7 Ways to Upgrade Your Apartment Wall Art

Apartment Wall Art
August 1, 2013 By Ryen Lung
Now that you have your apartment, it is time to put some bling onto your drab walls. But those old college posters will no longer do. You’re an adult: you need an upgrade!

I am a recent college grad and this is my apartment after college. Everything on my walls has a story behind it. I will provide you with a photo tour of my wall art as well as where I purchased everything. Here are 7 ways you can upgrade your apartment wall art.
 


1. Upgrade Your Posters to Banners


Inception Up Movie Poster Banner

Livingroom Inception and Up Movie Banners

I love movies and spent a while finding these movie-theater-sized banners printed on vinyl (imagine how long it took to find that poster from Up – what would you search for on Google?). The Inception Poster is incredibly trippy as the image flips upside down. These vinyl banners are incredibly large and help to fill in the giant space on the wall to the right of my TV.

Purchased on Ebay from seller nycposters.
~$35 each


 


2. Keep It Young With Paneled Artwork


tryptich paneled wave art

Livingroom Triptych Wave Art

Three different wave art pictures printed on canvas add tons of color to my living room. In college, I always had a giant wave/surf poster (reminded me of home–Hawaii).

Purchased from Copiart.com
~$50 each

tryptic paneled canyon art

Abstract Grand Canyon Triptych Wall Art

I bought this one at the same time as the wave artwork (I got a discount when I bought both). Since I don’t have a TV in my room, I wanted artwork that would add some color to my room. I love this picture because it has a radiance that makes it look like it is being lit from behind.

Purchased from Copiart.com
~$50 for each panel


 


 


3. Bring a Reminder of Home


San Francisco Dining Room Art

Dining Room Vintage Hawaii Tourism Artwork

I am from Hawaii, and this “Visit Lahaina” vintage artwork helps transport me back there. It came in a beautiful bamboo shaped wooden frame. The picture is a “giclee” art print form showcasing vivid colors. My parents bought this picture for me as a graduation present from a Farmer’s Market in San Francisco.

Also available on website Voila Vintage Art Publishing.
~$150


 


4. “Class Up” Your Posters with Frames


Disneyland Fantasmic Attraction Poster

Bathroom Disneyland Fantasmic Attraction Poster

I have always been a fan of the Disney attraction posters. I always dream of getting the Matterhorn or Haunted Mansion attraction posters. However, these posters are usually VERY expensive. And the Fantasmic one is no longer sold anywhere. I found this poster on eBay (from someone who found it at a garage sale). There were a few tiny wrinkles on it and so the seller gave it to me for free (I paid shipping). The poster ads a ton of color to my bathroom. It is in a $5 plastic frame from Ikea.

Purchased off of Ebay. Frame from Ikea.
Poster: Free, Frame: $5


 


5. Blow Up and Frame Your Happiest Moments


San Francisco Bathroom

Bathroom Apple iPhoto Print

This photo in my bathroom ads a ton of color to the otherwise white walls. The photo is of my friends and me on our last day as Seniors in College. I printed it from Apple’s iPhoto print orders (20×30 inch prints) for $14.99. The wooden picture frame comes from Ikea.

Purchased off of Apple’s iPhoto Print Products. Frame with matting from Ikea.
Photo: $14.99, Frame: $19.99


San Francisco Bedroom Art

Giant Senior Prom Photo

Here is another photo from Senior Year in college (at a formal). I also printed it from Apple’s iPhoto print orders (20×30 inch prints) for $14.99. The wooden picture frame also comes from Ikea.

Purchased off of Apple’s iPhotoPrint Products. Frame with matting from Ikea.
Photo: $14.99, Frame: $29.99


 


6. Create a Photo Collage


Photo Collage Apartment Art

Sentimental Photos from My Life

These photos appear in my hallway. Each photo represents a specific period in my life. I walk past these photos every day and am reminded of who I am and what has shaped me.

Printed photos from Walgreens, Frames from Ikea
$1.19 per photo print, $15 per frame


 


7. The Diploma: Your Greatest Achievement


College Diploma Wall Art

Framed College Diploma

No After-College apartment would be complete without your college diploma proudly displayed and framed.

Purchased frame through school
Diploma: tons of hard work, Frame: $200



Attaching Frames in a Rental Apartment

Attaching things to walls safely is always an issue. You’ll need a way to secure your picture frames to the wall, especially if you do not want to have peeling paint or holes in the in the apartment you are renting. And blue painter’s tape only works for posters. Fortunately, I discovered a way to do this and it works like magic! Command Brand strips (which you can pretty much buy at any Target, Walmart, or local drug store) work perfectly as long as you follow the directions. It looks like velcro with a little tab at the bottom. It does take a litte longer to figure out and line up your picture frames; however, it is worth it. When you want to remove the strips from the wall, you simply pull on the tab which causes the strip to lose its adhesive (without pulling away the paint). It’s seriously like magic! Everything in my apartment is attached with these strips. You can find the strips for yourself Here.



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