Have you ever had that big, blank wall that you didn’t know what to do with? We’ve all been there! And I want you to know you have options. Today, I’m going to tell you how to source large scale wall art affordably to fill that blank space on a budget.
My dining room has come a longgggg way. From this:
to this:
This did NOT happen overnight, so know that good things take time. This dining room refresh happened in two phases. Phase one included the big basics- paint and 3 different furniture flip projects. The table, chairs, and bar cart were all Facebook Marketplace flips!
Phase 2 brought all the details to life including picture frame moulding, chair recovering, and finally affordably sourced large scale art. I created this 30 x 40 landscape framed canvas for under $200. That’s right, $181 to be exact. Let me share the sources and steps to help you do the same to affordably fill your big blank space.
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience which may reward me in the event of a sale. Note that I only recommend tools and products I have personally used and loved.
STEP 1: Identify Your Space
As with most DIY projects, it’s important to identify the space you’d like to update. For this project, you’re looking for a big blank wall. This is the fifth time I’ve been faced with the big blank wall dilemma. I decided to fill our large living room walls with a mirror on one wall to make the space feel bigger, and a set of 3 DIY textured abstract wall art on the other.
In the kitchen behind the breakfast bench, I went with a gallery wall hung easily and with a little trick and get AND keep all your frames hanging straight. And last, the bedroom wall got DIY Intaglio art for a fraction of the retail price.
So in addition to all those options, I finally chose an art option for the dining room that was NOT do-it-yourself. Well, not entirely.
Historically, I shy away from art because of the price tag. I think art can be a great investment, and I love to support independent artists. But in our first home due to all of the other large scale DIY’s we’ve done, the art budget is pretty low.
Luckily, I found a way to add large scale wall art inside one of my custom picture frame moulding boxes to not only fill space, but add some color.
STEP 2: Source Art
Once you’ve identified the space you want to source large scale art for, it’s time to browse and choose your print. I’m sharing two of my favorite sources and how to digitally download on a budget.
My favorite source to shop for prints is Collection Prints. You can buy the downloadable image and print it yourself or buy the print matted and framed already. They have a great selection that changes seasonally, and even better prices! Check it out here. They are offering a 20% off sale right now.
The other affordable and extensive source I found and browsed was Juniper Print Shop. They off an impressive variety as well, with affordable options to download the print digitally as well.
For my space, I put up an Instagram poll and let my friends help me choose the best print given 3 options. The winner was the print to the far left from Collection Prints.
STEP 3: Purchase and Print
Now that you have chosen your print, you have purchasing options. Through Collection Prints, you can choose to purchase the digital download only, a print, or a framed print. Any of these options are great, but I found the cheapest way to execute this large scale art project was a digital download. This option gives you access to the digital art file, so you can choose your own printing option.
After scouring the internet for reputable and affordable printing options, I narrowed it down to three options. The first two are wholesale membership stores, Costco and Sams. These two print options had affordable prices, especially compared to other sites and companies. I am a member of Sams Club, and almost went with their canvas print option. However, I would have needed to either find or DIY a thin wooden frame to go around it.
To simplify this process, I chose to go with Shutterfly. They offered a canvas print + frame option for a 30×40 canvas for $161 (after applying promo offers and coupons which are almost always active).
STEP 4: Hang
I used the existing picture frame moulding box to guide where I hung my framed canvas print. General hanging guidelines recommend hanging art at or below eye level. And always measure your space to make sure its evenly spaced. Extra tip shared here if you want to make sure your print stays straight once it’s up on the wall, there is nothing worse than shifting and crooked wall art.
This project may not be rocket science, but I do think it’s helpful to narrow down options when it comes to sourcing large scale wall art because there are so many. To recap, I have now filled blank spaces in our Riverdale Ranch with:
–DIY textured abstract wall art
These are all affordable options to help decorate your walls, bringing texture and color and life.
