You all know I love a good deal. Better yet, when a good deal coincides with a quick n easy DIY – I AM SOLD. So excited to share with you an affordable and easy-to-assemble DIY alternative to the trend of woven basket wall art. I imagine you have seen several, pricey options from vendors like Etsy or Pottery Barn – some of these sets selling at upwards of $150! In my opinion, that’s just too much for basically straw nailed to your wall.
I thought to myself – there’s got to be a cheaper way to get this look.
This space above our master bedroom dresser was previously occupied by a large black and white art print. I wanted to upgrade that space with warmer tones and natural fibers. But as an expectant mama with extra cash going toward baby, I didn’t want to devote much of a budget, if one at all, to upgrading this decorative area.
I kept finding myself drawn to the trend of woven basket art, but always ended up shying away when I saw the price tag on some of the arrangements. After all, it’s just straw in a circular shape you’re paying for – how much could this stuff actually cost. Why couldn’t I create this look piece by piece using cheaper woven items – like placemats – that didn’t have the label ‘woven basket art’ marketing up the cost.
Check out the Save or Splurge graphic below: On the left you’ll see my display. Granted, a more streamlined look with slightly less variety, but one that cost me 1/3 of the price of the Etsy listing on the right. And to boot, this arrangement was made from items I already owned!
Flash back to my Baby Shower, now over a month ago (yes, I still owe you a blog post revealing every detail!) featuring IKEA’s Soaré placemats. I purchased 20 of them for the Shower luncheon; and while I will definitely use them all again for future events, I wanted to repurpose a few of them as art work. These mats are $5 each, but look designer! The simple, woven design of the dried hyacinth is so earthy, bohemian and natural.
Thus created the idea for a DIY woven wall art display!
With just 7 of these IKEA placemats + a few nails and a hammer, you can create the trendy look of woven basket wall art for under $40! Let’s take a look at our supply list below – you’ll be surprised by how little you need to create this look!
Once you’ve gathered all your supplies, you’ll really only need about 10 minutes to place and hang these placemats! Here’s a few things to keep in mind:
- Asymmetry wins. Notice how I’ve chosen an odd number of placemats for this arrangement. My pricey, Etsy inspiration also featured 7 woven mats. I think your arrangement is more aesthetically pleasing with 5, 7, 9, or even 11 mats versus 4, 6, or 8. Similar to the theme of shelf styling with items of 3. Asymmetry & odd numbered items wins.
- Scatter at random. You really have a lot of freedom with how you choose to arrange your placemats. I wanted this look to be free and natural, as opposed to linear and structured. By scattering the placemats at random, without any consistency to how much overlap there is between mats, you create a piece that flows, and appears handmade.
- Create an upward angle. I’m all for making walls look taller. Think about the way you place your curtain rod as close to the ceiling as possible – the theme here is the same. Arrange your placemats in an upward angle headed toward the ceiling, giving your artwork height and dimension, while adding length to your space.
Each placemat needs 1-2 small nails to secure it to the wall. The hyacinth fibers are super lightweight, so it doesn’t take much. I found that I really only needed 2 nails on the mats that were overlapping other mats.
Surround your woven mat arrangement with neutral tones and earthy textures that add to your natural look. Note my wood tray, the ceramic vase, and fresh olive greens from our backyard.
I’m so pleased with the way this look turned out, and how quickly it came together! If you try out this DIY IKEA hack, please share with me in the comments below, or tag me on Instagram.
All the materials for this project are linked here. You can also click on any photo in this post to shop the materials directly.
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