6 Mirrors in funky frames
If you’ve got a closet-sized apartment, mirrors can work
wonders for creating the illusion of more space. Shop flea-markets and
secondhand shops for funky, over-sized frames. They’ll probably be
housing a black velvet Elvis or airbrushed unicorn, but try to ignore
that – what’s important is that the frame style appeals to you. The
ugly "art" can – and should -- go straight into the trash.
To turn the frame into a mirror, simply measure the dimensions, then
head off to a mirror retail store (you can find them under
"mirrors" in the Yellow Pages) to get a piece custom-cut to
fit.
7 Empty frame assemblages
Alternatively, don’t put anything in your frames … just
treat your frames themselves as works of art. Paint your thrift-shop
finds in pretty colors, antique the finishes, arrange the different
frames in an interesting composition on your wall.
8 Tactile art: framed textures
One thing that’s always annoyed me about art museums – they don’t
let you run your fingers over anything! (Those wonderfully
thickly-layered Pollocks always seemed to be begging to be touched, it
seemed to me.) Why not make a wall of tactile art for your home? Hunt
around at thrift shops and hardware stores for a variety of textures
that intrigue you --- bubble wrap, steel wool, corrugated cardboard,
astroturf. Frame a piece of each texture in identical frames – without
the protective glass, of course – then throw them up on a big expanse
of wall where you and your guests can enjoy hours of tactile enjoyment.
9 Paint your walls a vibrant color.
Like a minimalist look but hate the ordinariness of plain white walls?
Paint your walls in a bold color – or even just a single wall if you’d
like to accent just one section of your room.
10 Install a floating shelf to display
collectibles.
If you’re an obsessive accumulator of lunchboxes, Japanese
candies, sno-globes, etc., you’ll want to show off the years of work
that went into building up your precious collection. Floating shelves
(no ugly brackets showing) are a great way to use bare wall space …
and you can buy them for quite cheap at IKEA.