Classy and Eco-Friendly Wall Decor on the Cheap!

Our awesome friends Steve and Amy gave us this vintage slate chalkboard, salvaged from a school last used in the 1920s, for our wedding. We loved it and couldn’t wait to put it up in our kitchen! Because of the way our kitchen is shaped, there was only one wall we could use, and, because that sucker is heavy, we had to hang it on the stud. My only sadness about it was the broken intercom box you see in the picture above. To add insult to injury, it’s not even hung straight! So I had to come up with an artful way to hide it.

First I thought I’d cover it with paper, but I didn’t think it would be too sturdy. Then I thought maybe I could cover it with a box of some kind…but how to make it pretty? The answer came in the mail–my awesome hermano sent me a box full of gifts from Powell’s Books for my birthday, and they were all wrapped in this lovely brown paper with little leaves on it. I kept the paper, knowing I wanted to do something with it, and it didn’t take long for these two elements to come together!

I decided to cover the box with the pretty paper, and to make a whole wall of paper-covered boxes. I have been so inspired by TheNester‘s beautiful look of many small items on one wall, so I was seeking an effect like that.

I used small boxes that we happened to have around the house: some that came in a goody box Eric’s parents sent us (yay!), and some that I scrounged up in drawers and cabinets. My boxes were things like check boxes, pen boxes, shoebox tops (ones I’d done some practice painting on!) and plastic baggie boxes, but you could use just about anything. Kleenex boxes? Sure! Cereal boxes? Perfect! The best thing about this random assortment of shapes is that it really gives a great texture to a flat wall.

So, I set about wrapping my boxes with the pretty wrapping paper and with some sturdy brown paper of my husband’s. You could use any kind of paper, really–from grocery sacks to wrapping paper to pretty things you’ve cut out of magazines, and you can make your box cluster themed however you like: food, sports, flowers, whatever floats your boat!

After I covered the boxes, I put them up in a slightly haphazard manner, and, voila! The wall is rescued from the evil clutches of the interxom box! This project is so cheap and easy, making use of stuff you might have thrown away otherwise, and I had tons of fun playing with it. If you try it, drop me a line or send some pictures–I’d love to see it!