Art can really turn a house into a home. Most people do not have vast amounts of disposable income to buy the Mona Lisa or a Picasso, but it’s still possible to transform an interior with great art ideas on a budget.
Let’s explore some budget art ideas for your home. Read on and you’ll find out how to decorate your space by harnessing your imagination and using your own personal style to stunning effect.
DIY: Do It Yourself Art
You don’t have to be a world-renowned artist to create art for the home. For the ultimate budget art idea, try creating your own art and make something that pleases you.
In nature, you’ll find leaves, sticks, flowers, and other foliage. Try pressing the leaves or flowers to preserve them, then use an adhesive to stick them onto a canvas to create art from the natural world for your home.
With another canvas and some basic paints – water-based acrylic paint is probably the easiest if you’re new to painting – you could try making your own work. Why not start with an abstract subject, focusing on colour, shape, and line? Creativity is your only limit.
Have you got a picture frame and some old wallpaper? It’s quick and easy to frame the wallpaper and use it as art on a contrasting wall. Or you could save patterned paper or photos from magazines and arrange them to create your own collage.
Have you got a flat surface and some nails? Create a shape with the nails and wrap string or yarn between opposing nails to create intriguing string art that you can mount on the wall.
We hope this gives you some inspiration for DIY art. This is the most cost-effective budget art idea for the home, with the added benefit of being completely unique.
Use Online Art Marketplaces and Printing Services
Thanks to the internet, artists can sell their art through online marketplaces. You may find some amazing options from independent artists or second-hand art pieces no longer wanted by their owners. This allows you to avoid the cost of expensive galleries while giving old works a new lease of life. Art shows by students at local colleges and schools are another source of inexpensive creations and could also be a fun outing.
Another option is taking photographs using your smartphone, or using scanned photos from your past. You could add effects and filters to create a unique look, then arrange for this image to be printed on canvas. Artists usually need to be paid for their time and effort, but by becoming the artist and using your own photos, you can create your own extremely cost-effective art.
Charity Shops, Thrift Stores, Antique Shops
If you have time to search, you can find hidden gems in charity, thrift, and antique shops. Charity and thrift shops usually offer items at low prices as they operate on a donation basis. It may take a few attempts at different locations to find something, but persistence could lead to some interesting finds. Use your imagination – the print in an ugly frame could be transformed with different mounting, and that bland landscape could be worth buying because it has a lovely frame that can be used with another work.
Antique shops are likely to be more expensive as dealers need to make a profit. However, antique stores can be an excellent option for historical artworks of genuine provenance that can add rich narrative and atmosphere to your room design.
Hang Your Wall Art on a Budget With STAS
That DIY art idea sounds great, all that’s left to do is hang it on the wall STA picture hanging systems are a budget-friendly way to hang multiple pieces of wall art in a stylish way. In particular, the STAS minirail can allow you to start hanging wall art for less than £20 with the included installation kit.
Picture hanging systems are a really convenient way to quickly add and remove art from the wall, and slide it into position for any layout. If you have a large number of budget artworks for your home, these durable rails can support up to 25kg per square metre.
Now you have some ideas on how to create or obtain budget wall art and the ideal system for easily hanging your pieces on the wall. Inspiration can be found everywhere, so have fun adding to the interior design of your home.
