Wall art ideas – 10 of the best

Put your devotion to a particular decorative device on full display by extending it to your wall art. In this calming living room, the love of typography is bold and unapologetic, and the scheme is kept in check by employing soft textiles and neutral colours. Beyond soft furnishings and ceramics, the theme is taken to the wall via a homage to vintage printer type. It’s all a bit font-tastic.

Letterpress print
The Tom Paine Printing Press
Sofa
Graham & Green

Even a garden room or utility space would benefit from the addition of wall art, especially when the chosen works are a playful extension of the room’s purpose. Case in point: these seed packet prints, with their vintage-look illustrations and vivid colouring, simply explode with charm and take this potting space from functional to fabulous. The repeated use of a single frame in a bold colour is an effective way to create a strong look that is effortless to achieve.

Seed packet prints
The Old Design Shop on Etsy
Frames
Ikea

For those so inclined to take their art appreciation to new heights (and widths), make the wall the art itself. Advances in surface printing technology have allowed for the production of wallpaper and mural panels to rival any fresco. Even the cracking of an aged work comes through in stunning detail. A bathroom is a great place to try this out. However, if you’re daring enough to give this a go, keep the rest of the room sparse and the palette simple.

Mural
Surface View
Bath
Catchpole & Rye

Wall art should escape the confines of canvas and paper to include materials of all kinds – especially now, when affordable fabrics in gallery-worthy designs are at an all-time peak. Look equally to the reemergence of needlepoint and ink-work, and you have a slew of textile styles from which to pick or mix and match. What better use for a small scrap from a recent sewing project or that vintage fabric swatch you never knew what to do with but had to buy anyway?

St Ives fabric
Sanderson
Suvi fabric
Romo

Nothing shows artistic spirit more than the breaking of the rules. In truth, the only rule should be: if you like it, then do it. Here, a contemporary black and white typographic print is mounted against a bold paper and framed in a weathered baroque frame. Hung on a Grecian repeat wallpapered wall, this should be a total mess, but actually it shows fabulous individuality and cheeky charm.

Small Talk print
Design Vintage
Similar frame
Marks & Spencer

Plates and platters are a simple yet simply striking way to adorn your walls. While respect should be paid to the Limoges and Royal Daltons of the past, this display doesn’t have to be a selection of your nan’s wall plates. From contemporary graphics to photo-realism to naive illustrations, a collection of glass, ceramic and even melamine dishes will serve up piled-high plates of chic.

Similar plates
John Derian at Liberty
Similar wire bowl
Nkuku

Ditch the expected repeats or fussy mosaics that make up most of the kitchen walls out there and delve into a bit of artistic flair. Give a humble splashback the star treatment via wall tiles that come together to create an Art Deco mural on a subdued scale. It’s a look that says, “Cooking is not the only good taste you will find in this space”.

Tile mural
Fine Art Tiles
Similar kettle
Wesco

Keep your child’s room playful and fun, but maintain the contemporary cool you demand of the rest of your home via a wall sticker in its smartest form. This ever-so-popular take on peel-and-stick wall decoration channels the simple times of outdoor play in a sweet cut-out shadow effect. And most importantly, this choice of artwork can’t be knocked off the wall as a result of overactive playtime.

Wall sticker
Amazing Sticker at Etsy
Similar dolls house
Wooden Toy Store