Do you remember this gigantic piece of art from Sarah's living room? Did you know it was a totally affordable, super easy DIY project?! Well if you didn't, now you do--and today we're sharing instructions for how to create one of your very own! But first, let's talk about where and why we needed something so big.
In Sarah's living room, you can see the space was big enough that we needed a few different zones to fill it up. We had enough room for a very generous sofa, and grounded that section of the room with a pendant light, a rug, and the TV--which left the other corner of the TV wall with nothing to do. It was the perfect size for a truly gigantic piece of art!
If you've ever shopped for large scale art, you know that it tends to be extremely expensive. Even a cheap canvas of this size will easily run over $500, and that's if you're lucky!
Society6 is my favorite source for art on the cheap. They have a huge variety of works by real, independent artists, at much more affordable prices than you tend to find elsewhere. They sell just about all of their art in a variety of formats, including large-scale tapestries that generally cost around $80! Here's how to turn one into a beautiful and affordable piece of art for your next room project.
DIY tapestry wall art
For this project you'll need:
A tapestry in the size of your choosing
Wooden dowel cut about 3 inches wider than your tapestry (2)
Wall hooks (2)
Staple gun
Step 1: Prepare the tapestry
Iron or steam your tapestry to ensure it's nice and flat.
Step 2: Treat your dowel
Any dowel will do just fine! In our case, we went with a solid oak dowel and stained it a rich brown to match the wall shelves on the other side. This added to the cost of the project a bit, but the good news is that a plain pine dowel will work just fine, too!
Step 3: Attach the tapestry to the dowel
If you like, you can use painter's tape to make a straight line, but it isn't really necessary--this project is pretty forgiving!
In order to make a nice border for the tapestry, you'll want to attach the dowel to the front of the tapestry, rather than to the back of it. To start, mark the center of your dowel, and then lay it down on the ground. Fold your tapestry in half vertically, face out with the back sides together. Line the center fold up with the center mark on the dowel, and staple the center in place. This will ensure your tapestry is centered! Unfold your tapestry and staple it in place along the dowel every 6 inches.
Once you're finished, line up the bottom of the tapestry with the second dowel and repeat the process.
Step 4: Hang your wall hooks
You can go as elaborate as you want with these hooks! The sky is the limit. We kept it simple with a plain black single hook, in order not to draw attention away from the tapestry itself. Decide on the precise placement of the art, ensure it's level, and mark where you need your hooks to be. You'll likely be fine to go with drywall screws for this--it doesn't weigh enough to bother with worrying about a stud--but feel free to add anchors if it makes you feel more comfortable!
Step 5: Sit back and admire your gorgeous new art!
If you take on this project, definitely send us some pictures of how it comes out!
-Jennifer