing; they are clean, bright and put the focus on what's actually in the frame. another theme that i have going on right now is images of the hydrangeas from my garden last summer. at some point, i will switch these out, which leads me to my next point.

Replaceable:

when creating budget-friendly wall decor for the indecisive, it is important that you be able to switch are your art and piece of interest as your please. for example, i can change the images in each frame on my wall. i can also change the objects on the ledges and foliage in the bud vases. this is great because i change my mind frequently and the only commitment i made was the placement on the wall and what holds the decor. my white frames are these and these, both are under $15 per frame with the mat.

DIY:

my last and most important point regarding budget-friendly wall decor is DIY. use your black and white photos of your kids and family, use typography, graphic designs, book plates, and other works of art that you can create yourself. you don't have to be a professional photographer to take an interesting photo of your children or use your computer to scan an image from a book and enlarge the letter of your last name, nor do you have to be very talented to purchase an old botanical sketch book and cut out your favorite images. but, if you do have an artistic talent, your walls are the perfect place to show it off!