Give Your Place a Quick Facelift With Expensive-Looking Cheap Wall Art

Next up, however, is a step we’ve been dreading: wall art. Not because there’s less of it out there, but because it’s usually a pricier investment than a fresh beanie. And unlike a beanie, we can’t squash it into a drawer in good conscience whenever we’re over it. Nor can we outrun it if we hang it, because every spot on a wall is front-and-center of somewhere. Enough! For the love of Michael Shannon, when will we stop framing record covers of Out of Step, or buying those vintage textbook-inspired botanical posters that Gen Z TikTok has aptly called out as the “Keep Calm and Carry On” posters of our time? Time to bury ‘em, alongside our 2013 triangle tattoos and papier-mâché deer heads.

Lest our eyeballs become pickled by the same-old-same-old, we’ve found you a bunch of vibey, cheap wall art that doesn’t cost hundreds of dollars (Society6, for one, is having a big sale right now), and will leave your buds none the wiser. If it’s Western-themed art you’re after, don’t fret cowboy. We’ve also got cinema-centric pieces to replace our bong-water-soaked Scarface poster; Op-Art lithographs for the adult Deadheads, and artisanal mirrors cool enough to both enhance and distract from our faces—and beyond! Here are our favorite tips, tricks, and finds for jazzing up your personal hamster cage.

You’re a straight male skater with one painted fingernail

…And you probably can’t be bothered with framing. (Honestly, same.) This smiley by Jimmy Raines not only comes pre-matted and framed, ripe for hanging beside your floor-bed, but its wonky face speaks so eloquently, while saying nothing at all, about how fried our brains are RN.

Jimmy Raines

Wonky Smiley Face Print

$60

$ 51 at Society6

$60

$ 51 at Society6

The one that screams, “rare edition”

Well. We were not expecting this flex from Amazon, but here we are, floating past page after page of original and reprinted old-school Japanese movie posters that include, but are most definitely not limited to Taxi Driver, Stand By Me, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly , and Robocop 2. Our end game is obviously to find Zardoz or The Baby Boss, in no particular order. This is the gateway drug to spending hundreds of dollars on a bespoke hand-painted Ghanaian movie poster.

Movie Posters

Taxi Driver Japanese Poster

$ 17.99 at Amazon

One for your straight-edge hardcore vegan bud

Hot tip: All the classic flash tattoos that could live on your arm can always just chill on your wall (until you know if you’re a forever horseshoe or snake-wrapped skull). There’s a lot of thought packed into this print, which is also made on eco-friendly, 100% cotton-scrap and archival paper.

Victory Tattoo

Days of Old Framed Art Print

$55

$ 46.75 at Society6

$55

$ 46.75 at Society6

You identify with one or more characters from ‘Rocko’s Modern Life’

A mirror adds visual interest to a wall without asking too much of anyone intellectually, and this 90s-inspired mirror has energy for the days when we just don’t. It’s also handmade out of hemp, foam, and a bunch of other stuff we would’ve stuffed into a bottle rocket as a pre-teen, so it won’t hang too heavy on your wall.

Unique Cat Mirrors

Blue Splash Wiggly Wall Mirror

$ 220 at Etsy

You used to make zines and no one is going to forget it

You did the best collage work out of everyone in your anarchist food co-op back in the day, but now you’re ready to hand over the snipping work to a profesh like Mitch Meseke, who sure knows how to drape an artistic nude over a mountain. Bonus: His section is currently 15% off on Society6.

Mitch Meseke

Surrealistic Pass Art Print

$21

$ 17.85 at Society6

$21

$ 17.85 at Society6

A mirror for an understated statement

This one’s for those who want to fill the void without cluttering their space. Amidst the throngs of merch that wants us to live, laugh, and love, there are some seriously good pieces for a fraction of what you’d find at swanky stores available on Wayfair. It’s also ready to hang right out of the box.

Wrought Studio

Klaudia Frameless Asymmetrical Wall Mirror

$ 105 at Wayfair

Big wall art for an impact

If you have a ton of wall space to fill and don’t want to go through the trouble of paint or wallpapering, choose a feature wall and go with one big statement piece. It will read intentionally stark (rather than “ran out of dough.”)

West Elm

Geode Fiber Natural Dimensional Wall Art

$ 499 at West Elm

Urban Outfitters

Sun Gradient Tufted Wall Hanging

$ 129 at Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters

Andy Blank Playing Card Cut Out Wall Hanging

$ 225 at Urban Outfitters

If you love to start alien conspiracy theories on Reddit

The cool thing about eBay is that it’s like online shopping at the biggest thrift store on the planet, and among the trash there are endless treasures at all different price points. This piece also kicks off our smattering of Op-Art, which is selling all over the web, very on-trend, and a forever-key to our sativa hearts. Case in point: the only way we want to start our day is by waking up, and getting our face punched into the sun by a pyramid from 1979. This lithograph hugs our favorite end of the retro color spectrum, that brown-gold-honey-dirt dream. It’s also signed by the artist, Grace Alhades Sherman.

eBay

Vintage Grace Alhades Sherman OP Art Lithograph “The Power” Signed 1979

$ 124.95 at EBay

Just give your own film some TLC

The year is 2030. Siri has a face, and the Super Bowl is sponsored by SpaceX. “What a simpler time that was,” your friends say as they saunter into your party, admiring a sleek, framed photograph above your tattered Nugget. Little do they know, you just gave one of your digital photos a 35mm-ish finish and blew it up to 16×20 inches on Shutterfly, then threw that thing on your wall—because why can’t you be the artiste?

Shutterfly

Modern Gallery Art Print

$29.99

$ 17.99 at Shutterfly

$29.99

$ 17.99 at Shutterfly

You have Fela Kuti on repeat

We’re wary about buying posters (what if they’re pixelated?), but this one by the Black-owned shop Don’t Sleep Interiors is of museum quality. Most importantly, it does a bunch of impressive multi-tasking; not only does it pay homage to Afrobeat king Fela Kuti (whose words frame the graphic profile), but it’s evocative of a classic Nigerian barber shop.

DontSleepInteriors

24″ x 36″ Modern African Barber Shop Sign Poster

$ 52 at Etsy

Your prefer Scandinavian design

A round mirror is one thing. But one that is inset into concave wood is *chef’s kiss* the perfect upgrade to your IKEA mirror. No shade; It served you well for a long time. But it doesn’t quite say, “Wanna Criterion Collection and chill?”

A Rated Trading

Round Bamboo Mirror – 20 Inches

$ 77.75 at Amazon

West Elm knows what it’s doing

We would totes drop-kick our first born to Rumplestiltskin for a West Elm gift card, because the home decor brand’s designers just know what’s up. The brand’s mirrors and wall art leans on the pricier side, but you know you’re getting great quality and design in everything from mirrors to prints to tapestries.

West Elm

Colorblock Lacquer Square Dimensional Wall Art by Margo Selby (Set of 4)

$396

$ 336.60 at West Elm

$396

$ 336.60 at West Elm

Minted for West Elm

Limited Edition “Eichler” Framed Art

$ 94 at West Elm

West Elm

Southwest Creations Tapestry

$ 170 at West Elm