Design Alternative To Expensive Wallpaper: DIY Eclectic Art Gallery Wall

My original vision for this room was to have some kind of moody or floral wallpaper, to give it an ultra cozy breakfast nook type of feel and to separate the space from the bright, clean white living room right next to it.

Wallpaper gets expensive quickly though in larger rooms, so I had the idea to basically cover the walls in art to give it a similar cozy, eclectic feeling. It’s not the same look by any means but I think it creates a similar feeling.

I’m always looking for cheap ways to hang wall art anyway and was inspired a while back to simply paint right on the backing of thrifted picture frames, and even extend the painting onto the frame itself.

I love the homey feel this gallery wall gave the dining room, and I think I spent less than $20 or $30 on all the frames total. I hung some of our kids’ artwork also, and some battery sconce lights were the final touch. I’ll be honest, we never use them, because the battery runs out quickly and the color of the light bulb is not super nice. But even with the lights turned off I like how they look on the wall. And they were very affordable.

The pendant chandelier was actually thrifted also years ago for $11! I spray painted it gold and swapped out the bulbs for these frosted round ones. Some crown moulding and a ceiling medallion would be the final touches for this room — might get to that one day!