How to Hang Art on Wallpaper

Can you hang artwork on wallpaper? You sure can! Decorating with custom-framed art adds depth to your walls and makes your room more inviting. The biggest challenge is knowing what artwork will look best with your wallpaper—you don’t want to end up with walls that clash! Thankfully, we’ve gathered the best tips for choosing custom-framed art that will bring dimension and beauty to your walls. As a bonus, we’re also sharing our favorite tricks for how to hang art on your wallpaper with minimal damage to your walls. Read on and get inspired!

Create Negative Space

Set your artwork apart from the wallpaper behind it through the use of negative space. It gives your eye somewhere to rest and prevents the overall composition from feeling too busy. You can choose art with lots of negative space or create it by using an extra wide mat or frame when choosing your custom framing options.

Contrast the Scale

Play with scale to create a balance between your art and wallpaper. If your wallpaper has a small pattern, choose artwork that features a larger scale subject. If your wallpaper has a larger pattern, go for art with a smaller scale. You can also have fun experimenting with the size of your artwork following this same principle.

Play with Pattern

You also want to strike a balance between the busyness of your framed art and wallpaper. If your wallpaper features a busy pattern, opt for art and frame choices that are more minimal. Conversely, if your wallpaper has a simple design, feel free to choose art and frames with more going on!

Less is More

Remember that your wallpaper is also art! You don’t need to hang a ton of artwork to have an impact. Choose an accent wall and add a few thoughtful pieces of art to draw the eye to a focal point. (Of course, if you’re a maximalist, ignore this advice and go hog wild!)

Choose a Color Palette

A cohesive color palette will tie your artwork and wallpaper together, creating a harmonious look. Pick a palette that compliments your wallpaper and evokes the mood you’re going for, such as warm earth tones or cool, moody blues. Remember that all the colors in your art and wallpaper don’t have to match—even just one shared color can create a unified look.

Frame it Right

The ideal frame will make your artwork pop and give your walls more dimension. Unless you’re going for a tonal look, pick frames that provide some contrast with your wallpaper. Try a gold frame on dark wallpaper or a black frame on light wallpaper. Have fun contrasting styles too—mix ornate and traditional options with modern and minimal picks.

Pro Tips for Framing Your Art

Create a template by tracing your frames on paper, then use removable painter’s tape to tape your template up to see exactly where you want to hang your frames before putting any holes in the wall
Avoid using adhesives when hanging heavy pieces since they can tear wallpaper
Use a knife to cut a small upside down v-shape in your wallpaper, then pull it down to put larger nails or screws into the wall; if you rearrange your artwork, you can stick the wallpaper back in place
Wrap felt or cloth around any picture wire to avoid scratching the wallpaper

Custom framing is the key to creating a wow-worthy wall—no matter what type of wallpaper you’re working with. Visit your local FastFrame store for help designing the ideal frames for your walls today! Thinking about adding some posters into the mix? Read How to Custom Frame Your Favorite Posters.