A current decorating project has left my mind full of how to address “the elephant” in the room. In this case meaning a large empty wall above a low rise child’s bed. The budget is being spent on necessities like new bedding, curtains, paint, and some framed art for the opposite wall and there is little money left to address this blank canvas. Here is an accumulation of ideas for how to decorate “the elephant” in the room for under $50.
We are currently leaning towards tying up a couple strands of gross grain ribbon and attaching laminated second hand comic book pictures to it.
If you have a bit of an artistic streak a few $7 spray cans can make a huge impact.
A strand of lights spelling a word like “love” is simple and beautiful.
Stencils are always a great option but not everyone is cut out for the work involved in a full wall stencil. Some simple stenciled birds can add a whimsical touch and is easier (and much cheaper- $20ish) than a full wall stencil.
I recently saw this indoor climbing wall on Leave It to Bryan (ignore the stencil, it’ll run you $100). Not for parents who are faint of heart but what little kid wouldn’t love to be able to climb their walls? Check out Ebay for some killer deals.
A collection of vintage plates from the thrift store makes a charming vignette.
Wall decals can be expensive but if you search you can find ones for under $50 on Etsy or at stores like Lowes.
These book ledges are sold at Ikea for $15 each. Create a focal point with some attractive books and save room as well.
Making and attaching a simple frame to the wall then filling it in with magnetic paint is a great way for your child to display favorite pictures.
Stretching some inexpensive fabric onto a large homemade frame and stapling it in place can create instant wall art.
If you are short on closet space why not display your finest as wall art. A perfect idea for a little girl’s nursery.
An inexpensive gallery wall can be made from collecting cheap frames from thrift stores and filling them with pictures from second-hand books. The frames can be painted if you want to unify them.
To put together a wall of vintage mirrors for $50 would take some time and patience but with Craigslist, thrift stores, and garage sale finds, it is possible. This would be beautiful in a girl’s room young or old.
These are only a few of the many, many routes you could take to inexpensively address a large blank wall. As you can see from the pictures, these ideas are not all limited to use in a child’s bedroom but can make a statement in any room that needs some pizzazz. I’ll be sure to post pictures of this project when it is done, including the budget breakdown for our wall art.
