I Tried This Ingenious $6 Art Hack, and It Transformed My Gallery Wall
Back when I first moved into my apartment, I wanted my living room wall to have a gallery of images surrounding a television. I sought to make the art interesting yet not overpowering — whatever show I’d be streaming needed my full attention — and I also hoped that my choices would all coordinate. I started searching for possibilities from my favorite online art retailers, like Pstr Studio, Desenio, and Etsy. I found contenders, but then hit another common roadblock: Everything I wanted was outside of my budget.
I already had four existing prints to work with, so I only needed a complementary pair to round out the gallery. I planned to spend around $100 for these two new pieces, frames included, which didn’t leave much wiggle room for even so much as shipping costs. And then I got an idea: I’d frame wallpaper samples and use that in my gallery wall.
I’d recently helped my parents renovate their powder room with a peel-and-stick print, and a few Chasing Paper options caught my eye during the project. I ordered two of their botanical print samples, one green and one beige, for $6 a piece. Afterward, I bought two matted frames at HomeGoods, and once the samples arrived I placed them inside as if they were art. In all, this wallpaper sample hack cost about $60.
On top of being stylish and budget-friendly, I like how the wallpaper adds a slight textural quality to my gallery and diversifies the display of prints. It also just so happens to match the real plants nearby. And if I ever want a change, ordering a new wallpaper design is a cinch.
Aside from Chasing Paper, Backdrop has modern wallpaper samples priced at $10, Joss & Main for just $5, and Little Greene even lets you order up to six sample sheets for free. To cut costs even more, you can also thrift a frame and then order a single mat separately to fit the sample. Either way, this project is way cheaper and less wasteful than ordering a whole wallpaper roll if there’s a pattern you want to display as art. Below, I rounded up a few examples to inspire your own gallery wall.
Binary Panel Set Sample
This geometric print would look especially on-trend in a metallic frame. Plus, the silver and white coloring adds a sleek touch to your art collection. For higher contrast, it’s available in black, too.
Gambit Panel Sample
Lean into the checkerboard trend on a small scale with this two-toned sample. Set it inside a black frame, and it’ll stand out in any space.
Beaver Meadow Sample
While this botanical print seems like a shoo-in for a powder room or kids’ space, it could also work nicely above a nightstand in a guest room. I’d pair it with a gold frame.
No: 5 Typewriter Sample
Even styled on its own, this typewriter pattern instantly elevates your WFH area. Hang it right above a desk, of course.
Wild Thing Sample
Contain a “wild” print like this inside a frame, and it’s much easier to accomplish the pattern-on-pattern trend — especially if you’re layering a gallery on top of an already wallpapered accent wall.